There is a Sinister Side to ‘ Vibrant’ Gujarat by Aditya Menon

Mailtoday 08SEP2011

by Aditya Menon

LAST month, the Gujarat government suspended whistle- blower Gujarat Police DIG Sanjeev Bhatt for " unauthorised absence from duty". In a state where the government has a habit of protecting its cops for acts much worse than ' not coming to work', this is an inordinately harsh punishment. The accusations made by Mr Bhatt that the state machinery acted in a biased manner during the post- Godhra riots attack are not just about the 2002 pogrom. They target the very basis of Modi's regime — his consistent use of the security apparatus to consolidate and further his power.

Ministers

Like other omnipotent and charismatic chief ministers — J Jayalalithaa, Mamata Banerjee and Nitish Kumar to mention a few — Modi has kept the home ministry with himself. For most part of his rule, which began in 2001, the minister of state for home has been a close aide — Gordhanbhai Zadaphiya till 2003 and Amit Shah from 2003 till his forced resignation in 2010 on account of his arrest in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh murder case. In fact, the change from Zadaphiya to Shah can be seen as symptomatic of the change in the discourse of the Modi regime. While Zadaphiya was from a Vishwa Hindu Parishad background, Shah was known in Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP) circles as a younger version of Modi — representing a change from Hindutva- centric to personality centric rule in Gujarat.

In Gujarat, the home ministry is considered as being ' cursed' even though no specific cause is attributed for it. The careers of most home ministers or ministers of state for home since as early as the 1970s went downhill almost immediately after their stint in the ministry. This has been most dramatic during the chief ministership of Narendra Modi. Zadaphiya — who was the minister of state for home during the 2002 riots and was widely criticised for his incompetence during that period — later had a dramatic falling out with Modi. He left the BJP and formed his own outfit the Mahagujarat Janata Party and has become virtually irrelevant in Gujarat politics.

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Be Your Father's Son--An Open Letter to Amitabh Bachan

Main hoon unkey saath, rakhte jo seedhi apni reedh… (I am with those who keep their spine straight) FROM MADHUSHALA BY HARIVANSH RAI BACHCHAN.

Najid Hussain
The writer is the son-in-law of late MP Ahsan Jafri who was killed in mob violence in Ahmedabad

Dear Amitabh,
I remember the day in 1982, when the news of your serious injury on the sets of Coolie broke. It said you may not survive. The country was shocked. Millions cried. Special prayers for your good health and long life were offered in temples, mosques, churches and gurdwaras. I joined the prayers for your health and long life.

The writings of your father, the late Shri Harivansh Rai Bachchan, had a great influence on me. From early childhood, I have read his poetry and prose that combined Kabir, Keats, Tagore, Omar Khayyam and Shakespeare into artful construction of ideas with deep reflections. Kya bhooloon kya yaad karoon made me stand up and speak the truth — without fear, or favour — however difficult or awkward it may be. Inspired by his writings and fully subscribed to his views, admiration and love for you was natural.

Natural is also my shock and dismay at your acceptance of the offer from Narendra Modi of Gujarat to be his brand ambassador.

I want to think that you don’t know much about Modi. And so, I must tell you what Modi is and what he has done in Gujarat, which has invited global condemnation, international sanctions and even calls for his arrest.
On February 28, Zakiya Jafri will relive the agony of witnessing the brutal massacre of her husband, former Congress MP Ahsan Jafri, and scores of other women and children in her house.

On that fateful day, as the crowd chanting Jai Shri Ram started gathering around her society in Ahmedabad, waving swords, trishuls and torches, and frightened people from the neighborhood started pouring into her house seeking protection, Ahsan saheb asked her to go upstairs to the bedroom and stay there until called. From upstairs, Zakiya Jafri could not see what was going on downstairs in her house, but from the unruly crowd outside shouting ‘jalao (burn)’, ‘kaato (cut)’, ‘maaro (kill)’, the cries of women and children from inside, and heat from the walls of her bedroom, she could guess what was taking place and was fearful of what was to come. The immoral dance of brutality, cries, fires, and more cries, continued for three hours. Three hours later, police arrived. As the survivors were taken down and out of the house, which was still smouldering, Zakiya saw, for the first time, several corpses burning inside her house. Mutilated body parts burning outside her house. Little bodies of children floating in her water tank, who having been set afire may have jumped into the tank. She saw one blue rubber slipper — the one Jafri saheb always wore in his office — lying outside. It was soaked with blood. The other one was missing.

Sanjiv Bhatt Asked to Pay Rs.1 Lakh to Gujarat Treasury

THE HINDU
29JUN2011

Manas Dasgupta

The false case was an attempt to blackmail advocate Rajpurohit
NHRC considered it a ‘serious case of human rights violation'

GANDHINAGAR: The controversial Gujarat cadre IPS officer, Sanjiv Bhatt, who had filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court accusing Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi of an anti-minority stance during the 2002 communal riots, will now have to pay Rs.1 lakh to the State government treasury within a month.

The government has decided to recover from Mr. Bhatt Rs.1 lakh as compensation due to a Rajasthan-based advocate, Sumer Singh Rajpurohit, as “directed” by the National Human Rights Commission, for an alleged false case against him in 1996, an official spokesman of the government said here on Tuesday. The amount would be recovered from Mr. Bhatt within a month, the spokesman said.

Mr. Bhatt, who was the Banaskantha District Superintendent of Police in 1996, was claimed to have falsely implicated Mr. Rajpurohit under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS), allegedly with the motive of getting a rented premises vacated by him.

According to the spokesman, on a complaint filed by Mr. Rajpurohit in 1996, a criminal case was registered against Mr. Bhatt and a charge sheet filed in the court of the Special Judge, NDPS Act. As per the charge sheet, Mr. Rajpurohit was the tenant of the sister of R.R. Jain, then a sitting judge of the Gujarat High Court. To get the tenant to vacate the premises, Mr. Bhatt allegedly planted, with the help of his subordinates, more than a kg of narcotic drugs in a hotel room in Palanpur, district headquarters of Banaskantha, and showed the room to be “occupied” by Mr. Rajpurohit. The latter, at the time, was actually in Pali.

On the instruction of Mr. Bhatt, Mr. Rajpurohit was allegedly “abducted” from Pali by the Banaskantha police on the night of May 3, 1996, and brought to Palanpur, where he was threatened that he would be booked under the NDPS Act if he failed to vacate the premises. Under pressure, the advocate agreed.


Mr. Rajpurohit was remanded for seven days but five days later, Mr. Bhatt ordered his release on the grounds that he could not be “identified” in the Test Identification Parade. Petitions were also filed in the Rajasthan High Court for quashing the criminal complaints filed in the case, but were dismissed.
A criminal complaint against Mr. Bhatt is pending in the Gujarat High Court.
‘Professional misconduct'

A complaint was also filed before the NHRC against Mr. Bhatt and others by the then secretary of the Pali Bar Association, while the Gujarat Vigilance Commission, recommended, in July 2002 and October 2006, Mr. Bhatt's suspension for “professional misconduct.”

The NHRC also, in its report in September 2010 considered it a case of “serious human rights violation” in view of the fact that the provisions under which Mr. Rajpurohit was falsely implicated could have fetched him 10 years of imprisonment, and ordered the Gujarat government to pay him a compensation of Rs.1 lakh, the spokesman said.

Hear Them Out, Anna

Individuals, citizens and activists are awaiting Hazare’s visit to show him the ground reality of developed Gujarat

Swami Agnivesh has urged Anna to visit Gujarat to know the ground reality

A day after Swami Agnivesh urged anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare to visit Gujarat and see the truth about development undertaken by Chief Minister Narendra Modi, individuals, citizens and activists are eagerly awaiting his visit.

There are quite a few points they want to share with the Gandhian to enlighten him about the ground reality. Gaurang Raval of NGO Drishti Media, Arts and Human Rights says, “We met Swami Agnivesh when he was in Ahmedabad on Sunday. He asked me to collect media reports published on Gujarat’s rural development in the last four months and show it to Anna when he comes here. The reports would include those on land scams, SEZ scams and the Mahuva land issue, too.”

He added, “Along with rural development, the government also needed to address social development. In the country, we rank third in crime against women and children. Even the crime rate has shot up.”

Bharatsinh Jhala of Citizens’ Resource and Action Initiative (CRANTI) says, “After visiting almost 18,000 villages, we found that in many of these areas, children did not even know what a GSRTC bus looked like. Several children were involved in accidents while travelling to by chhakdas. This is the Gujarat we want to show Anna.”

He adds, “In Bawda, dungar farmers had requested they be given water from Fatehwadi, due to water shortage on their farms. Their request was denied and their crops died. First, there is a need to stop state-sponsored corruption.”

Former president of Society for Promotion of Rationality (SPRAT) M H Jowher says, “Anna’s attention must be drawn to injustice done to minorities. After 2002, the rights of minorities have been grossly violated. Also, there is need for equality in development.”

Fr Cedric Prakash of NGO Prashant says, “In Gujarat, we have perfected the art of corruption. Is it of no concern what happened at Narmada dam? Will Anna listen to civil societies like us before fixing the Lokpal bill?”

Seeking to draw Anna’s attention to issues closer home, 19-year-old Khayal Dave, an engineering student residing in Ghatlodia, said: “I would like Anna to talk about something affecting the city. People here need to be more civilised. There is no sense of hygiene or cleanliness, something that Gandhiji equated to godliness. If Anna points this out to Gujaratis, they will do as he says.”

Vishal Bhatt, a 26-year-old computer programmer who lives near Shyamal Crossroads, said: “We are an agricultural state. But such fertile land is being sold off for a pittance to big industries. Why not make use of barren land for such purpose Meanwhile, the price of milk and vegetables is rising day by day. When we have no farm or grazing land left, will we go begging for milk, grains and vegetables to other states? Gandhiji spoke of being self-sufficient. Anna needs to drum this into our heads so that we realise the impact of the government’s decision on our future.”

By Dhwani Pathak Dave

Posted On Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Criticism of Modi s Book on Climate Change

Environment activists criticize Modi''s book

PTI - Wed, Jun 22, 2011

Ahmedabad, Jun 22 (PTI) Environmental activists have criticised Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi for omission of crucial facts about the state in his book on climate change and also challenged him for a public debate on environmental and industrial pollution in the state.
The activists claimed that Modi''s book ''Convenient Action -- Gujarat''s Response to Challenges of Climate Change'', released by former President A P J Abdul Kalam in December last year, had selective information about Gujarat which was convenient to defend the state''s ''development model''.

"The author (Modi) of the book has conveniently ignored the level of irreversible environmental degradation in the state of Gujarat," environmental activist Rohit Prajapati, who has reviewed the book, told mediapersons here.

Prajapati also criticised chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) R K Pachauri, who had released the book along with Kalam, for taking a non-serious approach towards it.

"People like Pachauri should have come for releasing Modi''s book after reading it," Prajapati said.

He said while writing the book Modi had completely ignored the fact that Gujarat was one of the leading industrial states of the country and conveniently omitted certain crucial facts about industrial and environmental pollution in the state. (More) PTI PB PD NSK.

Some Facts about Gujarat.

Rohit Prajapati & Trupti Shah

Activists of Gujarat

37, Patrakar Colony, Tandalja Road, Vadodara, Gujarat

Phone: 0265-2320399, Email: rohit.prajapati@gmail.com, trupti.vadodara@gmail.com

Date: 24^th May 2011

Respected, Annaji, Swami Agniveshji, Arvin Kejriwalji, Kiran Bediji and others.

                We are trying to brief you regarding the real picture of the Gujarat which is quite different than the Gujarat propagated by Government of Gujarat.It is painful that the activists of Gujarat have to explain the realities because people outside Gujarat are hypnotized by the fake propaganda of the Government of Gujarat.

                                                                                                                                                Rohit Prajapati & Trupti Shah

Activists of Gujarat

Some Major Facts at Glance about Gujarat.

We would like to clarify one point from the very beginning that when we are talking about the condition of the ordinary people of Gujarat is alarming that does not mean that we are trying to say that the condition of the ordinary people is good out side the Gujarat.

The Chief Minister of Gujarat is manufacturing mega events by spending cores of rupees to propagate his so called achievements. Like an echo of the highly proclaimed 'Indira is India and India is Indira', Mr. Modi, the Chief Minister of Gujarat is also trying to replicate it that 'Modi is Gujarat and Gujarat is Modi' and now he is crossing all limits by attempts to extend it that 'Modi is India and India is Modi' with clear-cut fascist tendency.

The overwhelming majority of the Fact-Finding Reports, about Carnage 2002 including that of the NHRC, were careful to place the blame of Gujarat Carnage on the Government of Gujarat, the state machinery and specific rightwing groups and not on the people of Gujarat in general. The Supreme Court's various remarks in the various cases of carnage 2002 clearly condemn the state machinery, Government of Gujarat and religious fanatics groups. The Gujarati Community as a whole is not identified as the culprit in any reports, editorials or articles. Yet Mr. Modi constantly propagate that they have tarnished the image of Gujarat and all Guiaratis. He is taking personal credit when any one praise Gujarat but subtlety shift the blame of his crimes on the 5 crores Gujaratis to divert the point of view of the criticism.

In the midst of the euphoria created by the investment flooding in to Gujarat and lakhs of new jobs likely to be created we would like to draw the attention that this is only one side of the story. Any civil society should have 'land use' policy because land can not be produced and you can not produce grains and vegetables without land.

Food insecurity high in Guj: Report

India ranks 67th among 122 nations on global hunger index.

Gujarat, according to International Food Policy Research Institute reports, has food insecurity levels from 0.621-0.776, making it a highly food insecure state.
 

This was revealed at a state-level consultation jointly organised on Tuesday by NGO Centre for Health Education, Training and Nutrition Awareness (CHETNA), Gujarat Social Infrastructure Development Board Society and the general administration department (planning) of the Government of Gujarat.
 

The aim of the consultation was to suggest strategies to improve the nutrition level of women and children in Gujarat.
According to CHETNA, despite economic development and progress in several key health and mortality indicators, the food insecurity levels range from 0.218 to 0.89 in the country.
India holds 67th rank among 122 nations in the global hunger index.
 

According to Indu Capoor, director of CHETNA, "Discussing and formulating a strategy to tackle the problem of malnutrition has been on our mind for a very long time. Since the state government is also keen on working to solve this problem, we decided to have this consultation with grassroot-level organisations, experts and government officials.
 

As solving the problem of malnutrition is not the job of one particular government department, it was important that all the above mentioned organisations brainstormed together.
The recommendations of the consultation will be presented to higher level authorities who could probably take necessary action."
 

The Government of Gujarat observed Nirogi Bal Varsh during 2008-09 ensuring focused intervention for improving nutrition and health status of children. Gujarat has an under-nutrition rate of 47% despite the economic growth in the state.
The Swarnim Gujarat Goals for development of the state include ensuring that every pregnant woman, nursing mother and child below the age of two years receives nutrition for optimum health and development.
 

Gujarat has prioritised an agenda to work towards reducing under-nutrition, particularly among adolescents, women and children through the Gujarat Nutrition Mission.

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