Friday 23 March 2007

Government Machinery and Land Evictions - SEZ Debate

The Indian Cricket Minister has weighed in, on the debate of farmland farmer evictions, with some very important "comments and umpiring decisions".
The Indian Cricket Minister, who also wears the hats of Indian Agriculture Minister and guess what, the Food Minister as well, has gone on record to state that he is not in favour of the use of bureaucracy and government machinery, on behalf of industrialists, by the various state governments.
He expressed these views in relation to the sorry, messy, spectacle and bloodshed, enacted by the Left coalition parties government, in West Bengal, that sent in 5,000 police men, in riot gear to get one cordoned off small village called Nandigram, to be forcibly evicted vacated, from a group of farmers and sharecroppers. That this was all done, by a carefully nurtured protege of Shri Jyoti Basu, and that this was all done in the 250 years anniversary of the Battle of Plassey in Bengal, that paved the way for British colonial expansion in the whole of India, is a matter of historical irony, for the students of Indian history.
We have discussed this issue elsewhere.
Here however, we would like to discuss, the public statement of the Cricket Minister, who has expressed his disapproval of the use of bureaucracy and government machinery, in farmland evictions for the benfit of industry and for the benefit of industrialists.
The sarcastic politics watchers amongst us, know that for the so called students of Chairiman Mao, power flows from the barrel of the gun.
Now the real question is, in what capacity has he expressed the views that he has publicly expressed, about government machinery and its use in farmland evictions and of legislative changes.
Is it as a Cabinet Minister of the Man Mohan Singh Congress government ?
Is it as a Cricket Minister ?
Is it as Indian Agriculture Minister ?
Is it as Indian Food Minister ?
Is it as a veteran Indian political heavyweight from Western Maharashtra sugar belt who rose to power on the back of Western Maharashtra sugar cooperatives ?

Asking this question is crucially important, because the sheer ideological confusion, that characterizes the debates on farmland acquisitions and the rationale for Special Export Zones, in a democratic country like India is often missed in the sound and fury of the industry versus agriculture, poverty versus development debate in India.
It bears attention that the reasonable and logical sounding words, of this tough talking Western Maharashtra minister, who is exceptionally silent on one of the biggest agrarian crisis in modern India, in his own home ground of Maharashtra, is feeling the need to sell the idea that, industrialist are free to go and directly deal with Indian farmers and buy up land that is un irrigated, as long as they do not ask the politically immature governments like that of Shri Jyoti Basu's protege, to send in a pack of riot battle gear uniformed policemen, to do the dirty job for them.
As per the Cricket Minister, the Central and state governments should only play the role of facilitators in Indian Farm Exit Policy and not take on an overtly active role. He has added his suggestions about non irrigated land and the willingness of Indian farmers in state policy regarding land acquisitions. But this is cosmetic.
Are WTO, ASSOCHAM and FICCI listening ?
The Indian Agriculture Minister is effectively saying that he will ensure, that the central Congress Government, adopts a laid back attitude, does not step in on the side of farmers, unwilling to be evicted ....
From this it is clear, that the only objection the Cricket Minister has to farmland evictions, is that it should be done in such a way that it does not become a media story and instead takes, place, drip by drip, in the rural farmlands of India, maybe somewhat like the cotton farmer suicides in Vidarbha.
Shocking that this deliberate excercise in Indian Farm Exit Policy, and forcible demographics modifications on Indian farms, is being choregraphed by the Indian Agriculture Minister. How can Vidarbha farmers expect to find a real solution to their problems when such an Agriculture Minister is seated in the Krishi Bhawan in New Delhi ?
Maybe the Germans and European women, are better friends of Vidarbha farmers than such an Agriculture Minister who is having full control over Krishi Bhawan, unchecked by anyone in the media.
It is shockingly tragic, that such a minister, is in charge of such an unprecedented Indian Agrarian Crisis, at this juncture in Indian history, as agriculture and kisans face the butchers knife.

And he is bowling top spinners, and advising West Bengal Communists, to refrain from using government machinery for land evictions and acquiring land for Special Export Zones.
Can the Indian farmers read the top spinners of their Agriculture Minister or will they all be bowled out ?

Thursday 22 March 2007

Cricket Minister Bowls a Top Spinner

The Indian Cricket Minister who also doubles up as Indian Agriculture Minister, and surprises of surprise, as Food Minister too, has now bowled a top spinner.
Really capable all rounders in Indian team.
The tough talking political heavy weight from Maharashtra, is of course very well known for his intervention in the Cola agricultural pesticides debate, by claiming that Indian mothers are also equally guilty, of feeding their children with breast milk spiced up with acceptable levels of pesticides as per Indian food regulation standards. He did not however explain why we should trust him as the Food Minister, fit for the new incredible Indian Next generation - GEN-X
Many future Cricketers are springing up in India with deep dosages of pesticides in their blood, courtesy our sanguine Food Minister, which will all cumulatively lead to big sixes in World Cups.

The same Minister had pointed out how, in his role as Food Minister, responsible for deflating food prices for South Indian wheat eaters, was in contradiction with his dual responsibility as Indian Agriculture Minister responsible for seeing that hard working, Indian kisan are able to sell their produce, in the markets, either to government procurement agencies, or to private traders, at slightly higher rupees, than the previous year.
Sometimes one cannot but wonder at the sheer competence and the immense burden of weight carried by the respectable Cricket Minister. Any other mortal by now would have been screaming at the Prime Minister and Congress Party, to reduce the political, administrative, and ministerial responsibilities that he has simultaneously been burdened with.
He also certainly feels, the Vidarbha cotton farmers agrarian distress and suicides issue, from his own home ground of Maharashtra, as adding to yet more weight on his share of responsibilities. After all how much can one man do, when burdened with so many and often such conflicting responsibilities ?
But then maybe he does not have any such doubts.
The Honourable Minister decided to bowl a top spinner, on the issue of farmland acquisitions, carried out in Singur and Nandigram, on behalf of top domestic and foreign industrialists, by the erudite bhadralok of Bengal Communists.
The Minister has found it appropriate to dispute the strategy of using governmental muscle for acquiring land for Special Export Zones (SEZ).
Dispute yes, but without feeling the need to justify, why these Special Export Zones are needed in the first place.
Notable economists from Bangla Desh and other places, are being brought in to buttress arguments of how New Amar Sonar Bangla needs industry in place of farmlands, to force a decline in agriculture dependant populations and force the creation of an industrial proletariat that will be begging outside Writer's Building for small morsels of food. The rhetoric of the protege of Shri Jyoti Basu may be inadequate for the peasants and farmers of Nandigram, but maybe our Cricket Minister is satisfied with the batting performance of Bengal.
His track record as the Minister who pushed through large scale GM experimentations on Indian farmers, without long term risk analysis, and farmer and crop insurance best practices, will also not be missed by Indian economy, industry and agriculture watchers.

Thursday 15 March 2007

Whose NandiGram, Whose Singur, Whose Bengal ?

The External Affairs Minister, and also, the Chairman of Empowered Ministers Committee for Special Export Zones (SEZ), Shri Pranab Mukherjee, the Congress minister from Bengal, has expressed deep anguish, at the way the Bengal Chief Minister has decided to honour his words, that he gave to big direct investors in Bengal.
The Bengal Chief Minister was groomed by Shri Jyoti Basu, over all these decades of sterile Marxist logic and bhadralok incompetence, to take over the reigns of a NEW BENGAL. The colour of this New Bengal, is unmistakably now red.
This is the Bengal that gave the resurgent India fighting the might of the colonial empire its National Anthem. Today this National Anthem has been sullied unmistakably by the student of Jyoti Basu, a man who decided that his word given in private conversations was more important that the words he could muster for the villagers of Nandigram. What a shame.
Is this then the New Bengal ? Is this then, going to be the shape and the face of the new India ? Is this the face of the urbane Marxists, the Politburo Communists, the Delhi based left ideologues, sitting in Delhi and Kolkata, and pulling the levers of power ?
A bunch of people who are not able to explain in words and win the hearts of the villagers of Nandigram and Singur ?
Is this going to be the colour of capital that will now begin to flow into Bengal and herald a new and prosperous Bengal ?
The revolution has come a full circle.
The bhadralok has decided that the promises it makes in private conversations, to industrialists are more important than explaining the new industrialization policy of Bengal to the people, the small farmers, whose land it wants to grab and forcibly convert into the industrial proletariat, without their concurrence ?
And the bhadralok is now ready to send forth the police in battle armed gear rather than talk, as the External Affairs Minister says, just because the chief Minister gave his word to some top industrialist in a closed room, in a secretive conversation, and will not tolerate any disobedience.
"The issue has to be resolved through dialogue," said Shri Pranab Mukherjee, the senior Congress leader from West Bengal and indeed one of the most respected of Indians on the global stage.
In sad contrast, are the empty words of firebrand Indian Communists of yester years, the occupiers of Writer's Building, who have lost touch with words, and are seeking bullets to do the talking for them.
Eleven people were killed and 75 injured when police opened fire on a huge mob, that fought pitched battles with the men in uniform in Nandigram.
If this is the New Bengal, the new Amar Sonar Bangla. If this is the shape of things to come in the new and incredible India, then maybe the clock has come a full circle after two and a half centuries. The Revolution has occurred.
The year is 2007. The irony cannot be last on those who study history. Exactly 250 years back, in 1757, a young British man, Robert Clive, had stood in mango forests, with a scroll, a map, a sword, and wondered how he was going to pave the way for a band of people to control a vast sub continent, incredibly rich and diverse. A land of whose riches he had read in Britain and had often dreamed of. The land of wealth but inner disjunction between common people and the ruling elite.
He too had decided that he would let the bullets, the swords, the cannons and the firmans, do the talking.
Yes, this protege of Shri Jyoti Basu, this new changing face of bhadralok, invites comparisons with the same young British man who surveyed Plassey and wondered why and how the British Empire would always remember him.
Today, the statue of Robert Clive, proudly stands outside the Winston Churchill Museum and the British War Cabinet offices of Second World War as its memory of the man who paved the way for English Empire in India.
It is exactly, 250 years of Battle of Plassey and a new battle has been won in Plassey. This time there are no British. This time it is a protege of Shri Jyoti Basu.

And once again, the Indian bhadralok has emerged from the slumber of the sterile Marxist rhetoric years.
Bengal. The state that gave India the Nstional Anthem, the state that opened the way to colonial domination over a proud sub continent called Bharat, the state that gave Subhas Chandra Bose, the state that gave the romanticism of Rabindra Sangeet, the state that gave the heart wrenching films of Satyajit Ray, the state that gave Amartya Sen, is now in the hands of a bhadralok, that has no more use for words and winning battles of the heart. How appropriate that this Bengal is in the hands of a protege of Shri Jyoti Basu.
Maybe it is the destiny of India, that this state and its bhadralok, will always, keep opening the doors to foreign domination, over a sub continent of proud people.
Let us remember the Mir Jafars, the Siraj ud Daulah and Robert Clive of 1757 as we turn the pages of history.
The Battle of Plassey (Bengali: পলাশীর যুদ্ধ, Pâlāshīr Juddha) was a battle that took place on June 23, 1757, at Palashi, on the banks of the Bhagirathi River, about 150 km north of Calcutta. It is near Murshidabad, then the capital of the Nawab of Bengal in India. Pâlāsh (Bengali: পলাশ), an extravagant red flowering tree (Flame of the forest), gives its name to a small village near the battlefield. A phonetically accurate romanization of the Bengali name would be Battle of Palashi, but the spelling "Plassey" is now conventional.

The battle was between Siraj Ud Daulah, the last independent Nawab of Bengal, and the forces of the British East India Company. Siraj-ud-Daulah's army commander had defected to the British, causing his army to collapse. After this defeat, the entire province of Bengal passed to the Company, and this battle is today seen as one of the pivotal battles leading to the British Empire in India.

The enormous wealth gained from the Bengal treasury, after its victory in the battle, allowed the company to significantly strengthen its military might.

The carefully groomed political and ideological protege, of Shri Jyoti Basu is certainly, the harbinger of bad news. Not only for Bengal, but for the whole of India.
People will ask now, whose Bengal is it, whose India ?
Is it of the Communists, the capital laden industrialists and the bhadralok ?
What has happened to the real capital of Bengal in all these years ?
Are the people and the fertile Gangetic valley not itself a creator of capital anymore that it is grovelling for recognition in closed rooms for small bits of capital ? Yes the elite of Bengal has a role to play for rest of India.
Are they its rightful inheritors, or are they merely pretenders who got used to the cups of tea, and sterile conversations in Writer's Building and forgot that words and dialogue are all that it takes, for people's capital to once again build a beautiful and rich Bengal ?
A beautiful, "Amar Sonar Bangla" that has the power of the heart, to inspire and lead the whole of India ? Or will this Bengal, of the protege of Shri Jyoti Basu, that lays siege of rural villages in pre meditated operations, lead the new India ? How tragic !! Can we allow this Bengal to lead India ?
Two hundred and fifty years, and who knows, India has lost the Battle of Plassey once again. Marxist rhetoric is revealing its true colours finally in Bengal.
The elite of Bengal is bent on bartering away not only Bengal, but India, for pebbles. They have kind words for direct investors and determination to fulfill their promises, and only bullets for the people of singur and NandiGram.