Bohras fall at the feet of Narendra Modi too

[ghulam muhammed]

After Failing to Get Presidential Nod Thrice, Gujarat to Re-Introduce Dreaded Terror Law

MINORITY GROUPS FEAR GUJCOC WITH ITS EXTRAORDINARY POWERS MAY BE MISUSED

“Is GUJCOC an anti-terrorist Act, meant to deal sternly with terrorism?”

Before analyzing the Gujarat government’s position and the effectiveness of a law like GUJCOCs in dealing with terrorism, it may be instructive to look at some of its provisions.

Every offence punishable under GUJCOC is cognizable. Anticipatory bail provision is excessively stringent so as to keep the accused behind the bars for a substantial period of time without a trial. Confession made before a superintendent of police is admissible evidence, irrespective of how much an accused is tortured. Valid intercepted communication is also admissible evidence. An accused can be kept in police custody for up to 60 days.

While the minimum imprisonment for harboring a terrorist under POTA was three years, in the case of GUJCOC it is five years for harboring a member of an organized crime syndicate. Besides, while POTA distinguishes between voluntary and forcible harboring, GUJCOC has done away with the distinction.

Some of the controversial provisions provide for death sentence to even persons who may have unknowingly helped a criminal involved in organized crime. GUJCOC also provides for intercepting telephone calls, letters, emails and other communication and admitting them as evidence. The provisions also give wide powers to seize the property of the accused.

GUJCOC equates terrorist activity with murder and provides for death sentence or life imprisonment, besides a penalty of Rs.10 lakh for terrorists. Commenting on the proposed anti-terror law, a right activist said that the BJP should tell the people the provisions that have been included in the bill. The provisions put the onus on citizens to prove themselves innocent, rather than the police proving the guilt of the criminal”. It allows a police remand of 30 days without producing the culprit in the court and gives the police 180 days to frame the charge sheet.

All India Milli Council Gujarat General Secretary and Editor of Gujarat Siyasat A H Lakhani described the GUJCOC law as unacceptable and said it gave extraordinary powers to police, something that even the British did not have during their rule in India. Like POTA, the provisions are bound to be misused, particularly against minorities like Muslims in the state.

http://caravandaily.com/portal/after-fa ... error-law/

[ghulam muhammed]

Ahmedabad : Why Muslim areas on the target in demolition drive?


Ahmedabad, 30 March 2015 : Gujarat’s largest Muslim ghetto Juhapura in Ahmedabad is once again in news for reasons. The nexus between Ahmedabad Municipal corporation, ruling BJP party in AMC and builders of the area have rendered thousands of Muslims homeless as Windows of several vehicles were broken by a group of locals in Juhapura area of Ahmedabad city today following Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation(AMC)’s demolition drive against illegal buildings here.

Generally, any demolition drive against illegal construction attracts some protest by local people. When Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation team decided to go on demolition drive in sensitive Juhapura area it was expecting some protest. A huge police force was therefore called in advance. Ahmedabad Rural SP himself was present during the demolition drive.

AMC officials said they had completed all legal procedure before starting the demolition. They said demolition of five storeyed residential cum commercial buildings started today will take some time to complete.

Locals protesting the drive broke down glasses of 108 ambulance van, police jeep, AMTS bus and also tried to torch AMC machinery. Traffic on Fatehwadi road which connects Juhapura to Sarkhej was diverted for some time due to these incidents.

The illegal multistoried constructions demolished in Fatehwadi-Juhapura by AMC are not hutments and encroachments on government land, but apartments offered on sale by builders to unsuspecting purchasers. Now, thousands of people are living on ground near their lost homes. On Saturday, local BJP MLA Kishore Chaudhary had gone on record blaming two particular AMC officials and local builders for the scam.

On Sunday, Cong MLA Gyasuddin Sheikh stepped into the fray. Sheikh said, referring to the displaced people, “They are the victims of scam by builders and AMC officers.” He added, “Many people who have lost the homes have paid up to Rs3 lakh for small apartments. Only the builders and concerned AMC officers were aware of the scam”. “I am going to meet CM to discuss the issue. Why should innocent people be hurt?” asked Sheikh.

Local councillor, Haji Asarbeg Mirza, said, “Many students facing exams have lost their books, school uniforms, and materials in AMC’s demolition.”

Devang Desai, deputy municipal commissioner, New West Zone, said the AMC would resume the demolition drive in another day or two. Desai said, “We were about to continue on Sunday too, but we didn’t have enough police to protect our staff.”Meanwhile, a group of Muslim councillors from the Congress party, besides a few city Congress leaders and MLA Gyasuddin Sheikh, sat on dharna outside the municipal commissioner’s bungalow protesting the demolition in Juhapura.

Talking to the media, the politicians said, “Where was the municipal corporation when all the buildings were being constructed?” They wanted to know if all illegal constructions in Ahmedabad will be demolished or only those in the Muslim areas, where the civic agency has failed or ignored to reach even basic civic amenities as against other areas.

The Fatehpura area where the incidents took place is one underbelly in Juhapura which lacks most basic municipal amenities.

http://muslimmirror.com/eng/ahmedabad-w ... ion-drive/

[ghulam muhammed]

Half of Modi's new ministers face criminal cases, majority are crorepatis

Almost half of the 21 new faces inducted into Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Council of Ministers have declared criminal cases against them, while a majority are crorepatis with their average assets pegged at Rs.18.48 crore.

An analysis of the criminal and financial backgrounds of the 66-member Council of Ministers by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) has revealed that 59 of them, or 92 per cent, are crorepatis.

Among the newly inducted ministers, the highest increase in assets was registered in the case of Mahesh Sharma from Gautam Budh Nagar, whose worth rose from Rs.15.85 crore in 2009 to Rs.47.37 crore this year.

Eight of the new ministers have declared criminal cases against themselves and four are facing serious criminal cases.

Of the total Council of Ministers, 20 or 31 per cent have declared criminal cases against themselves, while 11 ministers or 17 per cent are facing serious criminal cases like attempted murder, inciting communal disharmony and electoral violations.

Katheria has declared a case of attempted murder against him. According to his affidavit, he is also facing cases related to promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion and race and committing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony.

Similarly, Giriraj Singh of Nawada constituency declared a case related to undue influence during an election (Section 171F of the IPC). As far as the financial background of the ministers is concerned, the average assets of the new ministers were worth Rs.18.48 crore.

Yalamanchili Satyanarayana Chowdary, a Rajya Sabha member from Andhra Pradesh, declared the highest total assets of Rs189.69 crore, followed by Jayant Sinha from Hazaribagh constituency with assets of Rs.55.67 crore and Mahesh Sharma from Gautam Budh Nagar with total assets of Rs.47.37 crore.

Maken pressed for the resignation of Minister of State for Science and Technology Y.S. Chowdary and produced bank documents that he claimed showed Chowdary's company had defaulted on the repayment of a loan of Rs.317.6 crore from the Central Bank of India.

"Did you make him a minister to save him from default? The Modi government should come clean on it and the minister should resign," Maken said.

He further alleged that Minister of State for HRD Ram Shankar Katheria has a record of 23 cases against him in the affidavit he filed with the Election Commission. "Perhaps, no other MP has such a bulky criminal record," he said.

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/modi ... 00130.html

[ghulam muhammed]

450 Muslim families stuck, Vadodara doesn’t want them next door

Last November, when authorities razed Vadodara’s Kalyannagar and Kamatipura slums, over 450 Muslim families were to be relocated to two housing projects in the city. But they now stare at an uncertain future because residents of the neighbourhood where they were being moved are “objecting”, saying they don’t want “problem elements” in their midst.

According to the VMC department of Basic Service to Urban Poor (BSUP) and JNNURM Housing, some 1,900 homes were demolished in Kalyannagar and another 350 in the adjoining Kamatipura settlements.

Nearly 80 per cent of the evicted families are Muslims.

Last week, residents of Sayajipura, another upscale neighbourhood, handed a memorandum to the Mayor through BJP corporator Dadubhai Gadhvi, objecting to Muslims moving in.

Activist J S Bandukwala is pushing civic authorities to expedite the relocation. “It is unfortunate that Muslims are not welcome in these places as they are seen to lower the value of upcoming areas. The VMC does not even have one single Muslim representative in the elected wing. That says a lot,” he said.

Bandukwala sought a meeting Wednesday with Commissioner Patel. Denied an opportunity to be heard, he sat in protest with the affected residents outside the VMC office. Mayor Shah did not respond to calls and text messages seeking his version.


http://indianexpress.com/article/india/ ... next-door/

[ghulam muhammed]

'Starving Bangladesh of beef' would cost India Rs 31,000 crore

Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday asked BSF jawans to put a stop to cattle smuggling across the Indo-Bangla border and stifle it so severely that people in Bangladesh stop eating beef. However, if BSF were to implement Singh's instructions strictly, India would be saddled with an additional expenditure in excess of Rs 31,000 crore annually.

This would be the cost of sustaining around 1.25 crore cattle in various gaushalas (cowsheds) annually till they die naturally. The figure is four times higher than the allocation made by the government for nutrition of children under Integrated Child Development Scheme.

Every year, on an average, close to 25 lakh cattle are smuggled from India to Bangladesh illegally across the border. It is alleged that much of this happens with the connivance of those guarding the border--a charge denied by BSF. However, sources say, the sheer economics of the trade make it near impossible to stop cattle smuggling across Indo-Bangla border.

Processed cattle meat is a multi-million dollar industry in Bangladesh with India as the prime source of cattle. What, perhaps, the minister was not briefed about by his officials is that a large part of this is not eaten in Bangladesh but exported to Gulf countries. Most Bangladeshis, according to reportage in that country's media, still can't afford to eat beef regularly and do so only during festivities and other celebrations.

"There is economic pressure on both sides of the border. While there is massive demand in Bangladesh, there is matching supply from India as dairies and independent cattle-rearers can't afford to feed their animals after they have gone dry. Then we have friendly relations with Bangladesh and we are not supposed to fire lethal weapons at smugglers unless attacked. In fact, our men carry non-lethal weapons on Bangladesh border. All of this facilitates the illegal trade. Unless a practical solution is found to feed these dry cows, this is unlikely to stop," said a BSF officer.

That is where the figure of Rs 31,000 crore comes in. Life expectancy of cows in India varies between 15 and 20 years. Dairy industry sources say they generally stop producing milk about five years before their death. With 25 lakh cattle approaching borders every year, if government puts a complete stop to cattle smuggling it would be saddled with 1.25 crore dry cattle to feed annually. Given that cumulative cost (maintenance of cowshed, payment of salaries to cowherds and feed) of sustaining a dry cow for a year would translate to roughly Rs 25,000, government would have to shell out Rs 31,250 crore annually, say industry sources.

The cost of acquiring land for cowsheds and initial investment in building the infrastructure has to be additionally incurred.

Addressing BSF jawans at a border outpost in West Bengal on Wednesday, Singh (as quoted by agencies) said, "I am told prices of beef in Bangladesh have gone up by 30% recently due to heightened vigil by BSF against cattle smuggling. You further intensify your vigil so that the cattle smuggling stops completely and prices of beef in Bangladesh escalates 70%-80% more so that people of Bangladesh give up eating beef."

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 790339.cms

[SBM]

Bohri Muslim businessman Ali Asghar Zaveri, who deals in scrap refused to make any comments on the issue.
When asked about whether he was forced to sell his house under pressure from religious outfits, he said, he was "busy"

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city ... 853343.cms

[ghulam muhammed]

[ghulam muhammed]

Sikh group seeks prosecution of Modi in Canada for 2002 riots

Sikhs for Justice has filed a 16-page complaint seeking criminal proceedings against him.

Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Canada next week, a Sikh rights group has filed a complaint with the country's Attorney General seeking criminal proceedings against him for alleged offences during the 2002 anti-Muslim riots in Gujarat.

Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) has filed the 16-page complaint asking Canadian Attorney General and Minister of Justice Peter Mackay to “bring charges or to consent to charges” being sought against Modi for allegedly “aiding and abetting” the violence against Muslims during the 2002 riots in Gujarat when he was Chief Minister.

The same group had filed a lawsuit in connection with the 2002 riots against Modi when he had visited the US last year in September.

The US, however, had said that Modi is immune from the human rights violation lawsuit since he is the sitting head of a foreign government.

SFJ said Canadian law provides for prosecution of individuals who commit acts of torture outside of Canada and are present in the country at some time.

SFJ Attorney Marlys Edward said state immunity does not prevent Canadian authorities from charging and trying Modi for torture and genocide.

“Since Modi continues to enjoy immunity in India, we are invoking the Canadian law to hold him accountable for gross human rights violations. Unlike India, Canada does not let violence against religious minorities go unpunished,” SFJ legal advisor Gurpatwant Singh Pannun said.

Modi will travel to Canada next week, marking the first standalone visit by an Indian Prime Minister in over 42 years.

The last such visit took place in 1973.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/s ... 084995.ece

[ghulam muhammed]

Sayajipura residents form Hindu forum, urge collector to declare homes for Muslims illegal

As part of their continuing protest against the decision of the VMC to allocate homes to Muslim families of Kalyannagar under JNNURM in their vicinity, the residents of Sayajipura in Vadodara on Monday formed the Sayajipura Hindu Hitrakshak Shanti Samiti and submitted a memorandum to District Collector Avantika Aulakh. In their memorandum, the residents have demanded that the VMC’s upcoming JNNURM and EWS housing projects in their vicinity must be declared “illegal” for having violated the guidelines laid down by the state government.

“We have formed the Hindu Hitrakshak Shanti Samiti and our fight is against the VMC and its decision to allot homes to Muslim families in our area without our consent or without conducting a background check. We have urged the Collector to resolve the issue and cancel the process. If we do not receive any support form the administration, we will go ahead with the PIL in the court. When the state government has formed a Disturbed Areas Act in many places in Vadodara, why do they want to create another potential base for communal incidents in the peace-loving neighbourhood of Sayajipura. They must settle these residents in Kalyannagar.”

Representatives of the Muslim families of Kalyannagar said they were preparing a list of residents who have been “left out” by the VMC in its draw last week. Shaukat Indori, a representative, said, “We have found about 182 families who are yet to be considered. The list will be given to the VMC. However, following the agitation of the residents there, families of Kalyannagar are very sceptical about moving into the area until the authorities step in and resolve the situation with a peace meeting between two communities.”

http://indianexpress.com/article/cities ... s-illegal/

[ghulam muhammed]

Sayajipura residents form Hindu forum, urge collector to declare homes for Muslims illegal

As part of their continuing protest against the decision of the VMC to allocate homes to Muslim families of Kalyannagar under JNNURM in their vicinity, the residents of Sayajipura in Vadodara on Monday formed the Sayajipura Hindu Hitrakshak Shanti Samiti and submitted a memorandum to District Collector Avantika Aulakh. In their memorandum, the residents have demanded that the VMC’s upcoming JNNURM and EWS housing projects in their vicinity must be declared “illegal” for having violated the guidelines laid down by the state government.

“We have formed the Hindu Hitrakshak Shanti Samiti and our fight is against the VMC and its decision to allot homes to Muslim families in our area without our consent or without conducting a background check. We have urged the Collector to resolve the issue and cancel the process. If we do not receive any support form the administration, we will go ahead with the PIL in the court. When the state government has formed a Disturbed Areas Act in many places in Vadodara, why do they want to create another potential base for communal incidents in the peace-loving neighbourhood of Sayajipura. They must settle these residents in Kalyannagar.”

Representatives of the Muslim families of Kalyannagar said they were preparing a list of residents who have been “left out” by the VMC in its draw last week. Shaukat Indori, a representative, said, “We have found about 182 families who are yet to be considered. The list will be given to the VMC. However, following the agitation of the residents there, families of Kalyannagar are very sceptical about moving into the area until the authorities step in and resolve the situation with a peace meeting between two communities.”

http://indianexpress.com/article/cities ... s-illegal/

An ex-communicated (Baraat) Bohra, Professor Juzar Bandukwala fights for the rights of these poor Muslims :-

Here is a brief note on Kalyannagar

Vadodara has a huge garden complex called Kamatibaug. Just across the road from this garden, about 2500 families had set up two hutment colonies, Kamatipura and Kalyannagar. Women used to work as domestic servants in adjacent middle class homes. Men did odd jobs, while children attended local schools. In mid November the local municipality bulldozed the entire area. About half were offered slum clearance housing, about 7 to 18 kms from this site, under the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal scheme. The distance made it impossible for women to work and also for children to attend schools. Being mid academic year, we could not admit children to nearby schools. To save as many children as possible we started an auto
service from their new residence to their old schools. But it was costly. But the good Supreme Court lawyer Dushyant Dave gave a grant of 5 lakhs to our trust and we managed out for six months.

Now the other half who have not yet been rehabilitated are awaiting allotment of slum housing built from central funds. They have to shift to new schools nearby in May. Municipality has allotted flats, but they cannot shift as there is a strong opposition from local BJP / VHP people. A Hindu Hith Rakshak Samiti has been formed, charging that the Muslim allotees are Bangladeshis, and that they pose a danger to national security as an Air Force station and airport are nearby. Further they fear love jihad from Muslim youth and say that Muslims are dirty and their presence will lower the real estate values of middle class societies. We have tried our best to make them understand that these poor people are not monsters. They are decent , hard working people. The VHP actions amount to untouchability. If they succeed Vadodara will be reduced to an
apartheid South African city or the American South fifty years ago.

We have appealed to the BJP leadership at the state and national level to control their foot soldiers. But no success so far. My prayer is that a question be raised in the coming Parliament session on Vadodara., It may embarrass Modi enough to rein in his fanatics. After all where is " Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas ".

These facts are true to the best of my knowledge and experience. If any error I apologize in advance.

Please do help.

J.S.Bandukwala

[ghulam muhammed]

India's Wrong Priorities: As Children Go Hungry PM Modi Buys Fighter Jets In France

On the occasion of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent state visit to France (GDP per capita, $42,000) it was announced that India (GDP per capita, $6,000) would purchase 36 “ready to fly” Rafale fighter jets from French aerospace behemoth Dassault Aviation. Great news for France! This brings in revenue and creates lots of jobs. This is especially so as there have been difficulties getting customers; so far, until PM Modi’s proposed purchase, the only sale had been to Egyptian military dictator Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

The implications for India, however, are depressing: one more vivid illustration of misguided policies at the expense of the poor. 960 million Indians live on less than $2 a day. Reading the data is one thing; seeing the consequences, as I did recently driving through the slums on the outskirts of Jaipur, is heart-wrenching. Their plight could not be worse. Rafale jet fighters are about the last thing they need!

India will soon surpass China to become the world’s most populous nation, reaching 1.6 billion by the middle of the century. The demographic profiles of the two countries are totally different. Whereas China faces the challenges of a rapidly aging society, hence a decrease in the labor pool; with its huge demographic dividend (50% of the population is less than 25, 65% less than 35) India needs to create millions and millions of jobs. If hundreds of millions of Indians remain mired in poverty and the young fail to be educated, employed and motivated, the consequences could be truly dramatic for Indians, but also for the world in the 21st century. Not only will India have failed; humanity will have failed.

In short, India has a lot to offer the world; but to be in a position to do so it has to improve radically the lives of hundreds of millions of its own citizens. A country that has 44% of its children under five suffering from malnutrition – providing the world with one-third of the total population of hungry children – can perhaps become a world power (if it keeps on buying state-of-the-art French fighter jets), but certainly not a world role model: India’s purchase of fighter jets may be a means to achieve greater hard power, but in the process, as domestic social conditions of misery and injustice continue to fester, it is losing soft power.

There are structural and policy issues: education, apart from that for the elite, is appalling; infrastructure is equally so; there is widespread corruption; and widespread disease. Life expectancy in India ranks 167th (out of 228) in the world: at 68 years, it is significantly lower than China (75.3), but also than other developing countries such as Sri Lanka (76.5), Vietnam (73) and Indonesia (72.5).

Water distribution and access to sanitation in Indian villages are terrible; girls (and it is always girls!) need to walk huge distances to fetch water from wells, thereby missing out on school. Over a-third of females in India are illiterate; there are more illiterate females in India than in the rest of the world combined. Fighting female illiteracy should be a greater priority than buying French fighter jets. The plight of women is terrible, beginning with a gender gap in education of Himalayan proportions.

Ultimately however all of the good work of corporations, universities, NGOs, foundations, philanthropists, religious institutions, etc will not lift hundreds of millions out of a life of desperate destitution. No country has ever succeeded in reducing poverty without having government actively engaged in creating the proper conditions and opportunities for individuals to rise from poverty. This is another one of the big differences between China and India: though China also has spent unseemly amounts on weaponry, it did at least get its social priorities right by virtually eradicating illiteracy, investing massively in primary education, including for girls, and thereby greatly reducing poverty. As author Pallavi Aiyar has written in her excellent book Smoke and Mirrors: An Experience of China, if born rich it is better to be Indian, if born poor it is better to be Chinese.

Think of the hungry children of India, give back the Rafale fighter jets to France (we’ll survive).

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jplehmann/2 ... in-france/

[ghulam muhammed]

Canadian court issues summons for Modi, AG blocks it


The summons issued to Mr. Modi, which The Hindu has in its possession, are under Section 269.1 of the Canadian Criminal Code.

Even as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi continued his three-city tour of Canada this week a Canadian justice issued summons against him to stand trial before a Canadian court after determining that there was a prima facie case that he “committed or counselled torture,” during the 2002 anti-Muslim pogrom in Gujarat.

However, the summons were instantaneously blocked by the Crown, which invoked its right to withdraw the information, and thus end the process and block the private prosecution of the Prime Minister.

Nevertheless the issuance of summons was hailed as victory by the plaintiffs, who are two survivors of the pogrom, under the aegis of a rights group known as Sikhs For Justice (SFJ).

Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, legal advisor to SFJ said, “April 15 will go down in the history as ‘victims of torture day’ as after over a decade, a court of law has finally recognised evidence of Narendra Modi’s involvement in the massacre of Muslims in 2002, and found that this evidence is sufficient for Modi to stand trial.

He added that Mr. Modi had “escaped trial on the charges of torture under Canadian law only because of the Attorney General's last-minute intervention.”

The two counts are that Mr. Modi as the Chief Minister of Gujarat “did inflict torture” upon the victim and his family by engaging in acts of omission and commission “that intentionally caused severe pain and suffering, including death, for reasons based on religious discrimination.”

Although the issuance of summons came after a seven-hour in camera hearing with the Justice of Peace, the case will not move forward any further on Canadian soil because the Ontario Court of Justice initially moved to “process to issue”, and then the information was “withdrawn by request of the crown”.

Although The Hindu reached out to the Indian government’s representatives in Canada for a response to the news of the summons, none were received at the time this story went to press.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/gujarat-ri ... 109746.ece

[ghulam muhammed]

LIKE THE JEWS IN NAZI GERMANY, MUSLIMS IN GUJARAT ARE SUPPOSED TO LIVE ONLY IN GHETTOS !


BJP steps in to ‘pressurise’ Muslim families to withdraw from Sayajipura

A week after the VMC conducted the draw for 340 families displaced in the wake of the November 2014 Kalyannagar demolitions for flats in the Sayajipura under JNNURM scheme, the families are yet to receive allotment letters from the civic body. In the backdrop of agitations by Sayajipura residents objecting to the relocation of Muslims in their “peaceful Hindu area”, local BJP leaders, including MLAs, met the families on Wednesday, urging them to “withdraw” from the Sayajipura housing scheme for another “location of their choice”.

In a hushed meeting that began shortly after 2 pm at the Circuit House in Vadodara on Wednesday, top BJP leaders met a group of the Kalyannagar residents, urging them to give an “application” to the civic body withdrawing from the allotments made last week.

Sources said that those part of the meeting were BJP City President Bharat Dangar, Mayor Bharat Shah, MP Ranjan Bhatt, MLAs Yogesh Patel, Manisha Vakil and Rajendra Trivedi, Corporators Shabdasharan Brahmabhatt and Ashok Pardesi as well as Gujarat Minister of State Shankar Chaudhary.

Kalyannagar residents said the leaders asked them to withdraw from Sayajipura due to the “communal discord” that the allotments had caused, with stiff opposition from the locals in the area. Representatives of the families, however, insisted that the BJP leaders promise them relocation in the Kalyannagar area in exchange.

“We were called by the BJP for a meeting to resolve this issue of the protest and our relocation. They asked us to find a way out from this. We told them that we were poor people. It is they who should be resolving this issue and giving us our homes. To that, Bharat Dangar said, we should give an application to the VMC Commissioner H S Patel, stating that we are willing to withdraw from the Sayajinagar scheme due to the objection from the locals and they will arrange an alternate accommodation for us in a Muslim area. We asked them to give us an undertaking in writing that they will not leave us in a lurch. But they insisted that we must withdraw first through an application.”

Representatives of the families are wary that submitting an application to the VMC to relinquish claim on the Sayajipura allotments could mean giving the civic body the authority to offer them far flung areas that the families have been refusing.

Shaukat Indori, an activist who is supporting the residents’ case, said, “The residents were called to the Circuit house by BJP leaders and tacitly pressurised to withdraw. We have a strong feeling that there is a lobby at work behind this and not the actual residents of Sayajipura. The political lobbies are trying to portray a picture of discord so that Muslims are kept out of the Sayajipura. There is no reason why the families would want to withdraw from Sayajipura as it has been their demand to relocate them there if not Kalali and Kalyannagar itself.”

The residents, backed by eminent Muslim activists of the city, have formed a Peace Committee and urged that the civic body undertake a “Sadbhavna programme” with religious leaders belonging to both faiths in Sayajipura to allay the anxieties of local families towards the move of the Muslim families.

http://indianexpress.com/article/cities ... ayajipura/

[ghulam muhammed]

NARENDRA MODI TAGS ALONG HIS FAVOURITE CHAMCHA AND "BENEFICIARY" WHEREVER HE GOES !!

Gautam Adani, PM Modi's constant companion on overseas trips

Everywhere that Prime Minister Narendra Modi goes, it seems, Gautam Adani is sure to go.

The Gujarati businessman and head of the Rs 56,000-crore group is one common thread that runs through the many trips that India’s peripatetic leader has made since assuming office nearly a year ago.

Now Adani, whose interests span infrastructure and power, is in Canada, where Modi is busy discussing energy cooperation, nuclear energy and investments in urbanisation.

Government officials maintained, off the record, that Adani was never a part of any official delegation and as a private individual, he was free to go wherever he wanted. HT’s attempts to reach Adani for this article proved to be in vain.

Adani was a fixture when Modi went to the United States, Australia, Brazil and Japan. In New York, he was frequently spotted going up from the foyer of the New York Palace Hotel to the floor where Modi was staying; he also attended the PM’s address to the United Nations’ General Assembly (UNGA).

In November, the otherwise low-key enterpreneur — worth $6.9 billion and ranked 12th on the recent HT Global India Rich List — was seen walking with the PM at various events around the G-20 summit in Australia.

Adani and State Bank of India chairperson Arundhati Bhattacharya inked an agreement for a Rs 6,200-crore loan for Adani’s coal project Down Under, which is embroiled in several controversies and now has been challenged in court by some rights groups. Over a dozen top international banks have refused to fund the ambitious project involving coal mining, railway line and a port.

“Gautambhai is known for his proximity with the PM so now he is flaunting it,” said a top bureaucrat who has known Adani for 20 years.

This relationship may be more in the public eye now, but goes back to the days when Modi was chief minister of Gujarat. Adani journeyed to China, Japan, Singapore and Russia with his leader.

In fact, his proximity to Modi was targeted by Rahul Gandhi in some of the Congress leader’s campaign speeches, but the comments were drowned in a saffron wave that swept away everything before it.

Adani’s companies are labouring under a debt of Rs 72,000 crore but this hasn’t stopped him buying two power plants, plus a port in Odisha, after the change in regime in Delhi.

And the day Modi’s landslide in the general elections win was announced — May 16 last year —Adani celebrated the acquisition of Dhamra Port from Larsen and Toubro and Tata Steel for Rs 5,500 crore after nearly a year of negotiations.

http://m.hindustantimes.com/india-news/ ... 37692.aspx

[ghulam muhammed]

Gujarat Blocks Launch of Book By Mufti Acquitted in Akshardham Case

The much awaited book of Mufti Abdul Qayyum Mansuri about his 11-year-long incarceration in the Akshardham temple attack case was not released on Thursday, as scheduled, after all. The launch of the book, ‘Gyarah Saal Salakhon Ke Peeche’, had to be called off after a diktat from the Dariyapur police put brakes on it.

The book — Gyarah Saal Salakhon Ke Peeche — provides a detailed account of what Qayyum calls “a life branded as a terrorist without evidence”. A section of it apparently deals with how officers of the Gujarat police had planted evidence to falsely implicate him in the case.

After spending 11 years of his life behind bars for a crime he never committed, Mufti Abdul Qayyum has spent the last one year penning the 200-page book recounting his trauma due to state excesses.

On Thursday evening there was a sea of people in Dariyapur, Charwat where the function was organized. But with the news that the permission for the book launch had been denied, hundreds of people left the venue.

Though Maulana Arshad Madani and some other Ulema addressed the gathering, those present were clearly dejected. Mufti Abdul Qayyum, who conducted the program, appeared grim and disappointed. Neither he nor any other speaker said anything about the Akshardham attack and the subsequent witch hunt and miscarriage of justice.

The organizers are now planning to release the book outside Gujarat.

As the function was held to felicitate the lawyers who helped the six Muslim men, including Mufti Abdul Qayyum, to secure acquittal before the Supreme Court in the Akshardham temple terrorist attack case, the cops also sought promise from the organizers that none of these lawyers would be called and felicitated on stage during the program.

Meanwhile five of the six acquitted in the terrorist attack case, who are residents of Ahmedabad, have sought compensation from the Gujarat government for their 11-year confinement in jail. They have also demanded criminal prosecution of former top cops D G Vanzara and G L Singhal for framing them in the case. The Supreme Court has also sought explanation from the Gujarat government and the police in this regard and has scheduled the hearing on April 20.

http://caravandaily.com/portal/gujarat- ... dham-case/

[ghulam muhammed]

The much awaited book of Mufti Abdul Qayyum Mansuri about his 11-year-long incarceration in the Akshardham temple attack case was not released on Thursday, as scheduled, after all. The launch of the book, ‘Gyarah Saal Salakhon Ke Peeche’, had to be called off after a diktat from the Dariyapur police put brakes on it.

It is worth mentioning that the S P of Dariyapur area is Miss. Manjita Vanzara who is the niece of the notorious ex DGP D.K.Vanzara who was convicted for his role in various fake encounter cases wherein he targeted Muslims.

[ghulam muhammed]

Displacement of 2500 Muslim families in Vadodra ; NCM and EC approached

Vadodra, 20 April 2015 : Over 2500 Muslim families have been displaced due to demolition drive by civic authorities in Kamatipura and Kalyannagar in Vadodra . They are yet to be rehabilitated and use their voting rights in the upcoming Municipal Election at Vadodara.

A Vadodra based activist Zuber Gopalani has approached the Chairman of National Commission for Minorities, and Chief Election Commissioner of India and tried to draw their attention on the matter urgently.

Given below is the letter of Zuber Gopalani which he has written to the Chairman of National Commission for Minorities and Chief Election Commissioner of India.

Honorable Chairman Sir,

Vadodara has a huge garden complex called Kamatibaug. Just across the road from this garden, about 2500 families had set up two hutment colonies, Kamatipura and Kalyannagar. Women used to work as domestic servants in adjacent middle class homes. Men did odd jobs, while children attended local schools. In mid November the local municipality, bulldozed the entire area. About half were offered slum clearance housing, about 7 to 18 kms from this site, under the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal scheme. The distance made it impossible for women to work and also for children to attend schools. Condition of those newly constructed building was that NO PLASTER NO WINDOW NO DOOR NO ELECTRICITY NO DRAINAGE NO WATER IN ALL NO BASIC AMENITIES, WITHOUT COMPLETION CERTIFICATE AND COMPROMISING TERMS AND CONDITION AND SAFETY RULES. ABOVE ALL THERE WAS NO PROPER APPROACH ROAD ALSO. In spite they managed. Being mid academic year, we could not admit children to nearby schools. To save as many children as possible we started an auto service from their new residence to their old schools. But it was costly, anyhow with the help of NGO and few people it was managed. Now the other half who have not yet been rehabilitated, are awaiting allotment of slum housing built from central funds. They have to shift to new schools nearby in May. Municipality has allotted flats, but they cannot shift as there is a strong opposition from local BJP/VHP people. A Hindu Hit Rakshak Samiti has been formed, charging that the Muslims allotted are Bangladeshis, and that they pose a danger to national security, as an Air Force station and airport are nearby. Further they fear love jihad from Muslim youth, and say that Muslims are dirty and their presence will lower thereal estate values of middle class societies. . We have tried our best to make them understand that these poor people are not monsters. They are decent, hard working people. The VHP actions amount to un-touchability. If they succeed Vadodara will be reduced to an apartheid South African city or the American South fifty years ago.

There is huge pressure on Muslim evictees to go to a slum rehabilitation scheme about 20 kms from Kalyannagar. That area would be a disaster as it is so far off that men and women would not find work, and children would be without schools. It is strange that the original site of Kalyannagar may end up as rich high rise apartments facing the beautiful Kamati gardens. The Kalali housing is empty. But that too is out of bounds for Muslims as a Swaminarayan temple is located over 1.5 km away, and Muslims must not stay near this temple. Similarly Sayajipura flats are also empty, but not complete and ready to stay. It cannot be given as Jain and Patel real estate builders feel the presence of Muslims will lower their values. This is a tough struggle, and victims are mainly from minority and dalits, totally illiterate, their kids are first generation learners, many of them are on road or staying on rent by paying high rents, even after five months no sign of relief is seen. After all where these Muslims and Dalits will go? At Kalali Swaminarayan sect is opposing, at Sayajipura Local in the name of Hindu Hit Rakshak samiti opposing, having hands in gloves with local builders and politicians.

Thousands of flats are ready at Kalali which may help them to occupy immediately, and take admission for their kids in nearby schools. But the administration is plying foul. Who will be held responsible for hundreds of students’ career was ruined to felicitate others in the name of religion.

Please note during riots there was not a single case of rioting is registered in the vicinity of rioting. They all were staying peacefully. Now where the question of danger to peace is arises.

Thousands of people were displaced by such demolition drives in city. They are yet to get permanent address and voting rights. Election commission should ask the authorities to rehabilitate them first and then go for VOTE. Their absence in voting may varied a electoral result.

Below is the report in various news paper links which may help you to have more detail.

http://muslimmirror.com/eng/muslims-in- ... bka-vikas/

http://indianexpress.com/article/india/ ... displaced/

http://indianexpress.com/article/cities ... s-illegal/

http://indianexpress.com/article/cities ... ayajipura/

http://indianexpress.com/article/cities ... -solution/

Very impressive and heart breaking story with photographs

http://kafila.org/2014/12/12/demolition ... ryavanshi/

NDTV story

http://www.ndtv.com/others-news/in-vado ... ple-751852

http://www.nyoooz.com/vadodara/22783/vm ... alyannagar#

http://www.counterview.net/2014/12/slum ... arats.html

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/City ... 369628.cms

http://indianexpress.com/article/india/ ... t-door/99/

http://indianexpress.com/article/cities ... ce-to-vmc/

Honorable Chairman Sir,

We approach you with a request to safe guard the Muslims, help them to get their rights, Muslim Students cannot go to school because they do not have home, where should they take admission? Unless they get home they cannot fix a school. They are in trouble, their career is at risk.

With warm and personal regards,

Zuber Gopalani

Chairman

Minority Development and Protection Foundation
Gujarat Chapter
32, Vohra Colony,
Ajwa Road,
Vadodara 390019
Gujarat

http://muslimmirror.com/eng/displacemen ... pproached/

[SBM]

Modi’s deafening silence on activist assassinations
If left unchallenged, a hateful far-right ideology will shatter the dream of a pluralistic and democratic India
April 22, 2015 2:00AM ET
by Prachi Patankar @PatankarPrachi

In February two gunmen shot the veteran left-wing activist Govind Pansare, 81, and his wife, Uma Pansare, 78, during their daily morning walk, not far from their home in the western Indian state of Maharashtra. Uma Pansare is slowly recovering from her injuries, but Govind Pansare died soon after the attack. In 2013 another well-known secular activist, Narendra Dabholkar, was assassinated in the same manner. Dabholkar and Govind Pansare had been speaking out against the rising tide of Hindu fundamentalist tendencies in India.

Maharashtra is no stranger to progressive activism. It has been home to some of the strongest anti-caste social movements in South Asia. The city of Kolhapur, where Govind Pansare was murdered, was a princely state a little over a century ago, led by social reformer Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj, who enacted one of the world’s earliest affirmative-action policies to benefit those from lower castes. This is the Maharashtra I was proud to grow up in. But in recent years, outspoken activists such as Dabholkar and Pansare had received threats from religious-right groups that believe in Hindutva, the chauvinistic ideology that India is a solely Hindu homeland.

Last month it hit even closer to home. Threatening letters arrived at my family’s residence one month after Pansare’s shooting, warning my father “not to follow Pansare’s path” and to stop working for the rights of Muslims and caste-oppressed Dalits, who are traditionally regarded in Hinduism as “untouchables” (and many of whom have converted to Buddhism, Christianity and Islam to try to escape caste hierarchy). These are scary times for my family and friends — and for democratic space across India.

Being threatened for our commitment to social justice is not new to my family. My grandfather Babuji Patankar was assassinated in 1952. He and my grandmother Indumati Patankar were freedom fighters against British colonial rule and leaders in the parallel government, or prati sarkar, that emerged in the 1940s in the Satara district of Maharashtra. With its own decision-making centers and people’s courts, all elected by villagers, it was a unique project. Hundreds of underground activists in the region joined. They had a vision for an independent India that was democratic and secular, which meant empowering the caste-oppressed, religious minorities and the toiling poor. It was for this vision that my grandparents continued their efforts even after independence from the British Empire in 1947. And it was this vision that aroused the bitterness of elite and conservative quarters of society and led to the assassination of my grandfather.In turn, my father, Bharat Patankar, with compatriots of his generation, has dedicated the past 40 years to building a more just society — organizing textile workers, farmers and women to campaign for water and land rights and protesting caste oppression. My mother, Gail Omvedt, is a scholar and an activist who for decades has written about and fought alongside Dalit activists. These mass social movements seek a democratic, inclusive India. It’s a vision that couldn’t be more different from the exclusionary agenda promoted by the far-right extremists who have been emboldened by the ascendance last year of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

http://america.aljazeera.com/opinions/2 ... tions.html

[ghulam muhammed]

Modi’s offering to the Ajmer dargah shows how the BJP has adopted Congress-style ‘pseudo-secularism’

Now that it's in power, the saffron party has realised that it's easier to make gestures than bring real change.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants the blessings of Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti. To gain them, he is offering a beautiful red chaadar with the Islamic shahaada embroidered in gold to the saint's dargah in Ajmer.

This usually private act of worship was broadcast enthusiastically to the nation on Wednesday. All morning, TV news channels showed visuals of Union minister, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi dutifully entering the dargah with Modi’s offering. Earlier, the Prime Minister had tweeted to his nearly 12 million followers a photo of himself holding up the chaadar along with Naqvi.

One of them, Shashank, who describes himself as an “#AAPtards, #Congress and #Presstitutes slayer” was mystified. He asked "Sir, aap bhi secular hote jaa rahe ho?” (Sir, you’re turning secular too?)

Shashank’s disappointment is understandable. In September 2011, Narendra Modi had refused to put on a Muslim skull cap offered to him by a Muslim cleric in Ahmedabad. The incident had occurred on stage, in full glare of the cameras and created a fair bit of controversy. Later on, Modi explained his actions: “My job is to respect all communities, respect the values of all communities but I have to accept my own values. I live with my values. Hence, I don't bluff people by wearing a cap, or getting clicked."

Pseudo-secularism

In the 1980s, Bharatiya Janata Party leader LK Advani coined a term to describe this act of bluffing people using minority symbols: pseudo-secularism. As Advani went around on his rath accusing the Congress of “appeasing” Muslims, attacking "pseudo-secularism" (now often shorted to “sickularism" given the character limits of Twitter) was the bedrock of the BJP's politics and remained so until very recently. In 1995, Advani argued: ”Secularism is only a euphemism for vote-bank politics. They are not concerned with the welfare of the so-called minorities. Their only interest is the minority vote."

Advani castigated this pretence of secularism, calling it a sham. To prove his contention, he pointed out measures such as community-based civil laws, the Haj subsidy for Muslims going on pilgrimage to Mecca and Article 370, which gave Muslim-majority Jammu and Kashmir a constitutional status different from the other states.

Along with the BJP's action of demolishing the Babri Masjid, this strategy paid rich dividends. It propelled the BJP from being a party of two Lok Sabha members in 1984 to one that was able to capture a majority of seats in the lower house of parliament just three decades later.

BJP’s U-turn

Of course, power changes things. It is one thing to go about demanding changes when you’re outside the system, quite another to push those when you are the system.

Even as the Supreme Court struck down the Haj subsidy, the Bharatiya Janata Party government in Madhya Pradesh introduced state support for pilgrims to Ajmer. The Article 370 issue was buried when the BJP entered into a coalition to form a government with the People’s Democratic Party in Jammu and Kashmir earlier this year. As for introducing a uniform civil code – which featured prominently in the BJP’s 2014 election manifesto – Modi’s government seems to have removed it completely from its agenda.

Even the BJP's last anti-secularism bastion, minority photo-ops – shunned by Modi during the skull cap controversy – seems to have been demolished by Modi himself, as he broadcast his chaadar for everyone to see.

It seems that at the end of the day, the BJP has seen the wisdom in the Congress’ strategy of attracting the minority vote. Cheap and low on effort, a photo op here and a chaadar there seems a much easier way to get Muslim votes than actually attempting any substantive change for a community characterised by the Sachar Committee Report as being even more backward than India's Dalits and Adivasis.

http://scroll.in/article/722438/modis-o ... secularism

[ghulam muhammed]

Modi’s offering to the Ajmer dargah shows how the BJP has adopted Congress-style ‘pseudo-secularism’

Now that it's in power, the saffron party has realised that it's easier to make gestures than bring real change.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants the blessings of Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti. To gain them, he is offering a beautiful red chaadar with the Islamic shahaada embroidered in gold to the saint's dargah in Ajmer.

This usually private act of worship was broadcast enthusiastically to the nation on Wednesday. All morning, TV news channels showed visuals of Union minister, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi dutifully entering the dargah with Modi’s offering. Earlier, the Prime Minister had tweeted to his nearly 12 million followers a photo of himself holding up the chaadar along with Naqvi.

One of them, Shashank, who describes himself as an “#AAPtards, #Congress and #Presstitutes slayer” was mystified. He asked "Sir, aap bhi secular hote jaa rahe ho?” (Sir, you’re turning secular too?)

Shashank’s disappointment is understandable. In September 2011, Narendra Modi had refused to put on a Muslim skull cap offered to him by a Muslim cleric in Ahmedabad. The incident had occurred on stage, in full glare of the cameras and created a fair bit of controversy. Later on, Modi explained his actions: “My job is to respect all communities, respect the values of all communities but I have to accept my own values. I live with my values. Hence, I don't bluff people by wearing a cap, or getting clicked."

Pseudo-secularism

In the 1980s, Bharatiya Janata Party leader LK Advani coined a term to describe this act of bluffing people using minority symbols: pseudo-secularism. As Advani went around on his rath accusing the Congress of “appeasing” Muslims, attacking "pseudo-secularism" (now often shorted to “sickularism" given the character limits of Twitter) was the bedrock of the BJP's politics and remained so until very recently. In 1995, Advani argued: ”Secularism is only a euphemism for vote-bank politics. They are not concerned with the welfare of the so-called minorities. Their only interest is the minority vote."

Advani castigated this pretence of secularism, calling it a sham. To prove his contention, he pointed out measures such as community-based civil laws, the Haj subsidy for Muslims going on pilgrimage to Mecca and Article 370, which gave Muslim-majority Jammu and Kashmir a constitutional status different from the other states.

Along with the BJP's action of demolishing the Babri Masjid, this strategy paid rich dividends. It propelled the BJP from being a party of two Lok Sabha members in 1984 to one that was able to capture a majority of seats in the lower house of parliament just three decades later.

BJP’s U-turn

Of course, power changes things. It is one thing to go about demanding changes when you’re outside the system, quite another to push those when you are the system.

Even as the Supreme Court struck down the Haj subsidy, the Bharatiya Janata Party government in Madhya Pradesh introduced state support for pilgrims to Ajmer. The Article 370 issue was buried when the BJP entered into a coalition to form a government with the People’s Democratic Party in Jammu and Kashmir earlier this year. As for introducing a uniform civil code – which featured prominently in the BJP’s 2014 election manifesto – Modi’s government seems to have removed it completely from its agenda.

Even the BJP's last anti-secularism bastion, minority photo-ops – shunned by Modi during the skull cap controversy – seems to have been demolished by Modi himself, as he broadcast his chaadar for everyone to see.

It seems that at the end of the day, the BJP has seen the wisdom in the Congress’ strategy of attracting the minority vote. Cheap and low on effort, a photo op here and a chaadar there seems a much easier way to get Muslim votes than actually attempting any substantive change for a community characterised by the Sachar Committee Report as being even more backward than India's Dalits and Adivasis.

http://scroll.in/article/722438/modis-o ... secularism

Under Narendra Modi's tenure, in 2002 riots well known Sufi Vali Gujarati's grave was razed by mob. it is still not reconstructed. Now a road is constructed on that place. Modi remembers Ajmer Dargah but forgets Vali gujarati. what a
hypocrisy.

[ghulam muhammed]

"BUREY DIN" FOR CHILDREN OF GUJARAT !!

Safe’ Gujarat unsafe for kids

The 'Safe for Women' tag is something that Gujarat's lawmakers often extol. But is the state safe for children? The answer is 'No', if the study of Child-Line India Foundation and Indian Medical Association (IMA) is anything to go by.

A shocking revelation of the study is that seven out of every 10 children in Gujarat have been victims of sexual abuse. Among these, children in the 11-15 year age group are the most susceptible to sexual abuse, accounting for 47% of the total cases.

Moreover, researchers said nearly 90% of the cases are not even reported and the data they compiled is based just on the 10% whose parents came forward to fight. "Most victims are confused about what happened with them while others are threatened and told to hide the abuse," said paediatrician and IMA-Vadodara member Dr Paresh Majmudar.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 007256.cms

[ghulam muhammed]

MODI GOVERNMENT HARASSES NGOs THAT QUESTION HIS ROLE IN GUJARAT 2002 GENOCIDE AND HIS UNDUE FAVOURS TO SELECTED GROUP OF INDUSTRIALISTS WHO ARE CLOSE TO HIM.

Strategy to Quash Dissent

It is not foreign funds but uncomfortable questions that the government fears.

Is the Narendra Modi government cherry-picking which non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to target and destroy or at least paralyse? Or is it raising legitimate questions about the accountability of foreign-funded NGOs? If it is the latter, then the way it is going about it is decidedly odd. Few will question the need to set up structures of accountability and transparency in organisations handling large funds, including those that come from outside India. But the government appears less concerned about transparency and more about the issues these organisations have chosen to raise. It has focused on two categories of NGOs: those raising uncomfortable questions about the environmental fallout of some of India’s energy choices, particularly nuclear and coal, and groups highlighting human rights concerns, especially around the Gujarat 2002 violence. If these NGOs happen to be partly funded from foreign sources, then inevitably the government spots a conspiracy threatening “national security.”

Within a month of the Modi government taking office, an Intelligence Bureau (IB) report was leaked to the press. It identified 188 NGOs receiving foreign funds that were involved in agitations against nuclear plants and uranium mines, coal-based thermal plants, genetically modified crops, industrial projects such as POSCO and Vedanta in Odisha, the dams in Arunachal Pradesh and extractive industries. Oddly, the list included the Nobel Prize winning Médecins Sans Frontiéres (MSF), accusing it of “links with Maoists and their sympathisers.” More predictable was Amnesty International, singled out for questioning India’s human rights record. But most of the report’s ire was reserved for Greenpeace India, an affiliate of Greenpeace International. Greenpeace has spearheaded the opposition to the $3.2 billion Mahan Coal Limited, a joint enterprise of Essar Energy and Hindalco, in Singrauli District, Madhya Pradesh. The project will destroy 1,000 sq km of sal forests and displace a large number of families. In January, Greenpeace activist Priya Pillai was offloaded from a flight to London where she was to testify before British parliamentarians on the Mahan project (Essar Energy is incorporated in the United Kingdom). Although Greenpeace has won a reprieve through the courts, the government has cancelled its Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) clearance that permits it to receive foreign funds.

Apart from Greenpeace, the other organisation being specifically targeted is the Sabrang Trust headed by Teesta Setalvad, who is known for her unrelenting pursuit of the court cases of victims of the 2002 Gujarat violence. She has been charged with misusing funds; a warrant of arrest has been issued against her and her husband, Javed Anand. Although the Supreme Court has granted them anticipatory bail, they continue to face daily harassment. The latest is the Gujarat government’s report by the state Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to the centre asking for funding from the well-known international funder Ford Foundation to be stopped to groups like Sabrang. The report accuses Ford Foundation of funding the litigation in the 2002 riot case and states that these funds have been used for “highly questionable activities…all bordering on, if not outright, political.” The strategy appears to be to squeeze sources of funds to groups like Sabrang while also embroiling them in court cases of various kinds.

If the government was only concerned about the accountability of organisations that receive foreign funds, it could have adopted a different route. This issue has been raised earlier and in fact, in 2007 the previous government had prepared a National Policy on the Voluntary Sector. It envisaged a system of accreditation for all NGOs through a National Accreditation Council of India (NACI), comprising representatives of government and NGOs. The concept went through various levels of consultation but the NACI was never constituted. The Modi government has not yet made any mention of setting up something similar.

The more important question is whether this government accepts that there is a legitimate space for NGOs in a democratic society, irrespective of how they are funded. It is here that we can legitimately question the government’s agenda. While the previous government also displayed some amount of paranoia about NGOs working on tribal rights and environment, and saw them as obstructionist, they were not targeted in this way. In the last decade, through institutions like the National Advisory Council and the Planning Commission, several civil society groups had avenues through which to offer their perspectives to policymakers. Today, all such mechanisms have been set aside. Thus, barring agitation, resistance and other forms of advocacy, there is no other way for people with a different perspective to be heard. The space for dissent and questioning, particularly in an atmosphere when all this is deemed “anti-national” and suspect, is rapidly shrinking.

So while NGOs are not faultless and could do with greater accountability and transparency, there can be no justification for the kind of hounding that we are witnessing today. Whether these organisations survive this battering or not, the message that is being sent out to civil society is clear: this government will not tolerate NGOs that come in its way and will use multiple strategies, including shutting off sources of funding, to squash them. None of this bodes well for the health of a democracy.

http://www.epw.in/editorials/strategy-q ... ssent.html

[ghulam muhammed]

Minorities in India Facing Violent Attacks Under New Govt: US Panel

Religious minorities in India have been subjected to "violent attacks, forced conversions" and 'Ghar Wapsi' campaigns by groups like RSS after the Modi government assumed power in 2014, a US Congress-established panel has said.

In its 2015 annual report, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom asked the Obama Administration to press the Indian government to publicly rebuke officials and religious leaders who make derogatory remarks about communities and to boost religious freedom standards in India.

The panel said that despite the country's status as a pluralistic, secular democracy, India has long struggled to protect minority religious communities or provide justice when crimes occur, which perpetuates a climate of impunity.

Incidents of religiously-motivated and communal violence reportedly have increased for three consecutive years, the panel said in its key findings.

Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Odisha, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan tend to have the greatest number of religiously- motivated attacks and communal violence incidents.

Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and religious leaders, including from the Muslim, Christian and Sikh communities, attributed the initial increase to religiously- divisive campaigning in advance of India's 2014 general election.

"Since the election, religious minority communities have been subject to derogatory comments by politicians linked to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and numerous violent attacks and forced conversions by Hindu nationalist groups, such as Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP)," the report said.

USCIRF said in December 2014, Hindu groups announced plans to forcibly "reconvert" at least 4,000 Christian families and 1,000 Muslim families to Hinduism in Uttar Pradesh on Christmas day as part of a so-called 'Ghar Wapsi' (returning home) programme.

"In advance of the programme, the Hindu groups sought to raise money for their campaign, noting that it cost nearly 200,000 rupees per Christian and 500,000 rupees per Muslim. After both domestic and international criticism, the day was 'postponed' according to Mohan Bhagwat, an RSS leader," it said.

The panel said Hindu groups also reportedly give monetary incentives to Hindus to convert Christians and Muslims to Hinduism. In early December, hundreds of Muslims reportedly were forcibly "reconverted" to Hinduism in a mass ceremony in Agra.

"Members of the RSS allegedly tricked dozens of Muslims families into attending a meeting by telling them they would be provided financial help, but instead a Hindu religious leader performed a Hindu conversion ceremony; an investigation is underway," it said.

The USCIRF said in September 2014, the Dalit Seventh-day Adventists filed a report in Uttar Pradesh that they were forcibly converted to Hinduism and that their church was converted to a Hindu temple.

It is not known if a police investigation was conducted in the matter.

The nationalist groups also allegedly target Dalits if they are believed to be considering conversion away from Hinduism, it said.

According to the report, at an event honouring Indian Catholic saints in February, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated publicly, for the first time, that his government "will ensure that there is complete freedom of faith and that everyone has the undeniable right to retain or adopt the religion of his or her choice without coercion or undue influence".

This statement is notable given longstanding allegations that, as Chief Minister of Gujarat in 2002, Modi was complicit in anti-Muslim riots in that state, it said.

"Moreover, religious minority communities voice concern that high-ranking BJP members protect or provide support to these groups. In light of these concerns, Prime Minister Modi's statement in support of religious freedom made after the close of the reporting period (discussed more fully below) was a positive development," it said.

The USCIRF said Indian courts are still adjudicating cases stemming from large-scale Hindu-Muslim communal violence in Uttar Pradesh in 2013 and in Gujarat in 2002, Hindu- Christian communal violence in Odisha in 2007-2008, and Hindu-Sikh communal violence in Delhi in 1984.

"NGOs, religious leaders, and human rights activists allege religious bias and corruption in these investigations and adjudications. A one-member special judicial inquiry commission is still investigating the 2013 riots in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh that left dozens, mostly Muslims, dead and tens of thousands, mostly Muslims, displaced.

"Cases stemming from the 2002 Gujarat violence also continue, including a special court case pertaining to the killing of 68 people, including former Congress Party Parliamentarian Ehsan Jafri," it said.

http://www.outlookindia.com/news/articl ... nel/894471

[ghulam muhammed]

1.76L below age of 15 married in Gujarat

AHMEDABAD: The Hindu Marriage Act clearly states that the bridegroom should have completed the age of 21 years and the bride 18 years at the time of the marriage. But going by the 2011 census figures, 1.06 lakh girls and 70,312 boys who have been married are below 15 years of age.

The figures reveal that nearly one fourth of the married girls in the state are below 18 years and have at least two kids.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 090555.cms

[HighFlyer]

जनता की थी यही पुकार
अब की बार मोदी सरकार
‪#‎Modi‬ जी जब आयेंगे
अच्छे दिन वो लायेंगे
मोदी जी तो आ गये
पर अच्छे दिन कहाँ गये
ऊँगली पर मैं रहा हूँ गिन
कब आयेंगे अच्छे दिन
थोड़ा सा धंधा चलता था
बच्चों का पेट पलता था
जब से मोदी जी आये हैं
धन्धे की वाट लगाये हैं
काले धन का वादा था
कितना नेक इरादा था
नभ पे बादल छाएँ है
शायद अच्छे दिन आयें
बिन बरसे चले गये
हम फिर भाषण से छले गये
चोर चोर मौसेरे भाई
क्या bjp क्या pdp
बैंक में जब भी जाते हैं
वो 15 लाख याद आते हैं
विदेशों में तो घूम आये
क्या काला धन ला पाए
दस लाख का सूट सिलाया
ऑक्शन में करोड़ों कमाया
हम थोड़े जज्बाती हैं
पर वो तो गुजराती है
ओबामा को लेके आये
जाने उसको क्या समझाये
जाके उलटी कर दी बात
पाकिस्तान को दी सौगात
हमने उसको सर पे बिठाया
उसने जाके ठेंगा दिखाया
तुमने कर के मन की बात
महंगाई की दी सौगात
शादी का बंधन तोड़ दिया
जसोदा बेन को छोड़ दिया
pm बनना था आसान
कठिन था बनना पति महान
जिस दर्द को कभी सहा नहीं
उस मर्ज़ की कोई दवा नही
अच्छे दिन तो तब आयेंगे
जब सारे पति मुस्कायेंगे
पतियों के दुःख क्या समझोगे
जब तक गृहस्थी न भोगेगे
पूछो जाकर लालू से
भाव टमाटर आलू के
हमारी सीमित क्षमता है
क्यों कि हम तो जनता है
ऊँगली पे मैं रहा हूँ गिन
कब आयेंगे अच्छे दिन
जब तक अच्छे दिन आयेंगे
क्या तब तक हम जी पायेंगे
जनता अब तो गयी है हार
अब की बार मोदी सरकार
जीना हुआ है अब दुशवार
अब की बार मोदी सरकार
महंगाई की पड़ी है मार
अब की बार मोदी सरकार
कैसे चलेगा ये परिवार
अब की बार मोदी सरकार!

[ghulam muhammed]

MODI'S TACTICAL MOVE !!

Narendra Modi meeting a delegation of Ahmediya Muslims.

[JC]

Off course Modi will meet Ahmadis, after Muffadalis, he has turn to Ahmadis, tomorrow he will turn to Aga Khanis, may be other break away Muslim sections, he is creating a 'divide' between main stream Muslims and so-called Muslims, breaking the unity, it is age-old tactic, divide and rule! He may meet Alavi Dai, may contact KQ, who knows and these dumb Muffadalis 'believe' in Modi jee ........... we must remember Modi is a shrewd Hindu Nationalist politician.

[KA786110]

Off course Modi will meet Ahmadis, after Muffadalis, he has turn to Ahmadis, tomorrow he will turn to Aga Khanis, may be other break away Muslim sections, he is creating a 'divide' between main stream Muslims and so-called Muslims, breaking the unity, it is age-old tactic, divide and rule! He may meet Alavi Dai, may contact KQ, who knows and these dumb Muffadalis 'believe' in Modi jee ........... we must remember Modi is a shrewd Hindu Nationalist politician.

Hopefully Muslims will keep this 'divide and rule' deceit in their minds before obliterating each other. First Muslims have to realize that they all belong to one single faith because of the Shahada. The Ummah will remain under these difficulties until mullahs, ayatollahs and tv/radio orators accept that fact which unites all Muslims wholeheartedly.

It has to start with us here first. We need to drop this 'We are the only real Muslims and rest are Muslims in name only". Allah has given each person intelligence and other faculties so that they can make that very personal connection with the creator: "to each his own religion" and "there is no compulsion in religion"

[JavedhJuma]

Off course Modi will meet Ahmadis, after Muffadalis, he has turn to Ahmadis, tomorrow he will turn to Aga Khanis, may be other break away Muslim sections, he is creating a 'divide' between main stream Muslims and so-called Muslims, breaking the unity, it is age-old tactic, divide and rule! He may meet Alavi Dai, may contact KQ, who knows and these dumb Muffadalis 'believe' in Modi jee ........... we must remember Modi is a shrewd Hindu Nationalist politician.

Hopefully Muslims will keep this 'divide and rule' deceit in their minds before obliterating each other. First Muslims have to realize that they all belong to one single faith because of the Shahada. The Ummah will remain under these difficulties until mullahs, ayatollahs and tv/radio orators accept that fact which unites all Muslims wholeheartedly.

It has to start with us here first. We need to drop this 'We are the only real Muslims and rest are Muslims in name only". Allah has given each person intelligence and other faculties so that they can make that very personal connection with the creator: "to each his own religion" and "there is no compulsion in religion"

[ghulam muhammed]

BIRDS OF THE SAME FEATHER !!