CBI may have erred in Malegaon [bomb-blast] probe - By Deeptiman Tiwary - Times New Network

http://mobiletoi.timesofindia.com/mobile.aspx?article=yes&pageid=9&sectid=edid=&edlabel=TOIM&mydateHid=29-11-2012&pubname=Times+of+India+-+Mumbai&edname=&articleid=Ar00900&publabel=TOI



CBI may have erred in Malegaon probe

Outgoing Chief Denies Govt Pawn Charge
Deeptiman Tiwary TNN

New Delhi:Outgoing CBI director A P Singh on Wednesday admitted that there may have been errors in the agencys investigation of the 2006 Malegaon blasts,where nine alleged SIMI men were initially arrested by Maharashtra ATS only to be later bailed out after the role of Hindu extremists came to light.

He,however,denied that the agency was used by the government to coerce allies and opponents,saying cases involving political heavyweights like BSP leader Mayawati and SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav are in the courts and the agency has nothing to do with them.

The Malegaon case had seen some sensational developments after Swami Aseemanand,close to the Abhinav Bharat group,confessed that the blasts were carried out by the Hindu outfit.The blasts case was handed over to CBI by the Maharashtra government in December 2006,on the same day that the ATS filed a chargesheet against the nine arrested men.In February,2010,CBI filed a supplementary chargesheet,almost toeing the ATS line.

Post-Aseemanands confession,CBI started a reinvestigation in the case in 2011 on the saffron terror line before the case was handed over to National Investigation Agency.

On the two lines of investigations,Singh said,At that time (during the first investigation ) there was not even a hint of Hindu terror angle.However,after the Aseemanand confession,new information was revealed and the agency began to act on this information.Now the case is with the NIA.Once it completes its investigation,we will know what,if any,mistakes were made by the CBI.

On charges of the government using the CBI for political ends,Singh said,Nobody can direct us.We investigate our cases and take them to court.I will maintain CBI is not a handmaiden of the government.I keep hearing that Mayawati and Mulayam are manipulated through CBI.All cases against them are now with the court.We have nothing to do with them.

Singh,however,agreed that there was a perception that CBI was a whip wielded by the government and this needed to be addressed.The best way to do that would be making the appointment of CBI director through the collegium system.That way,no one will allege that the CBI chief is a government appointee, Singh said.

Interestingly,his successor Ranjit Sinhas appointment has been hit by a controversy with BJP leaders arguing that the decision should be kept on hold until the collegium system recommended by the select committee on the Lokpal bill is implemented.

Cases involving UP chieftains Mayawati and Mulayam Singh,who are important outside supporters of the government,have made news in the past with the CBI reported to have changed its position before the court.Singhs remarks may indicate that the cases are now beyond any intervention.

On the issue of extending the CBI directors tenure,Singh said,It takes one year just to understand what is happening.By the time one puts things in motion,the tenure is over.If I had more time,I could have accomplished a few more things such as filling all the vacancies,posting my officers abroad for speedy processing of letter rogatories (LRs) and get a state-of-the-art forensics laboratory sanctioned.

The outgoing director said he was satisfied with the way CBI was functioning but stressed that the agency needed to speed up investigations.For that to be achieved,LR processes have to be quick and government needs to expedite sanctions, he added.



A P Singh said the NIA investigation would reveal what mistakes,if any,were made by the CBI in the 2006

Will some big calamity hit Indian Muslims, now that a Muslim will head Intelligence Bureau - By Ghulam Muhammed

Will some big calamity hit Indian Muslims, now that a Muslim will head Intelligence Bureau

Congress government in particular and other governments following Congress pattern, are known to front a Muslim to do a hatchet job on Muslims. This is the theme of a news analysis by Aalam Naqvi, former editor of Urdu Times-Mumbai, who still writes for Urdu Times, from his base in Lucknow. Mr. Naqvi points out how when Urdu was cleansed out of the entire North India, to give prominence to Hindi, Congress had put Maulana Abul Kalaam Azad at the Union Education Ministry. The message coming out was, that if the gross injustice to Urdu is to be systematically carried out, let the blame be on a Muslim, and that too on the head of such a prominent leader of Muslims. The communal Congress leaders, thus tried to escape direct blame. Similarly, when Indira Gandhi had plans to take out minority status of Aligarh Muslim University, she used another Muslim name, that of Noorul Hasan who was appointed Education Minister to do the dirty job. A Muslim name became Indira Gandhi's shield to divert any adverse reaction to her government. In the aftermath of  Babri Masjid demolition and the widespread riots, PV Narasimha Rao picked up Syed Sibte Rizvi and included him in his cabinet, to placate Muslim anger by giving out the signal that Narasimha Rao is not against Muslims. He further promoted Zafar Saifullah to the very important post of Cabinet Secretary. All this was supposed to be a public relations exercise to project Congress as a secular political party. The short term of V.P. Singh witnessed another balancing act, when the extremist Hindutvadi, Jagmohan was made governor of Jammu and Kashmir, while the Union Home Ministry was given to Mufti Mohammed Saeed. The way Jagmohan carried out his Tuglak like campaign clearing Kashmiri Pandits to flee Kashmir, as he was planning to do a big crackdown in Kashmir. He was to be a savior of Kashmiri Pandit. Later the blame for the forced exodus fell on Kashmiri Muslims.

The latest entry of another Muslim name --- Syed Asif Ibrahim, as new Chief of the IB (Intelligence Bureau), has been applauded by many Muslim commentators, who are in the habit of routinely praising such token exercises of appointment of Muslims in high places as a favour to Muslim voters. However, according to Aalam Naqvi, it is time for Muslims to brace for some possibly another nefarious Congress plan to hit Muslims, with the convenient Muslim name at IB, giving appropriate cover to communal elements in Sonia Congress.

With Sonia Congress now tottering in the wake of corruption scandals, it has to plan some big communal event to consolidate Hindu votes in order to dent BJP's constituency. IB may be in the background of any such vicious strategy. Muslims better be warned.

Ghulam Muhammed, Mumbai
<ghulammuhammed3@gmail.com>

‘Why is papa not home despite SC acquittal?’ - Zeeshan Shaikh | The faceless State - Seema Mustafa - The Free Press Journal, Mumbai

http://freepressjournal.in/why-is-papa-not-home-despite-sc-acquittal/



 November 26, 2012 12:31:00 AM | By Zeeshan Shaikh

‘Why is papa not home despite SC acquittal?’

Mumbai : 26/11 has a tragic resonance not only for the families of the 166 victims but also for the family of a man who was falsely implicated on charges of preparing ground for the terrorists.

Yasmeen Ansari (36), wife of Faheem Ansari, a 26/11 accused who was acquitted by the Supreme Court in August this year, went through hell in the last four years trying to remove the tag of terrorist from her husband’s name.

Yasmeen and her daughter Iqra (9) who are living with the family of Fahim’s elder brother Usman Ansari in Mumbra said, “After Faheem’s arrest, the stigmatised family faced so many losses that his elder brother was reduced to a rickshaw driver from a businessman.

 ”Thanks to our faith in Allah and people like late advocate Shahid Azmi and general secretary of the Jamiat-Ulema-e-Maharashtra Gulzar Azmi, who stood by us even when relatives started distancing themselves from us, we were able to clear our name,” said Yasmeen, who now makes a living as a seamstress.

 Yasmin, who has studied till the 10th standard at Madanpura in Central Mumbai, was married in 1997 to Faheem, the youngest among nine siblings, who lived at Hanuman Nagar, Goregaon (W).

 He was arrested in Rampur district on February 9, 2008 by the special task force of the UP police in connection with the attack on the CRPF camp on the night of December 31, 2007 in which several CRPF personnel were killed.

 Yasmeen said her husband didn’t even go to Rampur. “Faheem had gone to Lucknow to buy dresses to sell in Mumbai. I am not sure if it was February 1 or February 3, but it was somewhere between these dates that Faheem went to Lucknow after which his phone was unavailable.” Yasmeen said she was on the way to Bareilly jail to meet Faheem when 26/11 happened and TV channels started saying that he was one of the accomplices of the terrorists.

 February 11, 2010, was one of the worst days in Yasmeen’s life when she received a call from her brother who asked her to switch on the television. “As soon as I switched on the TV, everywhere there was news that Shahid Azmi, the lawyer of Faheem Ansari, was shot in his office. After learning about his death, I was worried about the ongoing case as only the final argument was left but my husband was acquitted by the Sessions Court in 2010.”

 The Supreme Court acquitted Faheem Ansari and Sabahuddin Ahmed on August 29 this year for their role in 26/11. Faheem’s family has demanded compensation from the Central Government for the financial losses they had suffered in last four years.

 The Jamiat-Ulema-e-Maharashtra, which is fighting cases for more than 100 terror accused, had not charged a single penny in Faheem’s case which was fought in Sessions Court then challenged in the High Court and later in the Supreme Court. “We believe in our judiciary and we are sure that we will succeed in getting an acquittal from Allahabad High Court in Rampur CRPF camp firing case,” said Yasmeen.

 In October, the Akhilesh Yadav government in Uttar Pradesh had appealed to the court asking if the case against Faheem and the other accused in the CRPF camp attack along with three more terror attack cases can be withdrawn, discharging the accused. However, Faheem’s family is waiting for the response of the court, which will come on November 29 on Akhilesh’s appeal.

 ”My nine-year-old daughter Iqra who stood first in her school is confused and keeps asking me the same question: since the court had acquitted her dad, why is he not coming home,” said Yasmeen.

Zeeshan Shaikh

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http://freepressjournal.in/the-faceless-state/

Edit    November 26, 2012 12:43:34 AM | By SEEMA MUSTAFA

The faceless State

The Indian State seems to have lost its compassion somewhere along the way. Its first reaction, as the Mumbai incident indicates, is to use its brute might to suppress even innocent and minimalist dissent.

A Facebook post said it all. The young man, a Muslim, “hailed” the hanging of Pakistan terrorist Ajmal Kasab saying that his death would at least put an end to the weight that some political parties and groups were making Indian Muslims carry. And that while they basically did not give a damn they were made to carry the cross through insinuations and direct comments by communal forces always looking for shadows where none exist.

Kasab’s hanging has not stirred a leaf in India, or for that matter even in Pakistan amidst society that one generally acknowledges as sane. Except for extremists like the Lashkar e Tayaba whose reactions are expected, even the villagers in Faridkot in Pakistan where Kasab ostensibly lived, chased away reporters saying they were not interested in the issue at all. The young man had crossed every civilized line when he, along with nine others, picked up the gun to shoot down Indian citizens in Mumbai in one of the worst terror attacks this country has ever seen.

In fact the debate post Kasab is not about whether he should have been hanged, but about the death penalty per se and whether it should be abolished or not. The one intelligent move that the UPA government made was to ensure that the hanging took place without the media being informed, as that prevented the 24-hour news channels from sensationalizing the issue to a point where it could have taken a nasty turn. Immature commentary, jingoism, ridiculous interpretations before the hanging by hysterical anchors, would have vitiated the atmosphere and given a handle to vested interests to make communal hay.

As it is India was already reeling under the shock of the arrest of two young girls for an innocuous Facebook post on the death of Shiv Sena leader Bal Thackeray. The news channels with their incessant coverage turned a political leader at best into a hero, with not a single worthwhile analysis in the mainstream media of his contribution to Indian politics, his declared admiration for Adolf Hitler and how that had influenced his politics. An atmosphere had been created by the television channels where the innocuous post allowed the government and its police to arrest them after sundown, in an action that sent tremors of fear through the city and anger through the country. They were charged with inciting communal hatred, with not a word about those who had forced a shutdown with the simple threat of physical retaliation that did not want anyone taking chances.

In one stroke the Congress-NCP government demonstrated that it was on the same page as the Shiv Sena insofar as even mild dissent was concerned. Two, it had the authority and the reach to monitor Facebook posts and three, with the arrests it sent out the message to all others using the social media that they should be careful of airing their views lest they meet with a similar, or worse fate. The public outcry forced the government to release the girls and dilute the charges, but last heard the cases had not been withdrawn and they had to appear before the courts every week. In fact the Shiv Sainiks maintained more discipline in the death of Thackeray than the Congress party and the NCP who bent over backwards to prove their loyalty with the arrests and the decision to give him a state farewell.

The State fails when its citizens live in fear. And not fear of each other but of the state’s inability to provide them security, protect them from violence, and give them justice as and when required. All over the country more and more sections of society are being added to those who have lived a fearful existence for decades now, with the percentage of the oppressed and victimized growing as India supposedly marches forward towards economic growth and emergence as a world power. Both goals cannot be realised by leaving behind large sections of Indian society from the map of growth, equality and justice but this is a point that our politicians seem to be in denial mode about.

Fear of arrest, fear of attack, fear of violence has crept into daily life along with all the other crippling problems of food security. Those living in the big bungalows in state capitals have little idea of this, and how this fear is generating helplessness, resentment, disaffection amongst those at the receiving end of the stick. This is evident from the outpourings in the social media that of course insecure governments, not just in India but elsewhere too want to curb. But it is also evident in the scale of protests breaking out at different levels in this country, and the tendency of the protestors to stay out on the streets for longer and longer periods. The fishermen who stood in the water for days on end to demand their just basic livelihood rights withstood the agony of swollen feet, blisters and bites as their life outside had become so meaningless, and were worthless without some compensation and support.

The Indian State seems to have lost its compassion somewhere along the way. Its first reaction, as the Mumbai incident indicates, is to use its brute might to suppress even innocent and minimalist dissent. And unfortunately, unless the people are present in sufficiently large numbers to beat back the authority of the state there is never a second reaction. There is a severe disconnect between the politicians and the people, with the first unable and unwilling to appreciate the sensitivities and aspirations of the second. This has led to a divide that expresses itself in violence by the state, and every now and again by the people seeking redressal and justice.

In Delhi one becomes aware of a small clique, as against the burgeoning humanity of India, that lives in another world where the rich (industry) make common cause with the powerful (politicians) and the influential (media) as all seek to get into this exclusive group of power brokers. They protect each other, and also determine the levels of indifference and callousness to the ‘other’ India to ensure that it does not impinge on their consciousness in any significant manner. The funeral of known thugs and mafia dons attracts the politicians and the film stars and the industrialists, but there was not one person standing to hold the hands of the traumatized girls still wondering what they had done that was so wrong.

SEEMA MUSTAFA

Gujarat Waqf Scam By: Rafat Nayeem Quadri

http://www.bilkulonline.com/gujarat-news/political/113-gujarat-waqf-scam

Gujarat Waqf Scam

Broad daylight loot of worth Rs 15 lakh crores

Wake-up Call for Muslims, time to act before it is too late

(Part -1)

Bilkul Special Report:

By: Rafat Nayeem Quadri

Ahmedabad:  Each Muslim of Gujarat is worth Rs. 0.19 lakh crores, even if he is starving and is totally upset about his life. But, thanks to his visionary forefathers and ancestors who left vast Waqf property (if assessed at prevailing rates) for him which could have been used for brightening his past present and future.

80 lakh Muslims of Gujarat inherit 55,000 acres ( or roughly 266 200 000 sq yards) of  Waqf land in the form of 11,428 properties. Majority of these properties situated in prime locations of Gujarat cities can fetch billions of rupees while the rental premises can fetch decent figures of crores of rupees. Most of the properties are housing religious and worshipping places like mosques, dargahs, Idgahs, Madresa, orphanage, musafirkhanas, jamat khanas, grave yards, Imambadas, khankhah .

This is the official number of properties on paper in Gujarat Waqf Board files. These figures have been varying every year, if newspaper reports of past are seen, you find inconsistency in facts of GWB figures.

There is no authentic and complete record available with the 
Gujarat Waqf Board  (GWB).  GWB has no idea whatsoever as to how much is really existing there in reality, whether it is there or not. Whether the rent and sale amount they received (as percentage for administrative contribution) of the Waqf properties all these years and now are really existing, they are not sure.

No fencing, surveying or photo and video shoot has been done to preserve a complete record and maintain it by physical checks of these properties. 

According to a former member of the GWF, off record, hundreds of acres of land and property of Waqf across Gujarat is not registered or shown in record. Whether it exists anymore or not, even that is not known.

On the face of it, if Waqf properties’ proper management and development was done, Muslims state of affairs would have been dramatically different, glorious and shining.
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Aam Aadmi Party launched

Picture of Aam Aadmi Party inauguration:

In front - Sitting from left: Ilyas Aazmi ( Ex Lok Sabha MP), Prashant Bushan, Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, Yogendra Yadav.

On Chairs: Senior Advocate Shashi Bushan

INDIA, A DEMOCRATIC NATION, RULED BY COMMUNAL BLOODBATHS


http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-11-21/guwahati/35257600_1_bodos-btc-relief-camps

Refugees went back home to reap a bitter harvest

Supriya Sharma, TNN Nov 21, 2012, 02.11PM IST

KOKRAJHAR: In the latest round of violence in Assam's Kokrajhar district, the first blood was spilled over bundles of paddy. Early morning on November 10, in Bajugaon village in Gossaigaon division, Ainal Haque had spent four hours bent over the ripened stalks, cutting and bundling them, with his friend Sadan Talukdar, when three men slipped out of the shadows of the encircling trees. In the scuffle that ensued, Sadan miraculously escaped, but Ainal was pinned down and shot dead.

Nine more killings followed in a week - of the 10 killed, eight were Muslims and two Bodos - a return of blood-letting in an area that had seen nearly a hundred lives lost and more than four lakh people displaced in violent clashes between Bodos and Muslims in July and August. That violence has returned at the time of harvest is not without reason. "If a farmer can harvest his crop, he is richer by 15,000-25,000 rupees. If he is stopped from harvesting, those who stop him can enrich themselves in turn," says G P Singh, the inspector-general of police, who points out that the first round of violence was timed to the sowing season, while the second round to the harvest.

 
But economic competition between the two communities is not limited to the fruits of one agricultural season. A long-running tussle over land, which fuelled the clashes, is now impeding rehabilitation, in turn sparking fresh friction.

Bodo leaders are convinced there is a large population of illegal Bangaldeshi immigrants among local Muslims. In August, when they sat down to draw up a rehabilitation plan with a Group of Ministers (GoM) of Assam government, representatives of the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) - which has special powers to administer four districts of Assam - insisted on a verification process to separate citizens from migrants among the refugees before they could be given official rehabilitation assistance to go back and rebuild homes. The GoM accepted this demand.

In the first six days of September, district officials visited relief camps to collect 30,000-odd applications. The officials matched the details in the applications with revenue records and by mid-October, 17,016 applications were approved - of those who owned land and of the descendants of land owners. "If my father or grandfather has land in the village, it means I am a genuine resident and not an illegal immigrant," says Jayant Narlikar, Kokrajhar's deputy commissioner, explaining the rationale used to identify eligible people.

With 17,016 applications forwarded to BTC, officials returned to the camps to photograph all the families found eligible. By the middle of November, however, BTC sent back only 4,698 applications, approving only those who owned land directly. Of those, nearly half were of Bodos.

"We were verifying the genuineness of people, while it appears BTC was solely verifying land ownership," says Narlikar.

"Your grandpa had 20 children. They, in turn, have 20 children each. How can you mention land in your grandpa's name and still be considered as a land owner," counters the deputy chief of BTC, Kampha Borgoyary. He claims BTC simply placed the applications in two categories - those who had land and those who did not. "In meetings, we said even those not having land but who are descendants (of land owners) could go back to the villages," he says. The rider - to avail rehabilitation, they would have to prove their line of descent in a second round of verification.

Some believe that by cutting short the public list, and yet taking a more liberal view in closed door meetings, BTC manages to cleverly score political points - they conveyed to their Bodo constituents that they had done utmost to stem the tide of Muslims.

Far away from the official deliberations and machinations, in Soganchara relief camp, 33 year old Mansuf Ali, patiently waiting for the rehabilitation assistance, was thrilled when he was photographed with his wife and children - it was a sign the money was on its way. But later, as he heard only 4000-odd applications had been approved by BTC, he didn't wait any longer, and rushed back home, keen to harvest the crop he had sown in his three bighas of land, most of it in his deceased father's name, but half a bigha in his own.

But with the area still tense, Mansuf had to forgo the harvest. He now lives in a makeshift tent outside his village. Through all the upheaval, he has carefully guarded a plastic folder, bursting with laminated documents - his birth certificate from 1979, land ownership papers from 1960, a certificate from the National Register of Citizens in 1951 which shows his father was 18 years old at that time. Despite the voluminous documents, Mansuf is yet to receive the rehabilitation grant.

Of the 90 displaced families of Bajugaon village, only five have received the grant. For Abdul Aziz Shaikh, one of the recipients, a land owner in the area, the money is of little consolation. He hasn't been able to harvest his 41 bighas of paddy. On his return from the camp, the first time he visited his land, a group of Bodo men asked him to stay away. The next time he went, bullets were fired in a distance. A few days later, not far from Shaikh's fields, Ainal Haque was shot dead.

Close to Bajugaon, in Doawagiri village, both Muslim and Bodo villagers who had escaped to relief camps have now come back. In the Bodo quarter, all the families who lost homes have received the rehabilitation grant. Some were quick to harvest their crop, but others who started late had to stop mid-way - soon after Ainal Haque's killing, curfew was imposed, uniting Bodo and Muslim farmers in the despair over this year's bitter harvest.

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http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Swaminomics/entry/declassify-report-on-the-1948-hyderabad-massacre

 

SWAMINOMICS

Declassify report on the 1948 Hyderabad massacre

SA Aiyar
25 November 2012, 04:29 AM IST

The Gujarat election will revive charges that Narendra Modi killed a thousand Muslims in the 2002 Gujarat riots, with the BJP accusing Rajiv Gandhi of killing 3000 Sikhs in the 1984 Delhi riots. 

To get a sense of perspective, i did some research on communal riots in past decades. I was astounded to find that the greatest communal slaughter occurred under neither Modi nor Rajiv but Nehru. His takeover of Hyderabad in 1948 caused maybe 50,000-200,000 deaths. The Sunderlal report on this massacre has been kept an official secret for over 60 years. While other princes acceded to either India or Pakistan in 1947, the Nizam of Hyderabad aimed to remain independent. This was complicated by a Marxist uprising. The Nizam's Islamic militia, the Razakars, killed and raped many Hindus. This incensed Sardar Patel and Nehru, who ordered the Army into Hyderabad. The Army's swift victory led to revenge killings and rapes by Hindus on an unprecedented scale. 

Civil rights activist AG Noorani has cited Prof Cantwell Smith, a critic of Jinnah, in The Middle Eastern Journal, 1950. "The only careful report on what happened in this period was made a few months later by investigators - including a Congress Muslim and a sympathetic and admired Hindu (Professor Sunderlal)- commissioned by the Indian government. The report was submitted but has not been published; presumably it makes unpleasant reading. It is widely held that the figure mentioned therein for the number of Muslims massacred is 50,000. Other estimates by responsible observers run as high as 200,000."      

A lower but still horrific estimate comes from UCLA Professor Perry Anderson. "When the Indian Army took over Hyderabad, massive Hindu pogroms against the Muslim population broke out, aided and abetted by its regulars. On learning something of them, the figurehead Muslim Congressman in Delhi, Maulana Azad, then minister of education, prevailed on Nehru to let a team investigate. 

It reported that at a conservative estimate between 27,000 and 40,000 Muslims had been slaughtered in the space of a few weeks after the Indian takeover. This was the largest single massacre in the history of the Indian Union, dwarfing the killings by the Pathan raiders en route to Srinagar which India has ever since used as the casus belli for its annexation of Kashmir.
     
"Nehru, on proclaiming Indian victory in Hyderabad, had announced that 'not a single communal incident' marred the triumph. What action did he take on receiving the report? He suppressed it, and at Patel's urging cancelled the appointment of one of its authors as ambassador in the Middle East. No word about the pogroms, in which his own troops had taken eager part, could be allowed to leak out. Twenty years later, when news of the report finally surfaced, his daughter banned the publication of the document as injurious to national interests."

Perry Andersen is accused by some of anti-Indian bias. This cannot be said of author William Dalrymple. In The Age of Kali, Dalrymple says the Sunderlal report has been leaked and published abroad, and "estimates that as many as 200,000 Hyderabadi Muslims were slaughtered." 

Our textbooks and TV programmes show Sardar Patel and Nehru as demi-gods who created a unified India. The truth is more sordid. 

You will not find any mention of the Hyderabad massacre in our standard history books (just as Pakistani textbooks have deleted reference to the East Pakistan massacre of 1971). The air-brushing of Patel and Nehru is complete. My friends ask, why rake up the 1948 horrors now? You sound like an apologist for Modi's killings of 2002.

I can only say that the killings of 1948 cannot possibly justify the killings of 2002, or 1984, or any others. Modi has blood on his hands, whether or not he was directly culpable. But why pretend that others had spotlessly clean hands? There is a macabre logic in the praises Modi has recently heaped on Patel: the two were not entirely dissimilar. Nations need to acknowledge their past errors in order to avoid them in the future. Germany acknowledged the horrors of fascism and militarism, and this helped it build a new anti-war society focused on human rights.

Something is terribly wrong when Indian citizens are kept in dark about the biggest pogrom since Independence, even after foreign sources have lifted the lid. India's jihadi press is fully aware of the 1948 massacre, and projects its censorship as evidence of Hindu oppression   . This is not how a liberal democracy should function. India cannot become a truly unified nation on the basis of suppressed reports and sanitized textbooks. The Sunderlal report must be made public.

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A troubling legacy - Editorial - The Hindu | An authentic Indian fascism - By Praveen Swami = The Hindu

http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/a-troubling-legacy/article4108876.ece

Opinion » Editorial

November 19, 2012

A troubling legacy

Like all those who mobilise on the basis of ethnicity and religion, Bal Thackeray fashioned the Shiv Sena’s formidable clout out of political building blocks that were base and primordial. The language of hate and, when needed, violence were deployed to generate fear and insecurity, pride and solidarity. The founder-leader of the Shiv Sena first invoked Maratha pride against the State’s linguistic minorities and then the divisive agenda of Hindutva against religious minorities. Mumbai’s jobless were not offered land or employment, but they were taught whom to blame for all their miseries: the south Indians, the Gujaratis, and the Muslims. As a strategy of political mobilisation, this worked wonderfully well. The Sena’s brand of collective identity and the use of lumpens in direct action displaced trade unionism as the organising principle in political bargaining. Thackeray’s legion of followers raised him to the status of a demigod who could force an entire State to shut down with the mere threat of violence. Of course, the Sena leader did not gather strength overnight. From his days as a caricaturist, he perfected the art of lampooning political rivals, and drew crowds with his acerbic oratorical skills. Like Hitler, whom he admired, Thackeray knew how to command loyalty and inflame passions. Every failing of his opponents added to his muscle power. Although the Sena took time to grow into a political force, and come to power with the help of the Bharatiya Janata Party, in another sense, it was a rapid political success, inspiring organisational fear in opponent parties, and proving to be of political use to the powerful and the moneyed classes.

But the Shiv Sena’s success came at a great price for not only Mumbai and Maharashtra, but India as well. Mumbai’s communal fault lines were thoroughly exploited by Thackeray and his Sainiks, especially in the weeks after the demolition of the Babri Masjid in December 1992. As the Srikrishna Commission documents, Muslims were systematically killed in riots engineered by Sena leaders. The brazen anti-minorityism of the Sena fed the BJP’s agenda in other parts of India too. Other States in India have seen the rise of regional parties, which too have invoked regional and linguistic pride in their political mobilisation. But none of these parties displays the unreconstructed chauvinism of the Sena. Ironically the one outfit to rival its methods and approach is the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, which broke away from Bal Thackeray in 2006. Even as people in Mumbai and Maharashtra mourn the passing of the patriarch, they ought to reflect on the manner in which his sectarian politics diminished the great city and State and demand of his legatees a change of course.
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Comments(24) Recommended(3) Post a comment

Well done.
Now could you please speak up against those zealots who arrested those young
women owing to their facebook ( if i may add, a reasonable) post ?

from:  K Siva

Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 11:14 IST

Even the political parties having national following, conveniently
whip up regional/ religious / linguistic feelings that has been
witnessed on several occasions viz anti sikh riots in Delhi and at times
of inter-state border and river water disputes. All pots are black and
so are the kettles.

from:  B.Krishnakumar

Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 11:12 IST

Unfortunate article. As a Marathi manoo I can tell you that my parents were supporters of socialists/communists - Madhu Dandavate, Dange etc.in the early years. However reverse discrimination against Maharashtrians and the inability of the socialists to group together led us to support Mr. Balasaheb Thakre. And yes, I as a Maharashtrian have experience condescending remarks from arrogant outsiders in my hometown... The disparaging remarks include 'ghati', 'kaamwali' etc. No wonder 2+ million folks turned out for his funeral.

The Hindu should look at the root causes of these type of issues. Hindi movies have blatantly resorted to ridiculing non-Hindis. e.g. A South Indian teacher (Padosan) is ridiculed in Padosan.
It is at this juncture Balasaheb becomes important. And yes, I too encountered non-cooperation/stonewalling (as an outsider) from a few Chennaites during my stay there for a year. I have no grudges, but in fact empathize with them and share their concerns.

from:  Milind

Posted on: Nov 19, 2012 at 17:02 IST

Troubling legacy of media:
The editorial aptly demonstrates biased approach and single dimension in the life of Bal Thakre. It shows poor understanding of politics in Mumbai. It simply disregards the congress politics during 70's and 80's that led to rise of Sena. Even at this point of time where is Congress and Left parties when middle class being driven out of Mumbai. The blanket approach to smear the Sena with Communalisam and Regionalism is shows the double standards of media that fails to take cognizance of work done in Mumbai during 5 years. Avoid ivory tower approach.

from:  Swapnil M

Posted on: Nov 19, 2012 at 15:00 IST

Thackeray has been accused of successfully creating vote-banks in Maharashtra by using a language of hate and violence against linguistic and religious minorities. But, before criticizing the Shiv Sena leader, his opponents should not have ignored the fact that his weapon of ‘sons of the soil’ slogan was employed in all regions and by all political parties in India. At the most, the intensity of the demand could be graded from State to State. Thackeray has been accused of playing hindutva cards to fight religious minorities. Politically, hatred towards linguistic and religious minorities shall not be considered in isolation. The matter involves appeasement of minorities by some political parties and governments and the in-built provisions of special minority rights and reservation in the Constitution. Hatred and special love are sides of the same coin and are used by politicians to create vote-banks. None is free from violence. Chronologically, the hatred followed the appeasement. As pointed out by The Hindu, Shiv Sena strategy might have “worked wonderfully well”.

from:  P.R.V.Raja

Posted on: Nov 19, 2012 at 14:53 IST

While criticizing the voilent ways of Shiv Sena it must be remembered the force was a effective counter to the gangs of smugglers and anti-national thugs. To the film industry and certain industrialists Shiv Sena was the unofficial protector from these elements who clearly had backing across the border.
Moreover no political party in India can claim to be voilence free while in other political parties the leaders feigned ignorance, Balasaheb had the courage to own up the activities of his partymen.

from:  Ramachandran

Posted on: Nov 19, 2012 at 14:32 IST

Every word written here in the Editorial is correct It may be added in
this context that Congress - NCP coalition govt or the Bjp-Sena govt
which preceded it did not show guts to prosecute the shivsena cadres
or leadrs for their criminal activities organising and participating
in riots as mentioned clearly in the Srikrishna Commission, rather,
they withdrew the existing cases.The Congress is a greater culprit in
the sense that the Party and the Maharastra govt.tried to utilise the
services of Thackeray and his Sena to physically attack, even murder(
Krishna desai, MLA and prominent TU leader was murdered by the Sena
cadre) the TU cadres and leaders to demolish them.The sena captured
TUs in Bombay in this way. Thackeray gained his prominence in this way
and came to a position where he could dictate terms.The ruling State
govt.s bowed before him for fear of violence being resorted to or
Bandhs organised.The latest action by the Cong.-NCP govt is to arrange
state funeral to Bal Thackeray.

from:  Janardanrao

Posted on: Nov 19, 2012 at 14:24 IST

The Hindu...objective analysis, as always!!!

from:  Tofik Shaikh

Posted on: Nov 19, 2012 at 13:25 IST

Finally a sensible article... his greatness was in the fact that he was
able to mobilise the crowd and not in his policies which divided India
deeply in terms of regionalism and religion.

from:  Anoop

Posted on: Nov 19, 2012 at 13:15 IST

A well balanced editorial. The Maharashtrians should realize the damage
done to their reputation for siding with divisive politics.Same path is
being tread by Chandrasekhar Rao of TRS in Andhra Pradesh.

from:  Satyam

Posted on: Nov 19, 2012 at 13:05 IST

Good Editorial. How I wish that The Hindu speaks similarly eloquently about making of dynasty politics impacting the ethical and moral structure of India under the Banner of a party founded by Greats like Pandit Nehru etc, how dynasty is cloaked and presented as if the party functions on democratic lines, how a President ( Ms. Patil) , a P.M. (MMS) are selected , how a CAG is derided , how a Minister threatens of blood to an activist, how neo-and pseduo secularism is practiced ,how institutions are destroyed , how people and govt are looted etc and above all opposition is blamed for all ills and comparisons are drawn always with oppostion parties as if Oppostion ruled the country for 50 plus years and Congress ruled the country for leass than 10 years. .

from:  T.K.P.Naig

Posted on: Nov 19, 2012 at 12:52 IST

None coud disagree with your analysis of Balasaheb Thakeray's rather aggresive posture against lingustic and religious minorities. But fact remains that such distortions occur because of the unhealthy policies of certain political parties, especially congress, to woo and pecify the minorities only for their votes (at the cost of majority) and not their welfare and step motherly treatment of the majority. I wonder whether such reactionary forces would have grown in case wiser councels had prevailed and these parties had been fair to both the minorities and the majority. Bala saheb was an outspoken expression of the voice of silent majority.

from:  Prof K C Mehta

Posted on: Nov 19, 2012 at 12:39 IST

Taking a broader view of 'communialists' - anybody who by word or deed treats the 'other' (somebody who either by sheer accident of being born into a race or religion or caste or language or chooses to cross into another ) different from 'my community', The Hindu should treat all groups with the same brush - the BJP, Shiv Sena, the Muslim League, Akali Dal, the DMK, AIADMK, MDMK, the PMK, BSP, the Republican Party, VCK, TMC, the various caste based parties in Kerala and other states. Phew, what would we be left with when some of the other 'non-communal' parties like the Congress and the Left either taking communal positions when it suits them or at least not taking a clear stand, by aligining with the communalists?

from:  Raja

Posted on: Nov 19, 2012 at 12:38 IST

I like the stand which The Hindu has taken in this editorial.

from:  bharath

Posted on: Nov 19, 2012 at 12:01 IST

Very candid and true. It needs lot of courage to say so openly. Good one.

from:  Shelendra

Posted on: Nov 19, 2012 at 10:43 IST

While being less critical about Mr. Thackerey, it can be said that he threw political correctness to the wind. That tendency did produce views which were although sharp but correct. He was the only leader of stature among the current lot who didn't care about caste dynamics and denounce the reservation system as faulty. It takes some strength to speak your mind though it will be hurtful to your election prospects.

from:  Prashant

Posted on: Nov 19, 2012 at 10:26 IST

While I am generally in agreement with your views, I wish to make a few points. There is a need to find out why Bal Thackeray became so hugely popular among the unemployed Maharashtrian youth. A very impartial examination would perhaps reveal that the cosmopolitan Bombay of the sixties and seventies was arrogantly and rabidly anti-Marathi. Secondly, the opportunities in the job market in Mumbai were denied to the Marathi speaking youth in unfair manner. That was one main reason for Bal Thackeray’s early successes. The leftists did not address this Marathi youth grievance properly. Secondly, it was a national party, BJP, which gave respectability to Shiv Sena’s politics by making an alliance with it and one cannot overlook this fact.

from:  Narendra M Apte

Posted on: Nov 19, 2012 at 10:10 IST

Finally an article with proper analysis of the Shiv Sena leader's legacy. I was sitting in utter disbelief watching TV yesterday listening to the fawning tributes given to Mr. Thackeray from so called 'senior journalists' and 'columnists'. Kudos to The Hindu for standing up for truth.

from:  SB

Posted on: Nov 19, 2012 at 10:07 IST

The Hindu newspaper is constantly criticizing Shiv Sena. So there is nothing new in the editorial. However by not mentioning good things the editor has only exposed his bias. Shiv Sena never started ( initiated) any riots or threats. After Babri structure demolitioin violence was started by muslims and many Hindus were killed , burning of Hindus in Radhabai chawl was infamous case.This continued for almost one month. By not mentioning both sides of the stories media is failing in its role.

from:  ANIL P.

Posted on: Nov 19, 2012 at 09:47 IST

What pains you more is to see all the leaders, celebrities, and other opinion-formers rushing lemming-like to call him a great man and great leader. Could someone have the guts to say, sorry he doesn't deserve our respect and tributes.

from:  Vijay

Posted on: Nov 19, 2012 at 08:59 IST

No doubt that Mr. Bal Thackerey has left behind a troubled legacy. But some credit must go to deceased leader. Unlike most of other politicians of his time, he kept away from caste politics.

from:  Dilawar

Posted on: Nov 19, 2012 at 08:30 IST

Finally, a sensible article. All those positive comments, even some from someone like Lata Mangeshkar, are distressing to say the least! Only one error in the writing: he did not invoke "Maratha" pride, but rather "Marathi" pride. Maratha is a caste, while Marathi is the language spoken in Maha, and it was Pawar who played the Maratha card to solidify a vote bank. Fortunately, people are seeing through Maratha politics. Hopefully (just hoping) people in Maha will one day realize that the "Marathi manoos" card is being played for votes and votes alone.

from:  GA

Posted on: Nov 19, 2012 at 08:00 IST

I find your assessment and analysis of Thackeray's legacy bit exaggerated. Shiv Sena was not a pioneer of sectarian regional politics in India. The credit must be accorded to the DMK and Annadurai. Moreover, Shiv Sena did not influence the whole of Maharashtra but only the urbanized golden triangle of Mumbai-Pune-Nashik belt.Shiv Sena came to power in 1995 with the help of not only BJP but was also supported by number of rebel MLAs, mostly from a faction of the Congress, which is now called as NCP. Inspite of Thackeray's immense popularity, Maharashtra remains bastion of the Congress mainly due to inability of Shiv Sena to make inroads in rural Maharashtra, which is still dominated by the Congress and NCP. The regional politics pioneered by the DMK and practiced later by Shiv Sena has now become the salient characteristics of the Indian polity. You may dislike and criticize it, but you cannot simply ignore it.

from:  Pramod Patil

Posted on: Nov 19, 2012 at 06:23 IST

wonderful editorial

from:  veer

Posted on: Nov 19, 2012 at 01:01 IST

--------------------

http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/an-authentic-indian-fascism/article4112448.ece

Opinion » Op-Ed

November 20, 2012

An authentic Indian fascism

Praveen Swami
 

Share  ·   Comment (56)   ·   print   ·   T+  

PTI Thackeray offered violence as liberation to educated young men without prospects.

TOPICS

politics

The Shiv Sena chief gave voice to a Nazi impulse in Indian politics — one that poses an ever-growing threat to our Republic

“Fascism”, wrote the great Marxist intellectual Antonio Gramsci, in a treatise Balasaheb Keshav Thackeray likely never read but demonstrated a robust grasp of through his lifetime, “has presented itself as the anti-party; has opened its gates to all applicants; has with its promise of impunity enabled a formless multitude to cover over the savage outpourings of passions, hatreds and desires with a varnish of vague and nebulous political ideals. Fascism has thus become a question of social mores: it has become identified with the barbaric and anti-social psychology of certain strata of the Italian people which have not yet been modified by a new tradition, by education, by living together in a well-ordered and well-administered state”.

Ever since Thackeray’s passing, many of India’s most influential voices have joined in the kind of lamentation normally reserved for saints and movie stars. Ajay Devgn described him as “a man of vision”; Ram Gopal Varma as “the true epitome of power”. Amitabh Bachchan “admired his grit”; Lata Mangeshkar felt “orphaned”. Even President Pranab Mukherjee felt compelled to describe Thackeray’s death as an “irreparable loss”. The harshest word grovelling television reporters seemed able to summon was “divisive”.

It is tempting to attribute this nauseous chorus to fear or obsequiousness. Yet, there is a deeper pathology at work. In 1967, Thackeray told the newspaper Navakal: “It is a Hitler that is needed in India today”. This is the legacy India’s reliably anti-republican elite has joined in mourning.

Thackeray will be remembered for many things, including the savage communal violence of 1992-1993. He was not, however, the inventor of such mass killing, nor its most able practitioner. Instead, Thackeray’s genius was giving shape to an authentically Indian Fascism.

His fascism was a utopian enterprise — but not in the commonly-understood sense. The Left, a powerful force in the world where Thackeray’s project was born, held out the prospect of a new, egalitarian world. The Congress held the keys to a more mundane, but perhaps more real, earthly paradise: the small-time municipal racket; even the greater ones that led to apartments on Marine Drive. Thackeray’s Shiv Sena wore many veneers: in its time, it was anti-south Indian, anti-north Indian, anti-Muslim. It offered no kind of paradise, though. It seduced mainly by promising the opportunity to kick someone’s head in.

Nostalgic accounts of Mumbai in the 1960s and 1970s represent it as a cultural melting pot; a place of opportunity. It was also a living hell. Half of Mumbai’s population, S. Geetha and Madhura Swaminathan recorded in 1995, is packed into slums that occupy only 6 per cent of its land-area. Three-quarters of girls, and more than two-thirds of boys, are undernourished. Three-quarters of the city’s formal housing stock, Mike Davies has noted, consisted of one-room tenements where households of six people or more were crammed “in 15 square meters; the latrine is usually shared with six other families”.

From the 1970s, Girangaon — Mumbai’s “village of factories” — entered a state of terminal decline, further aiding the Sena project. In 1982, when trade union leader Datta Samant led the great textile strike, over 240,000 people worked in Girangaon. Inside of a decade, few of them had jobs. The land on which the mills stood had become fabulously expensive, and owners simply allowed their enterprises to turn terminally ill until the government allowed them to sell.

Thackeray mined gold in these sewers — building a politics that gave voice to the rage of educated young men without prospects, and offering violence as liberation. It mattered little to the rank and file Shiv Sena cadre precisely who the targets of their rage were: south Indian and Gujarati small-business owners; Left-wing trade union activists; Muslims; north Indian economic migrants.

The intimate relationship between Mr. Bachchan and Thackeray is thus no surprise. In the 1975 Yash Chopra-directed hit Deewar, Mr. Bachchan rejects his trade-union heritage, and rebels by turning to crime. He is killed, in the end, by his good-cop brother. The Shiv Sena was a product of precisely this zeitgeist; its recruits cheered, like so many other young Indians, for the Bad Mr. Bachchan.

Like the mafia of Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar — which, it ought to be remembered, flourished in the same Mumbai — the Sena offered patronage, profit and power. Its core business, though, was the provision of masculinity. There are no great Sena-run schools, hospitals or charities; good works were not part of its language.
 
The fascist threat

Fascism, Gramsci understood, was the excrement of a dysfunctional polity: its consequence, not its cause. Liberal India’s great failure has been its effort to seek accommodation with fascism: neither Thackeray’s movie-industry fans, nor Mr. Mukherjee are, after all, ideological reactionaries. The Congress, the epicentre of liberal Indian political culture, has consistently compromised with communalism; indeed, it is no coincidence that it benignly presided over Thackeray’s rise, all the way to carnage in 1992-1993 and after.

This historic failure has been mitigated by the country’s enormous diversity. The fascisms of Thackeray, of Kashmiri Islamists, of Khalistanis, of Bihar’s Ranvir Sena: all these remained provincial, or municipal. Even the great rise of Hindutva fascism in 1992-1993 eventually crashed in the face of Indian electoral diversity.

Yet, we cannot take this success for granted. Fascism is a politics of the young: it is no coincidence that Thackeray, until almost the end, dyed his hair and wore make-up to conceal his wrinkles. From now until 2026, youth populations will continue to rise in some of India’s most fragile polities — among them, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Maharashtra, and Jammu & Kashmir.

In a path-breaking 1968 essay, Herbert Moller noted how the emergence of children born between 1900 and 1914 on the job market — “a cohort”, he noted, “more numerous than any earlier ones” — helped propel the Nazi rise in Germany. Historian Paul Madden, in a 1983 study of the early membership of the Nazi party, found that it “was a young, overwhelmingly masculine movement which drew a disproportionately large percentage of its membership from the lower middle class and from the Mittelstand [small businesses]”.

For years now, as economic change has made it ever-harder for masses of people to build lives of dignity and civic participation, we have seen the inexorable rise of an as-yet inchoate youth reaction. From the gangs of violent predators who have raped women in Haryana, to the young Hindu and Muslim bigots who have spearheaded the recent waves of communal violence, street politics is ever more driven by a dysfunctional masculinity. Thackeray’s successes in tapping this generation’s rage will, without doubt, be drawn on in years to come by other purveyors of violence.

India desperately needs a political project that makes possible another, progressive masculinity, built around new visions for everything from culture, the family and economic justice. No vanguard for such a project, though, is yet in sight.
------------

Comments -
 

If we can have Socialists, capitalists, Apologists, Islamists, Communists, terrorists amd coversionists then why can't we have fascists, right wing, regionalists, naxalites etc.

In a diverse country like India all ideologies should be encouraged and nurtured.
 
If you think any ideology should be eliminated or justified then you need to identify the cause which propels that ideology, like you often do for Socialists, Communists, terrorists and Islamists.
A proper research with fact based analysis will go a long way identifying the cause of right wing movement in India. And people like me who are disgusted with the current dispensation after voting for them the 2nd time, can make an informed choice in times to come.

Right now it is very one sided there is no balance.

from:  Praveen

Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 18:59 IST

Wow...What an article..that too around this time, where some of the
Media praise him like a Freedom fighter and increase
their TRP. The Hindu stands for right Print Media Journalism...Circulation does not matter as far as we stands for the truth..We have many politicians like him..But very few practices it, like Raj Thakeray..We should teach our children who is what..Atleast we should teach them who is Bhagat Singh.Otherwise, all those people
who divide the people by violence will be Bhagat Singh and Suk Dev...
Hats of Hindu..

from:  Balaji RajaSekar J M

Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 14:23 IST

After BT demise, it was disappointing to see the media falling over each other to praise him to Sainthood. Understand its not good to speak ill of the dead or recently dead but to call him Nationalist is a joke.

He wasnt a nationalist or Anti Muslim or Anti Bihari or Anti South Indian, he was an opportunist like all politician. He didnt support Maharastra or Marathi, he supported himself. He wanted Muslims to be kicked out then why was his Physician a muslim...Was he trying to give him employment or was he trying to get the best possible Medical Attention for himslef.
He spoke his mind as he had to power behind him. Two Millions came for his Funeral, Million more followed Hitler or any other Dictator you can think of, does that make all of them Saints...
Of all the Newspapers/Media, Only 'Hindu' had an Article by Justice Katju that said anything against BT. Thank you Justice Katju and Hindu for not being afraid and giving hope and courage to the rest.

from:  Jimmy

Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 13:58 IST

"good works were not part of its language"- correct your facts. World class Pune-mumbai e-way,sea link,flyovers in all over maharashtra,free homes for slum people,meal for Rs.1, metro,there are so many free hospital and schools in Maha run by SS all these and many more projects were brain child of Shri B.K. Thackrey.He was nt anti Islam but was anti pakistan. A nationlist facism is better than false and failed democracy. Please study the Man's history and charachtor in detail and then post your article. Prasanna- A kannada migrant

from:  Prasanna

Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 13:50 IST

The editorial is truly a piece of sanity at a time when the nation's
media has been busy promoting fake achievements and violent politics.

from:  kunal

Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 13:40 IST

Very well written article ! Insightful and bold ! kudos. keep up the good work.

from:  ritwik

Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 12:11 IST

The Hindu is a major source of relief in this climate where media is
failing horribly to critically examine the legacy of Thackeray. It's
been depressing to see so many people condoning the politics of
violence.

from:  Aditya

Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 12:02 IST

This article will definitely sting a number of people as it states the
truth about Sena's ideology in black and white...
The excerpt about the party seducing by allowing people to use
violence without any fear to instill fear and about there not being
any initiatives ever taken by Sena to promote education, healthcare
etc are spot on.

Instead of attacking other communities for coming and usurping jobs
and employment opportunities couldn't these guys teach the 'Marathi
man' how to better deal with competition? or how to better run a
business? Cutting down the competition to get ahead is not an act of
bravado but a clear indication of cowardice and lack of self
confidence.
Mumbai is today the melting pot of cultural, educational, and
commercial success not cause of the Marathi man but for each
individual contributor that exists there. ...and I say this being a Maharashtrian myself.

from:  T Gadkari

Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 11:42 IST

Thank you The Hindu for having the wisdom to own up to the truth. It
is articles like these that still give us young people hope and
inspiration. Vandals and goons must not and never be immortalized although history suggests a sense of strong romance with such figures - world over.
I am outraged by the fact that in a progressive country like
India,there is still room for fascism.Instead of uniting a diverse
nation- the largest of its kind,these individuals did nothing but to
drive a wedge through us - the youth of India.
Bal Thackrey did not deserve to be termed as controversial. Somehow, I
feel that this is a word that must be reserved for those that stand up
for real revolution. This man and his foot soldiers stood up for
anarchy and harassment.

from:  Harish

Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 11:35 IST

I was born in the yr 1982. Till the time i started understanding
politics and role of Shiv Sena in Mumbai it was already 1990's. And
the only things i heard Shiv Sainiks doing during those years was
burning Archies Shops for keeping Valentines Cards and sending saree
to Kareena Kapoor for one of her provocatively dressed movie poster
and changing the name of Bombay to Mumbai and VT to CST. The landmark
achivements of Shiv Sena that i remember of were the flyovers and
Mumbai-Pune Express way. So i was confused to my core as to why Bala
Saheb was given a State Funeral on his natural death. Probably this
articles gives a jest as to why he had such a huge fan following, and
who is this huge following.

from:  anita padman

Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 11:25 IST

An excellent analysis of the legacy of Thackeray. Thanks for this
thought-provoking op-ed, Mr Swami.

from:  Mohammed Irfan

Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 11:20 IST

This article says everything that so many of us have been wanting to
say. I am sure there are many who were afraid that The Hindu would
refrain from commenting on Mr. Thackeray's brand of divisive politics
for fear of organized reprisals. We are glad that The Hindu and Mr.
Swami have spoken out for the common citizen who lacks a voice, and is
yet outraged by the fascist and brutal nature of Sena politics. This is
a politics that was shaped exclusively by Mr. Thackeray.

from:  Ratnam

Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 11:10 IST

An excellent article highlighting the dangers of the fascist model Mr. Thackeray gave voice to in his lifetime: one hopes that it will not rear its head again in the Indian polity

from:  Anand

Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 11:10 IST

This is the problem with you journalists who can't speak the language
of masses... all you speak is the language of privilege and power.
Whoever Thackeray was, a fascist, a mafia or anything but his voice
resonated with the masses. You better learn to respect masses. Two
millions weren't there for his funeral by force. Nobody forced them.
First fix your 'dysfunctional polity' and increasing gulf between rich
and the poor or else there will be more Thackerays in the future...

from:  Vijay

Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 11:09 IST

Is Mr. Swami seriously citing the example of a bollywood movie in
which Amitabh Bacchan acted as the reason for his intimate
relationship with Shiv Sena? A whole paragraph dedicated to calling
Bombay of the 1960s-70s a sewer!? If Bombay was a sewer in those
decades, what was the state of other cities like Madras back then?
There is not a single verifiable fact cited in this article, making it
an opinionated, vague rhetoric trying to align Shiv Sena, a political
(albeit narrow-minded in its ideology) organisation with apolitical
and militant outfits like Kashmiri Islamists, Ranvir Sena and
Khalistanis. Mr. Swami should recognise that his brand of sentimental
writing is itself an outlet of 'dysfunctional masculinity' and trying
to incite the ire of those who feel wronged by the Shiv Sena. Try to
build public opinion through facts and reality, do not paint
sentimental pictures, sir. The Keywords associated with this article
are proof enough of the authors malignant and nonfactual attempt.

from:  Saurabh Khadke

Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 10:56 IST

Justice Markandey katju (Nov-19) and article by Praveen Swami(Nov-20) had
really thrown a good insight in to the issue with their "Bhumiputra
theory" and "Indian fascism" respectively.But so many noises buzzing about Bal Thackery clearly shows that he was, no doubt a man who tread a path of his own interest. The difference between a flower and a weed is a judgement
and we do not see them as they are, but we see them as we are.So goes the
vedic line"Yad Bhavam Tad Bhavathi"(as the feelings ,so are the results) and it is not for us to judge from ones own perspective.

from:  HAVISH MADDURI

Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 10:41 IST

I agree with the author that dysfunctional masculinity was promoted by the leader to bring about change instead of progressive masculinity built around new vision, culture, family and economic justice. Unless the Govt. headed by politicians are serious enough to address various issues confronting various section of society in a civilised, transparent and inclusive manner, there will always be someone to resort to the approach of dysfunctional masculinity as taught and practiced by the departed leader.

from:  Deivi

Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 10:29 IST

Intellectual piece, Mr Swami presented the true picture of any
fascist force. Only unemployed youths are the fertile ground for
such forces who don't have any programme for the youth itself.
Being an Maharastrian I noted that no constructive work was done
by this force

from:  Atul

Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 10:25 IST

Thank you The Hindu for carrying an article that is pertinent at a time
like this. India needs to get away from populism, regionalism and
caste, ethnic based politics if it wants to truly develop.

from:  Abner

Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 10:23 IST

Mr.Swami you are saying that Congress has been consistently
compromising with communalism. In fact communal forces were lying low
after the trauma of partition and assassination of the Mahathma. There
were statesmen like Nehru in the helm of affairs who never compromised
with communal forces under any circumstances. During the regime of
Indira also BJP was not a force to reckon with. Indira brushed aside
any suggestion of not having Sikhs in her security by posing the
question “Are all of us not secular?” to those who suggested removal
of Sikhs from her security. She paid with her life for this. Rightwing
Hindu communalists lead by RSS were sworn enemies of Indira Gandhi who
did everything in their power to destabilise her Government which
would not have been the case if she was compromising with them. Until
Rajiv Gandhi was defeated in 1989 BJP was a marginal force with just
two seats in Parliament and also was a political untouchable. It was
the decision of CPM and CPI to join BJP in propping up VP Singh
government which gave BJP the much needed respectability. Once again
it was the refusal of some CPM leaders to allow Jyothi Basu becoming
PM which facilitated BJP rule at the centre. Support from
opportunistic leaders like Chandrababu Naidu, Mamatha Bannerji and
even Mayavathi among others was the life support to their government.
This resulted in India going nuclear, South Asia becoming a dangerous
place and BJP opening its account in the South by getting elected in
Karnataka result of which is the beautiful city of Bangalore is almost
destroyed. Congress rejected overtures from BJP to take the place the
place of left in 2004.Congress might have practiced what is called
soft Hindutwa at times but others including left also have contributed
their mite in the growth of fascist forces in the country. If we do
not learn to accept this cold truth chances of our learning lessons
are slim.

from:  Baikadi Suryanarayana Rao

Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 10:19 IST

The author has erred in taking Balasaheb's name in the same vein as the Khalistani terrorists, Kashmiri Islamists... All that the Sena asked was control, jobs and dignity for the natives who were looked down by affluent outsiders - I being a Marathi manoos have experienced this first hand.

To be fair to Balasaheb, he always put national interest before regional one, whenever these collided (unlike the other separatists) and toned down his opposition. (Just FYI the Belgaum border issue with Ktaka is again hot, but Balasaheb has refused to drag the Sena in it so far). How many South Indians, Biharis were killed at the hands of the Sena? If you will, it was a love-dislike (not hate) relationship with the outsiders. This is borne by the fact that he continued to have (and support) non-Maharashtrians across all walks of life. Regarding Hindu-Muslim riots its a different story altogether... and the Sena clearly doesn't have a monopoly on it...

from:  Milind

Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 10:18 IST

"There are no great Sena-run schools, hospitals or charities; good works were not part of its language." - interesting statement !

from:  prakash

Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 10:16 IST

Kudos to such a nice article. Leaders are very important to shape the
society....and onus is on the society as well to choose its leaders
wisely.

from:  Vikas Saxena

Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 09:58 IST

perfectly put. It's just an indication of how much success hate politics
has achieved in our country.
It's extra-ordinary that politicians call themselves "public" servants

from:  Aditya Parihar

Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 09:56 IST

Mr Swami compares the Sena with the mafia of Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar that flourished in the same Mumbai and "offered patronage, profit and power". An apter comparison would be to Haji Mastan and Varadarajan Mudaliar. The difference is that the two, unlike Dawood Ibrahim, did not rise to international stature. Fortunately, Thackeray too did not.

from:  Renuka

Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 09:50 IST

Well-written, thanks Mr Praveen Swami: I always like your opinion
columns. I completely agree with you that in spite of knowing and
experiencing the act of invoking violence publicly in politics which
impacts our everyday lives in many ways, we, pathetically, do not have
any potential state machineries to create and run an alternative
political project that would challenge the violence invoked in
politics and in other aspects of life. This is really a serious issue,
and a challenge, for any one concerned with the welfare of all people
in our nation.

from:  Muthuraj S.

Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 09:48 IST

Proven Swami is a very good Analyst of Terrorism.But very poor in understanding politics of
Regionalism.He spews venom in his article.I am a Mumbaikar .South Indian.Was at the top
in India's No1 media House.Admired N.Ram.But always felt the Dravidian politics was
extreme parochialism.Certainly Bal Thackeray was not Nazi like.Indira Gandhi with her
Emegency was perhaps more Intolerant.

from:  T v krishnamurthy

Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 09:46 IST

A very nice piece by the author. Its sickening to see sycophants singing
praises for the patriarch and the hatred that he symbolised. One can
only hope that the newer generation sees reason over their fascist
ideals and the Indian state finally guarantees to its citizens the
cultural and political space it promises in the Constitution.

from:  Kushan Chakraborty

Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 09:38 IST

Really a stirring piece!

from:  misha

Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 09:17 IST

Praveen Swamy may be right in some arguments, but some are downright
inaccurate.Like the fact that Sena ran no charity. Again my advise to
left-leaning intellectuals,don't reduce the sins of fascist Hitler by
comparing everyone with him. Impartiality cannot be expected when
intellectual bias hides some unpleasant truths. True, the divisive and
opportunism of Sena is evident to all, and some of its views border on
unimaginable extremism. But, citing inaccurate facts, will not
strengthen your argument. So,I think in some cases, your Marxist prism
is better left at home. Or at least the prism of unbridled sanctity
and your sermonizing spirit. We are not here to hear from a Swami of
purity who takes a priestly moral high ground, but from a Swami of
objectivity.

from:  Pulakesh

Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 09:05 IST

The issue is not Balasaheb Thackeray, Praveen Swami. The issue is regional aspirations and how they can coexist with nationalism, within the constitutional framework. Despite the bitter criticism, the popularity of Thackeray did not wane in the last more than four decades. Shiv Sena along with MNS enjoys more than 20 per cent vote share in Maharashtra. Why are the regional forces prospering throughtout the country? Swamy should have analysed this trend instead of carrying out often repeated tirade against Thackeray. Moreover, if Thackeray is to be vilified, so must be Karunanidhi and MGR who actively encouraged Tamil militancy in Sri Lanka. The valid cricism of regionalism in India could be that it has not developed in a constructive manner and has, instead resulted in dynastic politics. Thackeray, Karunanidhi, Badal, Patnaik are all examples of this trend.

from:  Pramod Patil

Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 09:04 IST

Ah finally an editorial that states it like it is!
Well Done Sir!
Like all cowards, the shiv sena and their vacuous minions organized mobs who dealt in fear to sort their problems out in Mumbai. It is time to put them behind bars for crimes against the nation.It may be germane to note the obsequiousness of the Mumbai film industry , the local politicians and the police is a telling testament of the absolute bankruptcy of thought logic, intelligence and sanity of these shills.

from:  Rajasekar Thunghabadra

Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 09:03 IST

Thanks to The Hindu and the author Praveen Swamifor the article. The forces of incipient fascism has been active in the post-Independence history of India. The dismissal of the first Communist Govt in Kerala,the Emergency of 1975 and the innumerable caste/communal riots,are all phenomena indicative of active fascist elements. The Republican spirit of the Constitution has been mutilated by more than hundred amendments. We must learn to compute GDP by the number of jobs we create every year. The youth is distracted from values by Cricket and Bollywood.

from:  G.Narayanaswany

Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 08:40 IST

It is really nauseating to read the reactions of politicians and artists
paying tribute to a person who was constantly violated our laws and
unleashed violence against fellow citizens. It is sad to read the press
release of the President who has sworn to uphold the tenets of the
constitution describing the death as irreparable loss. BT hardly
respected the Constitution of this land. Basically something is
drastically wrong with this country.

from:  S.Ravichandran

Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 08:36 IST

I appreciate Hindu editors for publishing out such a bold article when rest of the media, celebrities & politicians feared to openly comment on such a person.

from:  Surya

Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 08:12 IST

I wonder why Shiv Sena is not called as a sectarian outfit but praised
by many Celebrities ! If Azadi Kashmir is Anti-India,Then ShivSena's Maratha world will also fit in the same bottle. The Two India Theory
of Shivsena not known by many , One that is Created With in Maratha
and the rest Outside the Maratha Territory. People must understand the
history of medieval period in this modern world and should accept
that INDIA is A union of Territory ruled by various chiefs and should
not rely on the legacy that Martha were a supreme power , Mughals were
a Supreme power , Mahadans were a supreme power etc. Now we are In
GREATER INDIA greater than Mughal India And Maratha India in terms of
people were tagged with same identity..

from:  Raja Mohammed

Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 07:52 IST

When all kind of doublespeak and hosannas are being showered on a anti-
democratic ,parochial and divisive Baal thackeray by majority of print
and electronic media .this article rekindles the hope that all is not
yet gone .Hats off to Praveen swami for his this thought provoking and
timely intervention ..

from:  Virendra Yadav

Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 07:38 IST

The crux of Praveen Swami's article is in the final sentence. The “masculine political project built around new visions for culture, the family and economic justice" author talks about is nothing but an argument for a western style conservative political movement in India (like British Tories or American republicans). Many commentators in the past commented about the need for BJP to transform in to a western style conservative party by ditching Hindutva and by embracing ideas like small government etc. But truth is India is not a western nation, India is very unique and it is nothing but natural that Indian conservative moment will draw its strength from India’s ancient culture and its tradition- including dharmic religions. Just like Protestants form the base of American Republican Party; Hindu religious groups will be the core of Indian conservative parties (say BJP). If you take Hindutva out of BJP, then BJP will wither away. It is true that like all other conservative movements Indian conservative movement also has fringe elements with far right fascist views. But predictions of a rise of new hindutva fascist movement in India is far fetched and overtly alarmist. Most majority of net savvy Indian youth may have pro hindutva views but no way can they be called fascist.

from:  Prasanth Nambiar

Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 07:30 IST

Preveen Swami started well and drifted in the middle and ended the
article in sheer disappointment.We cant gloss over the fact that
regional and communal politics are game changers in Indian polity.The
national parties procrastinate before these forces for winning
elections.In this situation whether you call India a union of states
or confederation doesn't matter.Even at global level many countries
including The US try to defend and help their countrymen and provide
economic opportunities to them.In a country like India where the caste
and religion play a vital role in shaping the destiny of her citizens
even after six decades of independence and economic development
regional satraps would emerge to dictate the political discourse.What
the Shiv Sena forced to do for Maharashtrians is being practised by
almost all states in the country denying fair opportunities to people
from other areas.The means adopted by the Shiv Sena may be wrong but
it helped the locals get their opportunities.

from:  G.Kulandaivelu

Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 06:40 IST

Superb article. I admire the guts of the author. India needs hundreds of millions more like him. Or political leaders with guts to say no to fascist politics.

from:  John Smith

Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 06:38 IST

You have left out Idi Amin of Ugenda who also stands in the same class.
When foreigners were driven out he had a large followers, waiting to
take over or loot the establishments of Indian and Asian origin. The
Shiv Sainiks followed Bala Saheb not to understand his sermons but to
get a bit from the spoils. Hoteliers and small time busyness men were
driven out of Mumbai in droves and the Sainiks were the beneficiaries.
He has left his mark with the Next generation Thackerays, in the form
of a son and a nephew, unless they fight it out in the open for the
inheritance. Mumbai can expect another wave of violence, and fasten
their belts, unless they want to sit back and watch the fun and allow
the two classes destroy themselves for the relief of peace loving
Mumbaikars.

from:  viswanatha

Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 06:21 IST

A bold article keeping in view the arrest of young girls on their facebook messages.

from:  Sankar

Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 06:05 IST

This lucid article should open the eyes of all people in India. It is well written and
exposes the sycophancy of the media, politicians and celebrities who will sell their
souls to the devil. I applaud The Hindu for this excellent article. I do hope that
movements such as the Shiv Sena will be banned for causing division among the
people of India.

from:  Srinivasan

Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 05:57 IST

Thank you, Mr. Praveen Swami, for this excellent article. Your piece
together with Justice Katju's article yesterday are the rare voices of
sense amidst the noise of numerous elegies. It is surprising that even
the President of India succumbed to the trend of laments for Bal
Thackeray. Mr. Swami, the vanguard of a new and brilliant visionary
political project will emerge if there are more people like you who keep
vigil in the dark night of Indian and world political movements.

from:  Nileen Putatunda

Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 05:40 IST

Congratulations to Praveen Swami for an analysis that has singularly compensated for the all that emotional mush emanating, ever so predictably, from the dream merchants of Tinsel town.

from:  Vasu Subrahmanyam

Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 05:40 IST

I'm sure there are pockets of people who benefited from the fascist rule of this greedy, divisive opportunist but a lot more suffered unjustly. Its cringe inducing to see the number of phonies at all levels - politicians, film stars, media personalities fighting their way through to be heard trumpeting their undying love for the deplorable late Mr. Thackarey. Great article Mr. Swami!

from:  Prem

Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 05:27 IST

This article is contrived to attach negative adjectives with the name of Thackeray. He had the courage to defend Hindus and give them voice in the country where nobody listen to them. He was the only political figure can speak the truth about the Islamic Jehad that India has been suffering from decades.

from:  Alok Singh

Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 04:28 IST

You just hit the nail on its head and drilled it through succintly. The mass hysteria generated among people right from powerful to the common man is appalling to say the least. I am glad that The Hindu has the same FB post on it headline, I wish I was in Mumbai woould have posted the same post after tagging Mr.Bhushan Anant Sankhe in the post. I hope millions of FB users in mumbai do that and see how many arrests would the police would have dared to make.

from:  Arindam

Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 03:31 IST

A great write-up. I must also recommend readers Praveen's pieces in the
Frontline issues of late 90s.Also, the author highlights we need a new political project that would channel youth towards progressiveness. But why is it that the liberal english speaking media has been so critical of Arvind Kejriwal. He seems >to be a promising political force to fill up that vaccum.

from:  Amal

Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 02:49 IST

There is no point in adopting a holier than thou attitude and singling out Thackeray for criticism after his death. There has always been a strong under current of fascist tendencies in our society for decades. Many of our political leaders are clueless about bringing diverse people together in harmony. Instead they lead by spewing hatred on the basis of religion, caste and language. From Kashmir and Punjab in the north to Tamil Nadu in the south, no state is exempt from fascist elements. People like Thackeray are the consequence, not the cause. As a society we need to reflect very deeply. Otherwise we will continue to produce many more Thackerays.

from:  Viswanath

Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 02:35 IST

Brilliant Article Praveen, I am so glad there is someone who put it the
way it ought to be. "“Fascism”, wrote the great Marxist intellectual Antonio Gramsci, in a treatise Balasaheb Keshav Thackeray likely never read but demonstrated a robust grasp of through his lifetime" - Superb.

from:  Vishvanath

Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 02:27 IST

Magnificent article with absolute truth on Indian/Mumbai politics

from:  TEJAS PANDIT

Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 02:26 IST

absolutely. it was sickening to watch the tall pantheon of Indian
celebrities sing paeans in his name. such acts keep his hateful
politics alive in country that has the largest minorities( of all
kinds) in the world.
He is the very antithesis of the ideals of the founding fathers of
India and all that they stood for.

from:  ayushya

Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 02:08 IST

An article full of facts & truth."India desperately needs a political project that makes possible another, progressive masculinity, built around new visions" - well said!

from:  chandran

Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 01:59 IST

Execllent reading and very true. How sad that with the tremendous power, influence and money under B.Thackeray, he could not leave behind much more than such a terrible legacy of hatred and antipathy. He is mostly remembered for his negative politics than for his humanitarianism.
It is poignant when the authour points out that the Sena does not run charities, hospitals or schools. They built a culture of violence and fear. How much more beloved could B. Thackeray have been had he done all those charitable things?
Shaheen was correct when she said that Mumbai is closed out of fear, nto respect!

from:  Rohini

Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 01:34 IST

Excellent article Sir! Incisive clarity and reasoning. Hits the nail on it's head. Let's see
what the nay-sayers say now.

from:  Joshi

Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 01:20 IST