Dear Priyanka, There could be, and in fact are, multiple views. While, I do not subscribe to the Post-Modernist position that every view is as legitimate as any other; the fact remains while some of the views are conceited and some are earnestly held.
The next important point is that this debate, to my mind, is somewhat extraneous to the workings of the Committee in so far as it identifies itself as a defender of "democratic rights". In cases of "democratic rights" being violated, the defender of democratic rights are duty-bound to protest, regardless of whether it concerns a rapist or a saint, Kasab or Binayk. These protests are not exclusively reserved for saints only. To illustrate, I had been one of the initiators of a public online appeal for commutation of capital punishment for Afzal Guru. I'd also ask for the same in case of Dara Singh if he sentenced similarly by the Supreme Court. The famous case of Dhananjay Chatterjee - a brutal rapist and murderer of a teenage girl - is perhaps the best illustration. And the other relevant point is that the basket of "democratic" rights does not include the right to kill (by non-state actors) or "pick up the gun" for that matter. That's the position of the "democratic rights" movements. Now let's come to the specific case from a broader perspective. The Pioneer is perhaps the only national newspaper having consistent pro-BJP stand. Its Editor Chandan Mitra, an ex-Maoist, is now a BJP functionary and a RS member. Swapan Dasgupta, another ex-radical (from the SWP-Britain) is now arguably the most sophisticated apologist of the BJP. But the arguments will have to be tackled on their own merits. Regardless of the source these are coming from. If Bal Thackeray (like many others) asserts that the sun rises in the west, no sane one would rush to deny that just because Bal Thackeray has said that. I do not propose to get into a detailed examination of this article. The politics of gun, or violence, exercised by non-state players can be broadly divided into two categories. One, whose banner (or goals etc.) one clearly opposes - on "moral" grounds. And others, whose goals, if not methods, one finds noble. There would also be some about whom there would be considerable haziness depending on the viewer's position. For example: LeT or LTTE or ULFA or NDFB or the likes. When one despises the banner, things become pretty simple. The problem arises when one loves it. There, I'd suggest, that one has to examine things with a cool head and in some depth. With certain degree of seriousness. As regards Maoist insurgency and violence is concerned, Pol Pot and Shining Path - known for their arguably horrendous brutalities have internationally been roundly condemned almost across the board. Here in India, Charu Mazumdar came to be known for his line of "annihilation of class enemies". While the CPI(Maoist) is a legatee of the "CM-Line", most other "Naxalite" factions themselves have disowned that line on the ground of brutality and/or being proved counterproductive. These are factors which any serious exploration must factor in. There is no substitute for application of one's own mind. Sukla On Mon, Sep 28, 2009 at 10:44 AM, Priyanka wrote: > > i honestly don't know what to make of an article like this.... the author, > to me, seems to be frustrated that he too had harboured such "ideas" once > upon a time but then, as he puts it, "better sense prevailed upon" him... > > the only way that i understand naxalism, maoism (whatever it may be called) > is this: > > people are deprived of their basics...repeated pleas to those who are > supposed to hear them out and soothe their wounds have been falling on deaf > ears for eons....finally, when nothing works, they have to pick the > gun...something stronger than voice in needed when nothing else works....of > course, violence isnt the only way out, but then, how long can one just hope > and hope and hope and wait that one day the sun will shine on them? > > that's a completely personal understanding of the situation...would like it > if anyone could throw more light on this, if deemed necessary.... > > priyanka :-) > > > > On Sun, Sep 27, 2009 at 11:39 AM, Kamayani <[email protected]> wrote: > >> ttp://dailypioneer <http://dailypioneer/> .com/205298/ Absolving- >> Maoists-of- their-crimes. html >> COLUMNIST | Sunday, September 27, 2009 >> >> Absolving Maoists of their crimes >> >> Swapan Dasgupta >> >> In the late-1960s and early-1970s, it was not unusual to hear about young >> men and women from privileged backgrounds breaking off ties with their >> families, catching a train to some god-forsaken place in Bihar and then >> going “underground”. When I joined Delhi’s St Stephen’s College, >> unquestionably a citadel of both excellence and privilege, in 1972, there >> were many who viewed all imports from Calcutta as potentially suspect and >> contaminated with the Naxalite virus. After all, too many bright sparks had >> abruptly disappeared into the countryside in search of the class war that >> would finally liberate India and elevate China’s Chairman into “our >> Chairman”. >> >> Mercifully, such puerile manifestations of impatience with the old order >> yielded little fruit. The majority of those who packed a pair of jeans and >> tried to persuade poor peasants that they should hack the local landlord >> into pieces and feed the jackals, returned dejected and traumatised. Most of >> them had done nothing really purposeful during their “underground” stint but >> there were a few who had taken the perverted prophet Charu Mazumdar at face >> value. Some had indeed killed hapless traffic policemen, ageing >> vice-chancellors and third-rung politicians. >> >> These amateur criminals posed a problem both for their parents and those >> in charge of stamping out the Naxalite movement. Fortunately there is one >> law for the aam aadmi and one law for those who have connections. Thanks to >> an astonishing show of flexibility by the authorities, the PLU murderers >> were given a way out. Their parents were advised to send the deviants to a >> foreign country and make sure they didn’t return in a hurry. Most never did. >> The US in particular hosts a large number of law-abiding people of Indian >> origin who were banished from the mother country for heinous crimes. In the >> old days, criminals in England were transported to Australia and French >> criminals suffered on Devil’s Island. Four decades ago, we sent off our >> political criminals to taste life in the heartlands of capitalism. It was >> the most agreeable punishment devised by an otherwise brutal state. >> >> Needless to say, this punishment was reserved for some. The Indian state >> came down hard on the less fortunate. Few of them have lived to reflect on >> their misguided past. >> >> The ones who went “underground” for a lark returned to their normal lives >> after hunger and dysentery overwhelmed their Maoism. The few who were truly >> agonised over the plight of the poor joined the Human Rights and Civil >> Liberties groups. It was a prudent change of tack since these bodies have >> been generously funded by angst-ridden Europeans (if only to show that India >> is at the core a rotten Third World country) and have evolved into >> overground service centres for every conceivable group that is waging war on >> the Indian state. In hindsight, Charu Mazumdar’s investment in the brat pack >> of the 1960s has paid off. Today, in the guise of protecting civil >> liberties, they operate as ideological covers for any group that wants the >> disintegration of India. >> >> It is necessary to provide a background to the contrived tear-jerking that >> is being witnessed in the English-language media over the arrest of one >> Kobad Ghandhy, an ideologue and Politburo member of the outlawed >> CPI(Maoist). Normally, the arrest of a senior Maoist leader doesn’t lead to >> every cub reporter shedding tears. But Ghandhy’s advantage is that he came >> from a rich Bombay family, went to Doon School, bummed around London in the >> 1970s, was a leading light of the Human Rights industry and, finally, went >> “underground” to service a group of armed murderers. Of course, Ghandhy has >> probably never killed someone personally or planted one of those deadly >> mines that have led to the deaths of policemen and para-military forces in >> Chhattisgarh. For that matter, he was probably never personally around when >> his comrades turfed poor Adivasis out of their homes for the crime of >> refusing to acknowledge the power of the Red Flag. No, or so the argument >> goes, Ghandhy was a good man because he felt for the poor, spoke good >> English and had eschewed his inheritance. He was a good man because he cut a >> romantic figure. >> >> The campaign to paint a halo around Ghandhy has begun in right earnest. In >> time, we may even witness countless intellectuals and even Nobel Prize >> winners sign petitions calling for his release, perhaps on medical grounds. >> It is even possible that an orchestrated campaign may lead to the courts >> ordering his release on bail on compassionate grounds — the paediatrician >> Binayak Sen was granted bail on grounds of ill health. But does a spirited >> campaign by bleeding hearts necessarily absolve Ghandhy? >> >> A man who occupied a top leadership position of an outlawed organisation >> that has assaulted the sovereignty of the Indian state cannot claim with any >> degree of credibility that he was oblivious of the military wing of his >> party. The armed struggle is an integral part of the CPI(Maoist) and its >> military operations have been sanctioned by the political leadership. >> Obviously, Ghandhy may be unaware of the operational details of the arson, >> murder and extortion in the deep forests of central India. But these >> operations have been sanctioned by people like him. His supporters cannot >> whitewash his culpability. >> >> The law doesn’t make a distinction between those who can speak English and >> those who are better versed in the vernacular. Over the past two years, many >> of the so-called ideologues of the Students Islamic Movement have been >> arrested. They preached the idea of jihad and motivated many earnest Muslim >> youth to kill innocent people for the sake of a larger cause. But these >> ideologues never actually carried out the bombings; they left it to the more >> daring and resourceful. >> >> If Ghandhy is to be released, the top leadership of SIMI (also a banned >> outfit) should be feted by Human Rights-wallahs in five-star hotels and >> invited to meaningful seminars underwritten by the European Union. Would >> that be a sign of India’s enlightenment or India’s stupidity? >> >> ©CMYK Printech Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in >> partwithout written permission is prohibited. >> >> -- >> I carry a torch in one hand >> And a bucket of water in the other: >> With these things I am going to set fire to Heaven >> And put out the flames of Hell >> So that voyagers to God can rip the veils >> And see the real goal................... >> .By Rabia (Rabi'a Al-'Adawiyya) >> >> Adv Kamayani Bali Mahabal >> Mobile-00919820749204 >> skype:lawyercumactivist >> >> www.binayaksen.net >> www.phm-india.org >> www.phmovement.org >> www.ifhhro.org >> >> >> >> > > > -- > "I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge, > That myth is more potent than history. > I believe that dreams are more powerful than facts, > That hope always triumphs over experience. > That laughter is the only cure for grief. > And I believe that love is stronger than death." > - Robert Fulghum > > > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. 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