ശ്രീ മന്‍മോഹന്‍ സിംഗ് നേതൃത്വം നല്‍കുന്ന യൂ പീ എ സര്‍ക്കാരിന്റെ നേട്ടങ്ങള്‍ എടുത്തു പറയാന്‍ തുടങ്ങിയാല്‍ സിംഹ ഭാഗവും അമേരിക്ക, കാനഡ, റഷ്യ തുടങ്ങിയ രാജ്യങ്ങളുമായുള്ള ആണവ കരാറുകളും പിന്നെ വനിതാ സംവരണവും തന്നെയാകും. ഈ വക പരിഷ്കാരങ്ങള്‍ക്കാണോ അതോ വിലക്കയറ്റം, പട്ടിണി മരണങ്ങള്‍, സ്വൈര്യ ജീവിതം ഇതിലേതിനാണ് ഒരു സര്‍ക്കാര്‍ മുന്ഗണന നല്‍കേണ്ടത് എന്നത് സര്‍ക്കാരിന്റെ ജനങ്ങളോടുള്ള പരിഗണനയില്‍ ആശ്രയിച്ചിരിക്കും.
ആണവ കരാറുകള്‍ ഒപ്പിട്ടു വന്ശക്തികളോട് ഒപ്പം തോളോട് തോള്‍ ചേര്‍ന്ന് നിന്ന് കൈ കോര്‍ക്കുമ്പോള്‍ തന്നെ രാജ്യത്തെ പൌരന്മാര്‍ക്ക് ഭീതിയില്ലാതെ ജീവിക്കാനുള്ള അന്തരീക്ഷം നിലനിര്‍ത്തുക എന്നതും ഒരു സര്‍ക്കാരിന്റെ പ്രാഥമിക ദൌത്യങ്ങളില്‍ ഉള്‍പ്പെടുന്നു. മതതീവ്രവാദികളും അതിര്‍ത്തി കടന്നുള്ള തീവ്രവാദികളും ഇന്ത്യയില്‍ ജീവിക്കുന്നവരുടെ ജീവന് തന്നെ ഭീഷണികള്‍ ഉയര്‍ത്തുന്നു. മാവോയിസ്റ്റ് തീവ്ര വാദികള്‍ ഇന്ത്യയിലെ ജനാതിപത്യക്രമത്തെ തന്നെ തകിടം മറിക്കാനുള്ള കരുക്കള്‍ തകൃതിയായി നീക്കുന്നു. കോടികള്‍ മുടക്കി ആണവ റിയാക്ടറുകള്‍ നിരപ്പിനു സ്ഥാപിക്കാന്‍ ഇന്ത്യാ മഹാരാജ്യം ശ്രമിക്കുമ്പോള്‍ തന്നെയാണ് പട്ടിണി മരണങ്ങളും കൃഷിക്കാരുടെ ആത്മഹത്യകളും രാജ്യത്ത് സംഭവിക്കുന്നത്‌. കൃഷിക്കാരന്‍ ജീവിക്കാന്‍ തരമില്ലാതെ ജീവിതത്തോട് സുല്ലിടുമ്പോള്‍ കൃഷിമന്ത്രിയാണ് കോടികളുടെ ഐ പീ എല്‍ മാമാങ്കത്തിന് ചുക്കാന്‍ പിടിച്ചു കൊണ്ട് അഭിനവ നീറോ പരിവേഷം തേടുന്നത്.
കര്‍ഷകര്‍ പട്ടിണിയും പരിവട്ടവും നേരിടുമ്പോള്‍ സര്‍ക്കാരിന് ആണവവും ആസിയാനും തന്നെ മുഖ്യം. ഇന്ത്യാ സര്‍ക്കാര്‍ പ്രവര്‍ത്തിക്കുന്നത് ഇന്ത്യാക്കാര്‍ക്ക് വേണ്ടിയോ ആസിയാന്കാര്‍ക്ക് വേണ്ടിയോ ആണവ ശക്തികള്‍ക്കു വേണ്ടിയോ?
സാമ്പത്തിക ശാസ്ത്രത്തിലെ മന്നന്മാരായ ശ്രീ മന്‍മോഹന്‍ സിംഗും ശ്രീ പളനിയപ്പന്‍ ചിദംബരവും വാഴുന്ന നാട്ടില്‍ ഭക്ഷ്യ സാധനങ്ങള്‍ക്ക് പൊന്നുവില .. ഭക്ഷ്യ സാധനങ്ങളുടെ വിലക്കയറ്റം പതിനേഴും പതിനെട്ടും ശതമാനങ്ങള്‍ താണ്ടുമ്പോള്‍ പൊതു വിലനിലവാര സൂചിക രണ്ടക്കം പിടിക്കുന്നു. കഴിഞ്ഞ ദിവസം ശ്രീ പ്രണാബ് കുമാര്‍ മുഖര്‍ജി വളര്‍ച്ചാ നിരക്ക് രണ്ടക്കം ആവും എന്ന് പറഞ്ഞത് വിലകളിലെ വളര്‍ച്ച ആവും എന്ന് പ്രതീക്ഷിച്ചിരുന്നില്ല! എല്ലാ വസ്തുക്കളുടെയും വിലകള്‍ നിയന്ത്രിക്കുന്ന പെട്രോളിയം ഉത്പന്നങ്ങളുടെ വിലകള്‍ രാജ്യാന്തര വിപണിയില്‍ കയറിയാലും ഇറങ്ങിയാലും ഇന്ത്യയില്‍ മുകളിലോട്ടു തന്നെ..എങ്ങനെ വില കയറ്റാതിരിക്കും... വിലയിലെ 51 .5 % ശതമാനം സര്‍ക്കാര്‍ കീശയിലോട്ടല്ലേ... വോട്ടര്‍മാരെ പിഴിഞ്ഞ് എണ്ണയൂറ്റുന്ന സര്‍ക്കാര്‍! കേന്ദ്രം എണ്ണ വിറ്റും പൊതുമേഖലാ സ്ഥാപനങ്ങള്‍ വിറ്റും കാശുണ്ടാക്കുമ്പോള്‍ സംസ്ഥാന സര്‍ക്കാര്‍ കള്ള് വിറ്റും കാശുണ്ടാകുന്നു.. അണ്ണാന്‍ കുഞ്ഞിനും തന്നാലായത്..
പൊതുമേഖല സ്ഥാപനങ്ങള്‍ വിട്ടു പുട്ടടിക്കുന്നതും നല്ല കാര്യം തന്നെ... ഠ വട്ടമുള്ള രാജ്യങ്ങളുടെ വിമാനക്കമ്പനികള്‍ പോലും ആഘോഷമായി ബിസിനെസ് നടത്തുമ്പോള്‍ മഹാരാജാവിന്റെ കമ്പനി മഹാനഷ്ടങ്ങളുടെ പുതിയ പുതിയ റിക്കാര്‍ഡുകള്‍ ഇടുകയാണ്. ചൊവ്വേ നേരെ സ്ഥാപനം നടത്താന്‍ പറ്റില്ലെങ്കില്‍ വിട്ടു കിട്ടുന്ന കാശുകൊണ്ട് പുട്ടടിക്കുക തന്നെ ഭേദം!.
യാദവന്മാരും സോറന്മാരും കോഡമാരും ബഹന്ജികളും കോടികള്‍ അമ്മാനമാട്ടി കളിക്കുന്ന നാട്ടില്‍ റാബ്രി പാവ പോലെയോ സര്‍ദാര്‍ജി പാവ പോലെയോ ഇനി പാവ സര്‍ക്കാരുകള്‍ക്ക് അരങ്ങു ഒരുക്കാന്‍ ഇതാ വനിതാ സംവരണം എന്ന കസര്‍ത്തും.. സംവരണങ്ങള്‍ കൊണ്ട് ആരെയാണ് നന്നാക്കുന്നത്? ദളിതരുടെ പേര് പറഞ്ഞു പാര്‍ട്ടി വളര്‍ത്തുന്ന ഒരു സഹോദരിജി മുക്കിനു മുക്കിനു സ്വന്തം രൂപത്തില്‍ കാക്കകള്‍ക്ക് വിസര്‍ജ്ജ്യകേന്ദ്രങ്ങള്‍ നാട്ടാന്‍ കോടികള്‍ മുടക്കുന്നു. രാജ്യത്തെ ഏറ്റവും ദരിദ്രരുടെ സംസ്ഥാനത്തെ ദരിദ്രരായ ദളിതരുടെ രാഷ്ട്രീയ കക്ഷി പാര്‍ട്ടി സമ്മേളനം കൊഴുപ്പിക്കാന്‍ ചിലവാക്കിയത് ഇരുനൂറു കോടി! ഒരു പാവം പോസ്റ്റ്‌ മാസ്ടരുടെ മകള്‍ പ്രൈമറി സ്കൂള്‍ വാധ്യാര്‍ പണിയില്‍ നിന്ന് വളര്‍ന്നു കോടീശ്വരിയായി മാറി ആയിരത്തിന്റെ നോട്ടുകള്‍ തന്നെയിട്ടു മാലയുണ്ടാക്കി ഇട്ടു മൂടുന്നത് സ്വന്തം അണികളെ മുഴുവന്‍ വിഡ്ഢികളാക്കി കൊണ്ടല്ലേ? ഇവരല്ലേ ദളിതരെ നന്നാക്കുന്നത്? അല്ലെങ്കില്‍ ഈഴവരുടെ പേരില്‍ വിലപേശല്‍ രാഷ്ട്രീയം കളിച്ചു അവരെ സ്വന്തം ഗുണ്ടകള്‍ ആക്കി ഉപയോഗിച്ച് കള്ളുകച്ചവടം വളര്‍ത്തുന്ന മഞ്ഞ നേതാക്കളാണോ ഈഴവരെ ഉദ്ധരിക്കുക? വര്‍ഷങ്ങളുടെ സംവരണ കസര്‍ത്തുകള്‍ കഴിഞ്ഞിട്ടും പിന്നോക്കക്കാര്‍ ഇന്നും പിന്നോക്കം തന്നെ.. അവര്‍ അങ്ങനെ പിന്നോക്കമായി നിന്നാലല്ലേ നേതാക്കള്‍ക്ക് നിലനില്പ് ഉള്ളൂ?? പിന്നോക്ക രാഷ്ട്രീയം കളിക്കുന്നവര്‍ക്ക് മാത്രം നേട്ടങ്ങള്‍..കഴിവിന് പകരം ജാതി യോഗ്യതയായി മാറുമ്പോള്‍ ഗുണനിലവാരം അപ്രത്യക്ഷമാവും... ഇതാ ഇനി ലിംഗവും യോഗ്യതയായി മാറുന്നു. എന്തിനു വേണ്ടി ഈ കപട പരിഷ്കാരങ്ങള്‍...രാജ്യം നന്നാവണം എന്നില്ലല്ലോ...സം തിംഗ് വരണം എന്ന് മാത്രം ചിന്തിക്കുന്നവര്‍ ഭരിക്കുന്ന നാട്ടില്‍...
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Good Works
Good Works: "Doc Brackett
author unknown
Doc Brackett was a fine man. He doctored in our town for many years. He doctored more people than any other doctor in our town but made less money. That was because Doc Brackett was always doctoring poor people, who had no money to pay.
He would get up in the middle of the coldest night and ride twenty miles to doctor a sick woman or child or to patch up some fellow who got hurt. Everybody in our town knew Doc Brackett's office was over Rice's clothing store. It was up a narrow flight of stairs. His office was always filled with people. A sign at the foot of the stairs said: 'DR. BRACKETT, OFFICE UPSTAIRS'
Doc Brackett was a bachelor. He was once supposed to marry Miss Elvira Cromwell, the daughter of old Julius Cromwell, the banker. But, on the day the wedding was supposed to take place Doc Brackett got a call to go out into the country and doctor a Mexican child.
Miss Elvira got sore at him and called off the wedding. She said that a man who would think more of a Mexican child than of his wedding was no good. Many women in our town agreed with Miss Elvira Cromwell, but the parents of the Mexican child were very grateful to Doc Brackett when the child recovered.
For forty years the lame and the halt and the blind of our town had climbed up and down the stairs to Doc Brackett's office. He never turned away anybody. He lived to be seventy years old and then one day he just keeled over on the sofa and died. By this time his black hair had turned white. Doc Brackett had one of the biggest funerals ever seen in our town. Everybody went to pay their last respects when he was laid out in Grubers undertaking parlor. He was buried in Riverview Cemetery.
There was talk of raising money to put a nice tombstone on Doc Brackett's grave as a memorial. The talk got as far as arguing about what should be carved on the stone about him. Some thought poetry would be very nice. Doc Brackett hated poetry. The matter dragged along and nothing whatever was done.
Then, one day George Gruber, the undertaker, said that Doc Brackett's memorial was already over his grave, with epitaph and all. George Gruber said the parents of the Mexican child that Doc Brackett had saved years ago had worried about him having no tombstone. They had no money themselves, so they took the sign from the foot of the stairs at Doc Brackett's office and stuck it over his grave. It read: 'DR. BRACKETT, OFFICE UPSTAIRS.'"
author unknown
Doc Brackett was a fine man. He doctored in our town for many years. He doctored more people than any other doctor in our town but made less money. That was because Doc Brackett was always doctoring poor people, who had no money to pay.
He would get up in the middle of the coldest night and ride twenty miles to doctor a sick woman or child or to patch up some fellow who got hurt. Everybody in our town knew Doc Brackett's office was over Rice's clothing store. It was up a narrow flight of stairs. His office was always filled with people. A sign at the foot of the stairs said: 'DR. BRACKETT, OFFICE UPSTAIRS'
Doc Brackett was a bachelor. He was once supposed to marry Miss Elvira Cromwell, the daughter of old Julius Cromwell, the banker. But, on the day the wedding was supposed to take place Doc Brackett got a call to go out into the country and doctor a Mexican child.
Miss Elvira got sore at him and called off the wedding. She said that a man who would think more of a Mexican child than of his wedding was no good. Many women in our town agreed with Miss Elvira Cromwell, but the parents of the Mexican child were very grateful to Doc Brackett when the child recovered.
For forty years the lame and the halt and the blind of our town had climbed up and down the stairs to Doc Brackett's office. He never turned away anybody. He lived to be seventy years old and then one day he just keeled over on the sofa and died. By this time his black hair had turned white. Doc Brackett had one of the biggest funerals ever seen in our town. Everybody went to pay their last respects when he was laid out in Grubers undertaking parlor. He was buried in Riverview Cemetery.
There was talk of raising money to put a nice tombstone on Doc Brackett's grave as a memorial. The talk got as far as arguing about what should be carved on the stone about him. Some thought poetry would be very nice. Doc Brackett hated poetry. The matter dragged along and nothing whatever was done.
Then, one day George Gruber, the undertaker, said that Doc Brackett's memorial was already over his grave, with epitaph and all. George Gruber said the parents of the Mexican child that Doc Brackett had saved years ago had worried about him having no tombstone. They had no money themselves, so they took the sign from the foot of the stairs at Doc Brackett's office and stuck it over his grave. It read: 'DR. BRACKETT, OFFICE UPSTAIRS.'"
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Reservation as panacea does not work : Politics : Abantika Ghosh : TOI Blogs
Reservation as panacea does not work : Politics : Abantika Ghosh : TOI Blogs: "Reservation as panacea does not work
Abantika Ghosh, 08 March 2010, 04:08 PM IST
It has been sixty years since the constitution of India that guaranteed reservation for people from the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes came into effect. Reservation was in place even before that. It was a means of empowerment.
Tellingly, even now, politics is played out over nights spent in the huts of people from these communities and over meals shared with them. Assemblies witness noisy scenes over an MLA being called a chamar. And a student of the country’s premier medical institute commits suicide, allegedly because he is discriminated against.
How then, has the notion of reservation as the panacea for all social ills survived? Facile politics or just an laziness in getting down to the real issues and addressing them effectively? Probably a mix of both.
The top down approach works politically almost as well as the symbolism of introducing a bill pending for 14 years on International Women’s day.
Far more difficult is to ensure right to education at all levels that would make women more equipped to empower themselves than probably fighting an election in a constituency reserved for them which otherwise, may be the husband would have fought. If reservation is empowerment then a former chief minister of Bihar should be its biggest mascot.
She became the chief minister of a state because her husband – now one of the staunchest critics of the Bill for his own entirely political reasons - wanted to keep it reserved for himself. In much the same way that passengers in Howrah’s local trains put a handkerchief or an umbrella to “book” their seats.
It is outrageous how a country that, decades after it had talked of equal rights for all in its constitution, could not even safeguard the right to live of the unborn girl child and is now talking of almost pushing her into the Parliament without even granting her the resources to present her case cogently.
Is that the kind of elected representatives we want? Somebody who will be just a rubber stamp of her fathers/brothers/husbands? Because without the wherewithall that is exactly what she is likely to end up becoming.
A survey by an independent research agency has shown how in the present Lok Sabha, women members, who make 11% of the strength, have participated in fewer debates than their male counterparts, asked fewer questions and have essentially made up the numbers when it comes to voting.
Where is the ground for the assumption that simply trebling their numbers – which would also mean a lot of women being elected merely because the parties need to be seen to be adhering to the legislation they managed to clear so painstakingly – will have a multiplying effect on their effectiveness too?
I would rather have a male MP who – hopefully – talks about issues that concern me than a woman who is there merely because of her sex. It is a waste of my vote."
Abantika Ghosh, 08 March 2010, 04:08 PM IST
It has been sixty years since the constitution of India that guaranteed reservation for people from the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes came into effect. Reservation was in place even before that. It was a means of empowerment.
Tellingly, even now, politics is played out over nights spent in the huts of people from these communities and over meals shared with them. Assemblies witness noisy scenes over an MLA being called a chamar. And a student of the country’s premier medical institute commits suicide, allegedly because he is discriminated against.
How then, has the notion of reservation as the panacea for all social ills survived? Facile politics or just an laziness in getting down to the real issues and addressing them effectively? Probably a mix of both.
The top down approach works politically almost as well as the symbolism of introducing a bill pending for 14 years on International Women’s day.
Far more difficult is to ensure right to education at all levels that would make women more equipped to empower themselves than probably fighting an election in a constituency reserved for them which otherwise, may be the husband would have fought. If reservation is empowerment then a former chief minister of Bihar should be its biggest mascot.
She became the chief minister of a state because her husband – now one of the staunchest critics of the Bill for his own entirely political reasons - wanted to keep it reserved for himself. In much the same way that passengers in Howrah’s local trains put a handkerchief or an umbrella to “book” their seats.
It is outrageous how a country that, decades after it had talked of equal rights for all in its constitution, could not even safeguard the right to live of the unborn girl child and is now talking of almost pushing her into the Parliament without even granting her the resources to present her case cogently.
Is that the kind of elected representatives we want? Somebody who will be just a rubber stamp of her fathers/brothers/husbands? Because without the wherewithall that is exactly what she is likely to end up becoming.
A survey by an independent research agency has shown how in the present Lok Sabha, women members, who make 11% of the strength, have participated in fewer debates than their male counterparts, asked fewer questions and have essentially made up the numbers when it comes to voting.
Where is the ground for the assumption that simply trebling their numbers – which would also mean a lot of women being elected merely because the parties need to be seen to be adhering to the legislation they managed to clear so painstakingly – will have a multiplying effect on their effectiveness too?
I would rather have a male MP who – hopefully – talks about issues that concern me than a woman who is there merely because of her sex. It is a waste of my vote."
Say no to reservations, whether caste or religion-based:Myth n Reality:Mythili Bhusnurmath's blog-The Economic Times
Say no to reservations, whether caste or religion-based:Myth n Reality:Mythili Bhusnurmath's blog-The Economic Times: "Say no to reservations, whether caste or religion-based Mythili Bhusnurmath Tuesday February 09, 2010, 05:07 PM
The Andhra Pradesh High Court has done well to quash the state government’s attempt to provide reservation in government jobs and educational institutions to socially and educationally backward classes among Muslims. Ironically even as the Andhra High Court struck down the law on the grounds that it was unsustainable the West Bengal government announced 10% reservation in jobs for Muslims under the OBC (Other Backward Classes) category. Clearly when it comes to playing the caste and religion-card, Left parties are as guilty as any of the other mainstream parties.
At one level it is easy to dismiss these efforts, both in Andhra, where the government has decided to file a special leave petition with the Supreme Court and in West Bengal as nothing more than the usual shenanigans of a political class devoid of any interest other than its own. More so when the number of jobs in the public sector is, in any case, shrinking and the private sector is becoming a force to reckon with in higher education so that reservation of seats does not quite translate into better access to quality education.
But the damage that such gestures do to the fabric of a society that is stretched thin at the best of times is immeasurable. At a time when we need to re-think reservations and have a dispassionate debate on scrapping them altogether, it is unfortunate that we are extending rather than clawing them back. It is for the Muslim community to see through the sham that the reservations are and not be taken in by them."
The Andhra Pradesh High Court has done well to quash the state government’s attempt to provide reservation in government jobs and educational institutions to socially and educationally backward classes among Muslims. Ironically even as the Andhra High Court struck down the law on the grounds that it was unsustainable the West Bengal government announced 10% reservation in jobs for Muslims under the OBC (Other Backward Classes) category. Clearly when it comes to playing the caste and religion-card, Left parties are as guilty as any of the other mainstream parties.
At one level it is easy to dismiss these efforts, both in Andhra, where the government has decided to file a special leave petition with the Supreme Court and in West Bengal as nothing more than the usual shenanigans of a political class devoid of any interest other than its own. More so when the number of jobs in the public sector is, in any case, shrinking and the private sector is becoming a force to reckon with in higher education so that reservation of seats does not quite translate into better access to quality education.
But the damage that such gestures do to the fabric of a society that is stretched thin at the best of times is immeasurable. At a time when we need to re-think reservations and have a dispassionate debate on scrapping them altogether, it is unfortunate that we are extending rather than clawing them back. It is for the Muslim community to see through the sham that the reservations are and not be taken in by them."
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
