Rajiv is able to fool readers by providing data and details that are well suited to his pre-planned arguments. By making these observations, sitting possibly in San Francisco, he is making serious mistakes in concluding that backward class didn't benefit from the CPM-led reforms in Kerala. (I don't know about Bengal.) Though I am not a big fan of communists, anybody who lived in Kerala during the last 5 decades could easily notice that backward class people immensily benefitted from the policies of communist govts, starting from the land reforms. Before that the so-called forward class sudras practically had SC/ST (pulayas etc.) people enslaved for working in their farms and hugely benefitted from that free labor. The communist party rule changed all that and Congress had to follow the same policies. Though lots of SC/STs left farm work and entered service sector and govt jobs, and left the state dependent on migrant labor and other states for food, it is heartening to see that the state has become a model for social development.
Though any opinions can be expressed the columnists on this paper, when they started using data to score points, editors should check its completeness
RE:Arm-chair journalism
by julia on May 17, 2006 08:35 PM Permalink
You may or may not like a columnist, but you are surely joking when you say he must not use data to prove his point. What are you, an enemy of numbers? Or a fascist?
RE:Arm-chair journalism
by Vijay Mehta on May 16, 2006 04:06 PM Permalink
I regularly visit Kerala. It is one of the most poor states in India. Caste and religious wars are too common. Every government has provoked Muslims against Hindus and one caste against the other. Kerala is not what it was 15 years ago, it is becoming a living hell
Kerala is the most developed state
by Jyothis Narayanan on May 18, 2006 04:06 PM Permalink
Development of a state must be measured on its social development indexes like literacy, availability of health facilities, infant mortality rate, and population growth rate, ratio between girls and boys and awareness towards laws. Even World Bank and capitalistic economists are agreeing with that. In all these indexes Kerala is at par with developed countries in the west. Left movements in Kerala have played an important role in achieving that. I sense very distressing while watching people staying on the roadside of our great metros like Chennai and Bombay. If you go just 100 Km away from these metros you can spot wholesome human exploitation also. They lack awareness about leading a better life and even their coming generations wont be able to achieve that. But in Kerala, even if you go to remotest village, you can see the same social and economical conditions existing in Kochi or TVM. Ninety five percentages of beggars in Kerala are from other states only. Those who talk about wealth creation and significance of competition must understand the importance of setting right social platform for that. A tribal sleeping under a sandal wood tree may not have the awareness and informa
What is wrong if Congress divides the society and rules? What is wrong if CPM keeps people poor and feeds on their poverty? Who stopped BJP from dividing Muslims, Christains, Communists?
People will form groups. People will fight against each other. That is normal. Politicians will take advantage of these divisions. That is normal too.
It is up to Hindu organisations to convince people that divisions aren't good. It is upto BJP to convince people that Congress and CPM are bad and they are good. I suspect BJP and other Hindu organisations simply don't care....
What a stunning discovery and analysis? Why not add a little data/statistics to show that SC/ST/OBCs have improved a lot in the last five years of BJP rule. Only then your intension of supporting BJP will workout. India really need people like you maan, please come back....!
Note: I am against the new reservation policy announced by the govt/HRD ministry. But, why is it that not a single political part come out against this. Why is it that BJP is silent?
RE:Are you Mad?
by rajesh gopi on May 11, 2006 05:18 PM Permalink
Typically vicious, innumerate, Marxist response. You don't like the data, so you abuse those who bring out the data. But the source of the data is the Marxist Economic and Political Weekly. Would you abuse them also?
Rajeev Yes you are right in your argument. But what is the alternative in india? I mean what other party can provide an alternative? BJP? Ha, they talk about Hindutva! Hindus! that's good. But that Hindutva is Caste Hinduism! Bingo, that's the problem. Either way there is no solution for the Caste divided, Hindu India! Why?because the parties you mentioned want to divide and rule along caste lines and the BJP doesn't want to address the caste issue at all! I will say that you will suceed if you make a non Brahmana caste person as the main poojari(priest) in the apartheid Kerala! Please don't blame others for Hindus problems! Why don't you ask every caste in Hinduism to be denominations like in Christianity and ask them to have their own churches, like catholic church, marthoma church, yacobite church etc. but then what will you do with the 1% Brahmana population? so please don't blame others for the incompetence of Hindus!
RE: NUMAN IS WASTING HIS TIME
by Secular on May 19, 2006 10:12 PM Permalink
I think your good sense will prevail and you will realise that Quota/Reservation is a stigma in the society, as it breeds inequalities and injustice.
What type of social justice we r trying to establish when a son of a SC Director ina PSU, scoring 45% marks joins a top Institute, while the son of the Secretary of the same Director, scoring 85% marks is denied admission to the same Instn?
The logic that the great grand father of the Director was ill treated by the great grand father of the Director's Secretary is ridiculous as this type of slogans were coined by the Missionaries during the British Rule, to convert the poor and the weaker sections of the Hindus, to Christianity. The same prctice is still continuing in the Southern States and in the tribal areas of the Country.
The objective of this type of Mission is to fracture the Society and weaken the Country.
If the Govt is really serious to uplift the lots of the poor, then the best way is to set up Quality Secondary Schools with all facilities in each block of the Backward/Tribal districts of the Country and impart quality education free og charge to poor students, to enable them to join Main Stream with Pride.
RE:You are wasting your time Mr. Rajeev
by Pulkit on May 17, 2006 07:40 PM Permalink
Numan,
Bad knowledge about hinduism. We have temples of Vishnu, Ganesh which are typically gods of Brahmins. Then we have temples of Kshatriyas, where the priest is from Kshatria subclan. Then there are temple for fishermans, Chamnars as well where priests are from those cast.
It looks like you have foreign influence and you have been tough all wrong things. Please visit rural india once and you will find gods of each clan. Making temple big depends on contribution from each clan and there are many kshatriya temples bigger than brahmins once. Secondly being a priest is low pay job hence there are few takers for this since beginning.
