its rather surprising bhow our gaze continously rests on mayawatis of the worldwhile manmoihans and monteks excape unscthed
2009/1/18 ranju radha <[email protected]> > monuments have its own political trajectory > Dalits have to erase the existing ones and creates their own > as such these symbols of history rewrites history > re-writing history is part of the struggle > > having said that i must say that if Mayavati can do that wonder of > ANNIHILATING the values of brahminsm from which arise all the anomalies of > our society,over night, that would be the best thing India can witness since > 50000 years or so. > > > > > On Fri, Jan 16, 2009 at 3:07 PM, Anil Tharayath Varghese < > [email protected]> wrote: > >> >> Once again on Mayawati.............. >> >> India: Monuments Will Not Save The Dalits >> Monday, 12 January 2009, 11:42 am >> Press Release: Asian Human Rights Commission >> >> INDIA: Monuments Will Not Save The Dalits >> >> The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is a political party that has contested >> elections harnessing the Dalit votes. The BSP's woman leader, Ms. >> Mayawati, a dalit herself, has been claiming that her party and the >> Uttar Pradesh state government she leads, is actively involved in >> trying to meliorate the living condition of the Dalit community. >> >> The BSP, that claims to be working for 'revolutionary social and >> economic movement of change with a view to realise … the supreme >> principles of universal justice, liberty, equality and fraternity >> enunciated in the Constitution of India' however has achieved nothing >> much in this front. The BSP, like most of their counter parts in the >> country, is not interested in the welfare of the ordinary people, but >> is preoccupied with the welfare of the people who control the party. >> Uttar Pradesh, with an estimated 243,286 sq. kilometre land area, >> occupies 1/3rd of the highly fertile Gangetic plain. Yet, it is one of >> the most backward states of India and is the most populated state in >> the country with an estimated 190 million people. The backwardness of >> the state owes much to its elected representatives. 100 out of the 403 >> seats in the state assembly are occupied by individuals having >> criminal antecedents, ranging from charges of corruption, murder, rape >> and robbery, to name a few. The Chief Minister, Ms. Mayawati herself, >> is accused of corruption involving 40 million USD, in the infamous Taj >> Corridor case. >> >> The state underperforms on various fronts below the national average. >> For example, the literacy rate is 57.36 percent for the state as >> opposed to the higher national average of 65.4 percent. India's >> population stabilisation solely rests upon two states, Uttar Pradesh >> and Bihar. Yet, Uttar Pradesh has a population growth rate of 25.8 >> percent against the national average of 23.8 percent. Even according >> to the state government, in terms of social development indicators >> like medical facilities, teacher-student ratio in primary schools, >> death rate, infant mortality rate, literacy, per capita income, >> electrification of villages and per capita power consumption, the >> state currently lag behind other parts of the country. Nothing >> tangible was achieved in the state to change the status quo after the >> forming of the current government in May 2007. >> >> What is visible however is the omnipresence of statues and decorations >> in the urban areas, particularly within the cities, where huge statues >> of Mayawati are erected. Whenever there was criticism against the >> Chief Minister or a member of the government, stiff resentment was the >> response, claiming that these are rumours spread by the upper caste or >> the opposition. >> >> It is however true that the current administration will have a tough >> way forward if at all the government is serious in addressing the >> people's need. The bureaucracy of the state has a few decades of >> corruption, nepotism and criminality as their practice and experience >> to shed off. Experiences and practices that are rooted within the >> system will take time to be removed. Of particular importance is the >> widespread practise of corruption. Every aspect of public life in the >> state is under the influence of corruption. The BSP like many other >> political parties in the country is known to demand 'donations' from >> the rich and the poor alike. Those who pay higher amounts of such >> donations expect to receive favours from the government. >> >> Corruption percolates from the top to the lowest levels of the >> administration. For example, it is common for the government licensees >> like the Public Food Distribution System (PDS) agents to sell food >> grains in the black-market. The food grains supplied to the PDS shops >> by the government to be distributed for the poor, in these conditions >> never reach the intended population. The effect of this form of >> corruption is devastating particularly in rural areas where the poor >> live. The state police, an agency mandated to take actions against >> this is equally or even worse in terms of corruption. It is public >> knowledge that recruitment and promotion in the state police, >> particularly for the lower and middle ranks, are made after paying >> huge amounts in bribes. It is equally known that the officers, >> majority of them, soon start making good of the bribe they paid by >> demanding and accepting bribes. >> >> Similar state of apathy exists in state-run health centers. Government >> hospitals are understaffed and ill-equipped. In rural areas, public >> health service centers, commonly referred to as PHCs, remain closed >> mostly throughout the year, denying health services to the poor >> villagers. Schools are also equally understaffed. Several government >> schools remain closed or as good as non-functional, since the school >> buildings are no more safe to house the children. >> >> The poor in the villages mostly face the brunt of this administrative >> neglect. The state has a predominantly rural population, of which an >> estimated 11 percent is unaccounted due to caste prejudices and errors >> in the census data. The state is home for malnutrition, starvation, >> deaths from starvation, high rates of mortality and the prevalence of >> malnutrition-induced deceases. A high percentage of those who face >> this harsh reality in life are the members of the Dalit community. >> >> Almost 90 percent of the Dalits work as landless agricultural >> labourers. Yet, when the central government initiated discussions for >> a national land reforms policy and a law, the BSP was in the forefront >> to oppose the move. A national land reforms law with statutory >> limitations on individual and collective land holdings will help to >> improve the living condition of the poor. States like Kerala in India >> where such policies are in force since long, has proved that land >> reforms will not only reduce poverty, but has also the potential to >> end caste based discrimination. >> >> It is in this backdrop that Mayawati and the state government she >> leads is preparing for a state-wide celebration of Mayawati's 53rd >> birthday. Billions of Indian Rupees, estimated to be about 975 million >> USD, is projected to be spent for building monuments by the state >> administration in the coming years. The question is, would these >> monuments be later remembered for the glory of a Dalit leader or is to >> remain as the ghosts of her reckless administration? >> >> - Dr B.R. Ambedkar, Mahad Satyagraha Conference, December 25th , 1927 >> >> >> >> >> >> -- Bobby Kunhu http://community.eldis.org/myshkin/Blog/ --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. 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