PREVENTING RAPES - NOT UNTIL WE ARE SERIOUS ENOUGH

PREVENTING RAPES

NOT UNTIL WE ARE SERIOUS ENOUGH

Nirbhaya and Masoom are just two of the countless victims of rape in India. There were demonstrations by Public, women and men both. All law-abiding citizens are concerned. All civilized citizens are concerned. Very deeply at this point of time.

But, whether the Governments concerned, Central and State,  are really, really, seriously concerned is a matter inviting a lot of skepticism.

The Police have proved that they are not equal to the task. They can punish the victims further – which is the easiest task possible for them. This, they are proving again, and again, and again, before cameras also. How many innocent lives have suffered beyond the camera lights is only to be imagined.

When a camera light proves a Police man wrong, he is suspended – at best. He is caught committing the worst possible crime in Police Uniform, and no one seems to have been punished from the men in Uniform for such gross offenses. Not many believe the Governments any more – that they mean serious business – in ensuring that Justice is in fact done to the RAPE VICTIMS. Not many in fact believe that the Governments are serious to prevent RAPES and eve-teasing – and ensure safety of our women-folk.

I am yet to come across any ruling party man who has spontaneously and strongly condemned the violence of the men in Uniform on the women victims and demanded their dismissal and Jail term – which are the right punishments for such offenses. A punishment for these criminals should set right the others. This is not happening in case of the men in Uniform. Unitl this happens – no one expects them to be serious about protecting the women victims.

Some People are demanding stricter LAWS. There is no one to enforce existing Laws. Who will enforce stricter Laws?

Where are those FAST TRACK COURTS  delivering speedy sentences?

I feel, and I feel it very strongly, that, rape perpetrators –especially of children - must be publicly shamed and flogged in every street corner in their town and in the town where the incident occurs. They should be flogged once in every quarter, until their sentence is over. Ditto for Gang rapists. There cannot be any sympathy for rapists of children and Gang rapists.

This said – we must also ponder over, again and again, why this heinous, barbaric, inhuman behavior is surfacing again and again. Until, the causative factors for such behavior are eliminated or at least minimized, I do not expect that a stringent law will by itself bring down the incidents.

If bacteria carrying Mosquitoes are in your neighbourhood, your taking vaccines is of small help. You must eliminate the bacteria carrying Mosquitoes for surer relief.

If our Cinemas and TV serials allow high promiscuous behavior and obscenity in the name of dance numbers, obscene dialogues etc – the Children and youth are INFLUENCED  by them – and their sex hormones do get excited by what they see on their TV screens. These excited sex hormones do seek quick release – and this expresses itself in many forms. A person with excited Sex Hormones is not really under his conscious control 100 percent. The Hormones propel him to do certain things. We must all understand this Male sexual behavior.

You can’t always find fault with this compulsive sex behavior of many men – until at least, you don’t carry obscenity and permissiveness on to his home TV screens 24 hours of each day. We cannot and must not ask the Movie Producers, directors and actors their advice on this. They need their Income – and they will defend all the sex scenes in their movies. Ditto with violence – especially violence against women.

I have said this earlier. I am saying this again. But, I have no hope that all these will be taken in right spirit – by the people who must act.

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BIHAR'S RESERVATION FOR WOMEN - GOOD OR BAD? - COMMUNAL VIOLENCE BILL - GOOD OR BAD?

APPEASEMENT & POLITICKING

NDA & UPA

In India, development gets stalled because of too much Politicking. Too much Politicking essentially means two things (i) Appeasement of certain sections of Society, to the exclusion of other sections, or, even, against the genuine interests of other sections (ii) Protecting one section of society blindly, assuming that it is ALL-PERFECT,PEACEFUL ANGEL LIKE and whoever is not “THEY”,  are demons.

All Parties are doing this. The UPA is doing it most often, probably because, it is the one party in Power for long, and is always unsure of majority. The NDA also is doing it here and there, where they are in Power.

Let us see a few instances from today’s news Paper alone:

1.    The Bihar Government has made 50 percent Reservation for women in Panchayat Bodies in 2005 ; extended 50% reservation again for women to civic bodies in 2007  and now has made 50% reservation for women in co-operative societies.

I am also for reservation , especially for women, In India. But, it should never be 50%. In fact, no reservation should ever be equal to the actual percentage of the concerned people in the society. It should be HALF of that percentage – at the maximum.  Then only, the deserved people in that section will get the deserved benefit and the others will come through merit.  Now, there is no incentive for merit at all in the reserved categories.

Reservation equaling the percentage in population has always resulted in HIGHLY sub-standard people occupying crucial posts – and as a consequence, everyone of the 100 percent population suffers very badly. It promotes incompetent governance, corruption and unethical behaviour.

In Bihar, the ratio of men and women is 1000 : 916. It is not fifty ; fifty : Women are just 47.8%.  But the reservation for them is 50%. So, Nitishji is making over 100 percent reservation for women in various bodies – wherever he can. It is plainly incorrect by any standards. I am sure, he will find ways of extending this vote-catching formula to many other areas of governance, education, social institutions etc of his state. Of course, other states may emulate this vote catching method. But, at this level of reservation, it is sheer political gimmick and vote-catching device.

If a co-operative society has only men as members and only men can be beneficiaries, how will there be reservation for women at 50%? But, Nitishji feels so.

Incidentally, such reservations benefit the women who are elected, even if it does not benefit other men and women governed by them. But, if it is reduced to 50% of their real representation in the concerned population, it would be a good support for women and for those governed by them.

I personally and strongly feel, that every elected representative must have a minimum qualification of at least Plus two in Education.

Because of the absence of such a provision, many rowdies (among males especially) , or, perhaps, all male and female rowdies are in Politics today in India. I am not saying – all Politicians are Rowdies. Please do not get me wrong. I only feel, all rowdies are in Politics.

Where reservation exists for women – a totally uneducated woman is elected and behind the scene, some men control the affairs. We have seen what happens when an uneducated woman occupies high, elected posts like that of a CM, Minister or MP. It is not desirable at all for the country. For MLAs and MPS, a Minimum qualification of Graduation and Post Graduation (respectively) must be prescribed. 

Otherwise, we will have mike-snatchers and Bench-thumpers in the majority in our legislatures. I loath to be governed by uneducated people. I want GOOD, EDUCATED, CONSCIOUS LEADERS  only to represent me and govern me in all elected bodies. No one should get elected unless they are LEADERS  in their own right. For that, some  qualification and some service-mindedness are essential.

 2.  COMMUNAL BILL AGAIN : The Central government is never tired of  appeasing Muslims, SC,STs, etc to ensure their votes. The only section, it does not seem to try to please is – the majority community. I am, of course, not for appeasing any one on community basis.

Now, that the voting time is at hand, news is that - Government is said to be - again bringing back the communal violence bill.

At the very outset, let us recognize some facts. Only about 0.1% of total population is adopting violence – including communal violence - and the rest are sufferers. Hindus, Muslims, Christians – all are by and large peaceful. When a violence occurs, all are sufferers.

The Major assumption in the Bill is said to be that – in every communal violence, only the majority community is always responsible. How can this be? What is a communal violence? Is it – any violence between men of two communities? It seems to be so.

Let us again face some more facts. Muslims are well organized in every state. So are Christians, so are Yadavs. So are SC,STs. So are certain other communities, in each state. Some communities are just not organized and they are the weakest and the usual sufferers. Why is this organizing on the basis of community happening? Only because, Government is trying to garner votes and govern people on community basis. This should stop. It is HIGH TIME that we stop all this community-wise governance and appeasement and start governing without any bias in favor of or against any one, based on his / her community. This Bill is community-based and therefore  bad for India.

The assumption in this Bill is the most fallacious assumption ever made in India in making any Law. It will defame India’s majority community in the eyes of the world community – for no fault of them.

To repeat the fact, 99.9 percent people of all communities in India at present are generally peaceful. But, some of them may take sides in any violence engineered by communally violent 0.1% people – because they are organized on community basis and side with their own people, even if they are at fault.

The responsibility of any government is to locate such 0.1% communally violent people well in advance and monitor their actions constantly.

If government and all Political Parties shun their community Politics, there will be least communal violence. That can be easily tackled.

If this Bill were to be the law –

In Mumbai Blasts,  we will have to declare that the residents of TAJ HOTEL were somehow responsible for the violence and deaths – and not Ajmal kasab or Lashkar-e-toiba?

In the attack on Parliament, we will now have to declare all Parliamentarians as responsible, and not Afjal Guru or the organizations behind him?

In the recent blasts in Hyderabad, we will have to declare the majority community as somehow responsible for the blasts and not those who planted the explosives.

Communal violence is the order of the day in Kashmir. Will Government apply this same criterion in Kashmir or not? But, when communal violence happened in Jammu, the so called majority community of Hindus had to flee the region. They are not able to return to the place,  where they were supposed to be in majority. Shall we hold all of these refugees as responsible for the violence on them in Jammu?

Please, do not hold Hindus as a communally violent community. They are not. The one religionists who say boldly that ‘ALL RELIGIONS ARE EQUAL” are Hindus.  

Here one word about the Hindutva philosophy of RSS or VHP is required. They seem to consider all as Hindus – whether Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists or whosoever. That seems to be what they call as HINDUTVA philosophy or ideology.

This is not a violent philosophy or ideology  – though it flies against all contemporary living conditions. RSS and VHP are living 2000 years before today’s conditions. They should be shaken from this belief system and brought back to today’s India.

I and all others of the majority religion write “HINDU”  against the column “religion” in all records. Some write “ISLAM”. Some write “CHRISTIAN”. Some write “BUDDHISM”. And so on.

RSS and VHP have no right whatsoever to say that others also should write HINDU or feel as Hindu because of some of RSS/VHP’s Belief systems or even because of some genuine origins of the word Hindu. If others feel otherwise – it is their absolute right – and no one has a right to foist his belief systems on others. The meaning of the word HINDU has undergone lots of change just by historical facts. We can't hold on to meanings given 1000s of years ago, today.

But, of course, this is not done, only by RSS/VHP. I hear on some TV channels that Tiruvalluvar was in fact a Christian; all Siddhas were Christians and so on. I am just waiting to hear one day that Lord Krishna was also a Christian.

I have no quarrel with either Hindutva or with this Christiantva – as long as they don’t try to rub their beliefs on others.

Such transgressions into each others’ religious beliefs must be avoided – to promote religious peace and avoid communal violence.

Yes. Of course, the same thing can also be done in a very beautiful, friendly way.

I am none other than your brother. You are none other than my brother. My prophet and your prophet are both brothers and they want us to live as brothers. They are both God’s messengers. Some people in each religion say that too.

If we follow them – where will be communal violence?

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NARENDRA MODI - RAHUL GANDHI - AND THE PM DEBATE - WHAT DOES THE NATION REALLY,REALLY NEED?

MODI...MODI...MODI...

PM...PM...PM...PM...

To be..or, not to be..is not Modi’s dilemma. Whether he should be..or, he should not be.. is the dilemma of all others.

I have not heard him speak of any of his “Beyond-Gujarat” ambitions. That is, if at all, he has any. Even if you ask him in his sleep, he will talk of chey karod Gujaratis, as of today. His vocabulary certainly is not 1.2 billion Indians.  His priority and fixation has been and is 6 crore Gujaratis.

So, if he does not contend - to become the PM in 2014, many congressmen will be disappointed – even if many BJP men are not disappointed. Many TV Anchors will be disappointed. Many News Paper Editors will be disappointed. He should at least contend for the Post of PM. Whether he wins or loses, the result is immaterial. In this, there seems to be near unanimity – even if congress men protest vehemently that they do not want BJP to select him for the post.

Who else can be BJP’s nominee for the Post of PM? There are two other obvious contenders for the Post. 1. Sushma Swaraj 2. Arun Jaitley. That makes the three potential contenders a trinity. There does not seem to be much groupism behind the three – although many chorus voices rise in favour of Modi.

Who amongst them has an ALL INDIA IMAGE? None. As of now. Modi is a crowd Puller in Gujarat. He has a charisma of his own. He speaks chaste Gujarati; good Hindi; tolerable English. He may have to improve his English Delivery significantly to mesmerize the elite of India. The elite of India has certain attraction towards Modi, positive or negative.

To my mind, Modi’s DEVELOPMENT AGENDA is what attracts India at large – and quite justifiably.

To the credit of Modi, one must admit that he never spoke in favour of or against this or that community and this or that religion. At least, I have not heard him speak of religion and caste in his political speeches. To that extent, his is the truly INCLUSIVE, DEVELOPMENTAL PLANK.

The HINDUTVA plank of RSS is a serious headache for BJP, even if many in BJP are not aware of it, and some may be aware but may not admit it.

If BJP comes to power, it is sheerly on the development plank of Modi and other BJP CMs. If BJP loses the game, the sole credit for that goes to the HINDUTVA AGENDA of RSS, VHP and others. Despite the absolute BAD PERFORMANCE of UPA in many areas (Especially UPA II), if BJP still does not come to Power in 2014, I think, it will be due to the HINDUTVA PLANK. Every ally of congress has said that congress’ performance and its reliability are below par. But yet, no one wants to join BJP. The Togadias and Bhagavathis can undo all the good that Congress has been doing for BJP.

If BJP came to power the one time it did, it was due to Mr.Vajapayee’s almost secular face. If BJP can’t see itself in a clean Mirror, and sees itself in a Hindutva Mirror now, it will be its fault.

But, the top three leaders of BJP still keep a clean face, devoid of Hindutva colour. Modi, despite 2002 incidents, has been able to keep a clean record from 2002 to 2013. He never spoke of castes and religions in any political speech, as far as I have heard. For any Politician in India, this is very tough. Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj also can claim to be so – but, their Political speeches are far less outside parliament and outside press conferences.

The three together can pull it off - if they steer clear of Hindutva image. All the three are competent and astute administrators. All the three reasonably have a non-hindutva, secular image – despite all the efforts of Congress against Modi.

But, the negative point about all the three of them is – none of them today is a national leader.

They must tour the whole of India, district by district, preferably together, and address public meetings in every district – and address press in each district – and meet at least a few people in a few villages and towns.

For a long, long time, India has not seen a national leader. And, the result of that today is – most states are governed by local chieftains, who have almost nothing to do with Delhi. And Delhi has not been adequately fair to them too.

Who, of the three – becomes the PM is not the real question. Will the three tour India and meet people across the length and breadth of each state matters a lot for India and for BJP, in the long run. BJP and India both need truly national leaders. Will  BJP steer clear of Hindutva, at least in Politics, is the next crucial aspect for BJP.

For India, BJP is one side of the coin. The other side of the coin is the Congress. The coalition Politics of congress has pulled the cart of Governance so far and did nothing admirable beyond that. Pulling, falling, getting up, pulling, falling, getting up – this has been going on quite for some time. Not all blame is on Congress. The allies were tough nuts – beyond comfort.

But, Congress was quick to make every man an enemy too. Whoever raised an issue, be it Ram devji, or Team Anna or anyone else, the government immediately put various government organs behind them. This was BAD POLITICS. This was also BAD GOVERNANCE. The Lok Pal Bill could have been easily passed. But, Political will was obviously lacking. Had it been passed, Congress as a party could have come out gloriously. Some corrupt persons would have suffered. But, that would have been common for all parties. Many corrupt parties would have sunk totally. Both Congress and BJP would have come out stronger and cleaner. India would have been a winner. I do not really know, but, Congress can still pull it off in the remaining months.

Corruption scandals were too many this time. There was no need to fight with CAG or Supreme Court on any of these issues. They could have been asked for sincere advice on how to tackle future cases. Persons fighting against corruption must be treated as ALLIES and not as OPPONENTS – by any government. That is how better governance happens in any country.

Congress has some able Ministers and leaders. Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, despite all corruption scandals, all around him, is still regarded as a non-corrupt, non-corruptible, and far-sighted Prime Minister.

Congress however, banks on Rahul Gandhi, the reluctant heir apparent of the Indira Gandhi clan. Rahul doesn’t have the charisma of his father Rajiv Gandhi, nor his oratorical capabilities – at least as on date. But, he could be a good leader. He doesn’t have any negative Image – which itself is a great Positive. One remembers how he took on Shiv Sena, right on its turf, when Shiv Sena was indulging in some anti-non Maharastrian activities. That bold move was the hall mark of a Good leader. His inexperience can be made up adequately - if he selects capable, young advisers - to assist him.

He has some young leaders as friends – and they are all capable. But then, all of them, including Rahul Gandhi lack National Image. They, as a group, must tour the whole of India, meet people, talk to people, understand them and their problems and project a unified image of India. 

Unfortunately Congress has been seeking small, small, casteist and religious vote banks for the last several years and this has seen its vote bank shrink considerably. Modi’s inclusive Politics is far more secular in many ways and far more unifying for the country.

But, Rahul, Shashi Taroor, Scindia, and such young leaders must bring Congress out of this morass. For this, they must energetically tour and don the mantle of national leadership. They must emerge as national leaders.

It should not be UPA vs NDA vs Third Front – in 2014 or at least in the next elections to that..

I personally would like to see just Congress vs BJP in a clean fight, with regional parties becoming un-preferred by the average citizen of India. India needs such unified, national parties, which rise above caste and religious politics.

If this happens, whoever comes – India will be a winner.

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