Youth for Equality, Jawaharlal Nehru University

Monday, October 27, 2008

Letter to the VC

YOUTH
FOR EQUALITY


27.10.08


TO,


PROF.
B.B. BHATTACHARYA


VICE-CHANCELLOR


JAWAHARLAL
NEHRU UNIVERSITY


NEW
DELHI – 110067






Dear Sir,



We the representatives of Youth For Equality like to inform you
that we are in favor of JNUSU election as per Lyngdoh Committee
Recommendations and honor the Hon’able Supreme Court’s
Order dated 24.10.08.







Sir, we believe that the campus student activities must remain
untouched from the nasty political interference and planting of
stooge student body by various political parties. Though the present
system of JNU election is a role model for other institutions, still
there is lots of room for improvement. The Hon’ble Supreme
Court has precisely directed improvement in JNU election by guiding
us how to improve our unique election model and how to keep us safe
from corrupt and disruptive political onslaught from outside the
campus.







Sir, Youth For Equality share the anxiety of the common student
of JNU as the future of the academic year is now uncertain
considering the disruptive missionary zeal of various student bodies
backed by the support of their parents political parties. There is a
pressing need to end this uncertainty. The administration must ensure
sound academic environment in our campus. We don’t want to
prolong this uncertainty and as the court has fixed the
responsibility of implementation of Lyngdoh Committee Recommendation
to conduct JNU election on the JNU administration, there shall not be
any dilution or disregard of the court order on the part of JNU
administration.







Finally we like to inform you with a heavy heart that the JNUSU’s
lawyer was lying and portraying wrong picture of JNUSU election 2008
as has been evident from what he said at the Supreme Court that ‘if
Lyngdoh Recommendation will be applied in JNU all candidates will be
disqualified’. This is not true and unacceptable to YFE. It is
during this time learned counsel Mr. M.L. Lahoty interfered in the
court room and told the truth on behalf of YFE. Sir, two of our
central panel candidates may face axe if Lyngdoh recommendations
applied but we are ready to pay any price for the betterment of the
campus.







With this we would like to inform you that since we become a
party to this case, no one is allowed to misinterpret truth on our
behalf and we request the JNU administration to follow the guidelines
as per the court order. Deviation from any of the legally established
truth, fact and direction may force us to seek the court’s
intervention to correct any malaise inside the campus.







Sincerely yours,




  1. Vikram Singh, (Presidential Candidate 08)



  2. Brundaban Mishra, (Vice Presidential Candidate 08)



  3. Amit Ranjan, (Gen. Sec. Candidate 08)



  4. Raghib Akhtar (Jt. Sec. Candidate 08)



  5. Manish Mishra (Chief Campaign Coordinator, 08)



  6. Deepika Singh, YFE representative



  7. Manpreet Kaur, YFE representative



  8. Gopaljee Gopal, YFE representative


Friday, October 24, 2008

YFE Pamphlet 24.10.2008

YOUTH
FOR EQUALITY


24.10.08


Kamla
Kumharin (Amrita Rao)
: Mausi (Aunty), how did you realized that
your daughter was maha-amangli


(ill-starred)
girl?


Mahadev
Kushwaha (Shreyas Talpade):
Yes Mausi, how did you know?


Mausi
(Ila Arun):
Son, when my daughter was born, as many as three
buffalo dies in the village! Not only


this when
she was eight year old, her grand father was dead! That is how we
realized!


(Dialogue
delivered by the protagonists of Shyam Benegal made superstition
satire “Welcome to


Sajjanpur”)


A
similar situation appeared in the mind of few anxious politically
motivated student bodies of JNU who are alleging Youth For Equality
saying that YFE is behind the implementation of Lyngdoh committee
recommendation in JNU election. The first thing come into mind is –
is YFE that powerful to implement anything in JNU? Is the JNUSU
admitting the fact that YFE is more powerful than the JNUSU itself??

Let’s talk fact:


How
all this drama over Lyngdoh Recommendation began?


Supreme
Court sought an explanation on last Tuesday why Lyngdoh Committee's
recommendations are not being adhered to during the students' body
election. The notice was sent to the JNU administration and JNUSU,
following a petition being filed by Gopal Subramanium.


Who
has filed the petition?
Gopal Subramanium


Who
the hell is this Gopal Subramanium?
Additional Solicitor
General of India, it is one of the politically appointed legal
advisor posts of incumbent government. He is the same person, who was
throughout against Youth For Equality in Supreme Court during YFE’s
fight against OBC reservation.


Who
has appointed Gopal Subramanium?
Congress led UPA government
where all the Communists were part when his appointment was made.


What
was the stand of JNU Administration?
JNU administration said,
JNU honor the Supreme Court order in letter and spirit. JNU also said
that no one is above the law of the land so JNUSU have to adhere to
the SC order.


What
happened to the last year JNUSU and Election Commission of JNU which
got elected without following Lyngdoh guidelines?
Both the
bodies never got the ascent of the JNU Vice-Chancellor, fearing
contempt of court order. So the last year JNUSU was an illegal body,
which fooled the student of JNU for whole one year.


What
was the stand of JNUSU in the Supreme Court?
Despite the court
order no one on behalf of JNUSU appeared.


Who
appeared on behalf of JNUSU?
It is Election Commission of JNU
instead appeared in the Supreme Court and that too by a former Chief
Election Commissioner of JNU, who is no more a student of JNU.


Now
the big question is what was the role of Youth For Equality in this
whole affair?
Nothing! Literally! Youth For Equality was never
a party to this affair, so YFE lack the requisite legality to speak
on behalf of anybody. In any court, no person can speak other than
the parties involved. Youth For Equality never be a party so no
question of taking any stand.


What
is the fuss about Ad. M.L. Lahoty’s presence at the Supreme
Court on behalf of Youth For Equality?
Ad. M.L. Lahoty is a
Supreme Court lawyer and it is no surprise that he was in Supreme
Court today! Before employing any lawyer, a Vakalatnama is required
to be signed by the client with the Advocate. Has Youth For
Equality signed any such Vakalatnama with Ad. Lahoty?
No, in no
uncertain term! And how come Ad. Lahoty take a stand in favor of
Lyngdoh Committee when two of our own central panel candidates may
face axe without delay if Lyngdoh recommendation followed by JNU?


But the
net question is can JNU student union election procedure overrule the
Supreme Court order? Is JNU above the law of the land? The student
communities of JNU have to respond this question.


What
is the stand of Youth For Equality?
We believe in the law of the
land and we honor the Supreme Court order. But since the Lyngdoh
Committee itself louded JNU model of election, it must be protected
at any cost.


Now
who must own the responsibility of protecting student interest??
JNUSU of course! But the spineless and shameless illegal JNUSU
never bother to present the proper picture at the Supreme Court and
instead it is behaving as if they are acting in the movie Welcome to
Sajjanpur.


The only
alternative in JNU for JNU student is Youth For Equality.





Manish
Mishra/ Chief Campaign Coordinator




SC stays JNU student polls

.
NEW DELHI:: The Supreme Court on Friday stayed the November 3 students' union elections in the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and asked its vice-chancellor why contempt proceedings not be initiated against him for allowing overage and repeat candidates to file nomination papers in breach of its directions.
.
In fact, the elections may not take place at all this year as the apex court fixed further hearing on the matter for December 8, while asking the university's V-C and registrar to file their responses by then.
.
But, an important clarification followed, when the Bench was told by counsel M L Lahoty, appearing for Youth for Equality (YFE), that many students were ready to conduct the elections as per the guidelines laid down by the Lyngdoh committee.
.
The Bench said: "If fresh elections to JNUSU are held in line with the recommendations of the Lyngdoh committee, there shall not be any bar on it."
.
Right at the beginning of the proceedings, amicus curiae and additional solicitor general Gopal Subramaniam alleged that most of the candidates were either over 28 years old or seeking re-election, both banned by the apex court in its September 22, 2006, directions, which incorporated the Lyngdoh committee's stringent recommendations to stop money and muscle power in polls for students' bodies in colleges and universities.
.
A Bench comprising Justices Arijit Pasayat and M K Sharma said it would not brook even the slightest breach of the elaborate guidelines issued for college and university students' body elections. "Anyone trying to overreach the orders of the court in any manner would be liable for contempt of court," it said.
.
"Since JNU Students Union elections are being held contrary to the mandate of the Supreme Court, it is prima facie contempt of court. Issue notice to the vice-chancellor and the registrar of JNU to show cause why action for contempt be not taken against them for violating the SC orders. Meanwhile, the elections for JNUSU shall remain stayed," the court ordered posting the matter for further hearing on December 8.
.
Appearing for JNUSU, counsel Sanjay Parikh said that the election process adopted for the students body in the prestigious university was unique and had been a role model for others. Here the students body itself conducts the elections without any interference from outside, he said.
.
Amicus curiae Subramaniam also brought to the court's notice the incident of vandalism at Samant Chandrasekhar College at Puri in Orissa by students when they were told to fall in line with the apex court's 2006 order.
.
"The overage candidates commanded a mob of students and went on the rampage, set the laboratory on fire and assaulted the teaching staff," he told the Bench, which lost no time in issuing notice to the college principal asking him whether steps have been taken to expel the delinquent students.
.
It also directed the superintendent of police, Puri, to immediately register criminal cases against the students who indulged in vandalism at the college and take action in accordance with law.
.

YFE Pamphlet 23.10.2008

Youth For Equality


Why Youth For Equality is the need of the hour 23.10.08


I came, I saw, I conquered According to Plutarch , the words by which Julius Caesar succinctly described one of his victories. When a normal student enters JNU he/she feel that he/she has conquered a war. Within no time they started feel: I came, I saw and am now frustrated! Why -


The Scene 1: A young, anxious, curious and promising fresher entered into the portals of the prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru University. After a harried journey and ride to the campus, the winding and gradually undulating roads, the verdant greenery and the impressive Ad Block building are a soothing balm on his/her frayed nerves. One look at the statue of our first PM, standing tall and elegant next to the Ad Block and the entrant cant help but feel proud of his/her stars, to have made it here.


The Scene 2: The admission process begins. The fresher is handed a sheaf of folios and asked to fill them out. “What, all of these”, s/he asks in sheer bewilderment. “These are meant to “facilitate” your admission procedure”. The term facility seems to have a different meaning in JNU; its synonyms could be cumbersome, tedious and unnecessarily taxing. If filling out the zillion documents was not enough, then throw in running from pillar-to-post for hostel allotment, if you were lucky enough to get one at all. As s/he wakes up to these facts of the administration, the now not-so-enthusiastic student is left thinking, “ Is this the JNU of my Dreams?”


E-governance: The Solution to These problems


Lets re-imagine the aforementioned situation, albeit in a novel way.


The student comes to JNU and reaches the ad-block. Instead of having a barrage of paperwork hurled onto him/her, they are greeted by a single-window system of admission; they start with feeding in their registration number into a computer terminal, which tells them their rank within the center, for the course that they have applied for. Candidates who have made it to multiple courses are informed of all their options and asked to choose likewise.


Having made up his/her mind, the student is now asked to fill out a SINGLE prototype of the folio, online. A facsimile of this document is dispatched to all the offices where it is required, also online. Any mistakes in filling out the form will be highlighted by the computer and the candidate will be prompted to rectify them, then and there.


For fee deposition, the candidates will have to carry a DD of the requisite amount with them and simply fill up the draft no. as and when prompted by the computer; no hassle of waiting in long queues for balance. Online bank services will be provided, in case one does not have a draft.


This being done, the page would change to the hostel allotment procedure. Since the details are already with the administration, the hostel availability status, in view of the rank and seniority of the candidate, will be displayed on the screen. The candidates will be told of the dates when the hostel allotment starts and the allotment procedure will be online as well.


As the day ends, the student returns to his/her abode, relaxed and unruffled. As he thinks about the great ease with which he spent his day, so productively, he can’t help but think, “This is the JNU of my dreams”.Youth For Equality is committed to the e-governance and once it win the JNUSU election, the first thing after the scholarship issue will be that of e-governance as described above. Only student support is required to convert this archaic system into a modern one. Lets join hand to make this university modern and student friendly.


Youth for Equality invites all for a Public Talk on : Reservation Vis-à-vis Equal Opportunity


Tonight 23rd October, 9:30 PM Mahi-Mandavi Mess










Central Panel


President : Vikram Singh


Vice President : Brundabana Mishra


Gen. Secretary : Amit Ranjan


Joint. Secretary : Raghib Akhtar


Councillors


SLL & CS -Pankaj, Pranav, Pratyush, Md. Mohtashim


SSS -Vinod Kumar


SIT -Arvind Singh Mer


SBT -Shivendra Kumar


SLS: -Vibhor, Goutam, Preksha


GUEST SPEAKERS




Shri Sharad Anantrao Joshi: Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha).




Prof. Makhan Lal: Distinguished Historian,


Former Director, Institute of Archaeology, Delhi.




Prof. P.V. Indiresan: Eminent Scholar,


Former Director, IIT Madras.


Manish Mishra Hasan Mohammad


Chief Campaign Coordinator, YFE YFE Representative



Thursday, October 23, 2008

Public talk 23 Oct, 2008


Wednesday, October 22, 2008

YFE Pamphlet 22.10.2008

YOUTH FOR EQUALITY

22.10.08







Youth For Equality
congratulates the scientific community for successfully lunching
the Chandrayaan-I today. It is like we demanded moon and ISRO
delivered it. Carrying over a billion hopes, India's maiden lunar
mission Chandrayaan-I began its historic journey to the moon today
when an indigenously developed rocket placed the spacecraft into
the Transfer Orbit "perfectly". Chandrayaan-I is
carrying an Indian flag which will be placed on the lunar surface
when the Moon Impactor Probe lands on the moon during the course
of the two-year mission.



Why Youth
For Equality is the need of the hour??


“An invasion of
an army can be resisted, not an idea whose time has come” said
Victor Hugo. Youth For Equality is an idea whose time has come. It
has now been proved beyond doubt that the voice of YFE cannot be
suppressed by force, politics, vendetta or any other despicable act.





YFE
will never find a place in JNU!!
This is what the communists and
other parties of the campus said in the year 2006. Although the
campus’ progressive communists never believe in astrology still
they had made this astrological calculation during the formation of
Youth For Equality in May 2006. They have employed each and every
technique to stop YFE forcibly from growoing. Organized attack on the
peaceful YFE rally on 19 May 2006 is still fresh in the mind of JNU
students. They tried to defame YFE rally by using their tested false
propaganda. But YFE outsmarted the communists by calling media and
the entire rally was organized the broad light of TV cameras. The
presence of media reduced the chance for any false propaganda. They
never stopped there – filed FIR at police station, complained
at the Rector’s office and spread calumny. But like gold coming
out of fire YFE was shining while dealing with all these allegations
and organized the 33 days biggest ever hunger strike in JNU.





YFE
will not survive!!
This is the next set of predictions made by
the same people. Their prediction was based on the fact that since
YFE is not supported financially by any political party and since it
has no rotten/corrupt political patron, YFE will not survive. YFE
proved every calculation wrong and also proved that it does not
required black money, muscle power and corrupt political practice to
run a student movement. Self motivated student across the country
comes under the umbrella of YFE and proved what their motivated
action can do. Against the strong political will of the entire
parliament, Youth For Equality halted the OBC reservation for two
long years from getting implemented. This was first of its kind in
India. 54% seat increase was the formula offered by the political
class to convince YFE. YFE accepted the increase formula as it was a
long awaited decision but never accepted the faulty reservation
policy. When the final judgment pronounced the political class again
got a series of shock treatments like: no to creamy layer, vacant OBC
seats must go to general category and finally PG completed students
are no more eligible for reservation (PG case is still in the Supreme
Court). Youth For Equality flourished again.


Statistics
says more than words and rhetoric. The vote share for all the Central
Panel posts in the year 2006 was: AISA 24.3%, SFI 22.8%, YFE
21.04%; in the year 2007 it was AISA 28.4%, YFE 23.29%, SFI
22.17%!






























Organization



President



Vice President



General Secretary



Joint Secretary



YFE


(2006)



810


(Sonika Tyagi)



736


(Brundaban Mishra)



739


(Upasana Dhankar)



722


(Babita Sharma)



YFE


(2007)



924


(Babita Sharma)



764


(Sujeet Kumar)



927


(Swasti Rao)



870


(Kumar Abhijeet)






OBC
Reservation toh implement ho gaya ab YFE kya karegi: “
Sometimes,”
said the Queen in Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland,
“I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before
breakfast.” Reservation was not the issue which brought us into
the street; it was there before as well. And those who were on the
street are all doctors, engineers and Management professional who
never fought for their own welfare. Then what were the reasons? A
variety of reasons were there. Prominent were dividing the society on
caste basis, reservation to the powerful caste in exchange of vote,
killing the most reputed institutions of India in the name of
reservation (as they have done it to Allahabad University/Calcutta
University to mention a few), appeasing the already powerful people
(creamy layer) and following a failed reservation policy were the
reasons behind the agitation.


Not a
single seat in AIIMS/IITs/IIMs was ever increased in independent
India. It was after YFE’s agitation a massive 54% seat increase
undertaken. The eleventh five year plan got a massive 20% increase on
education and the ruling establishment forced to create 16 more
Central Universities to the already existed 20. The National
Knowledge Commission suggested 1500 vocational college and 300
universities. These measures were impossible in the pre-YFE era like
of Queen in Lewis Caroll’s believe in Alice in Wonderland.











Presence
of YFE forced the other student bodies to talk about JNU:
Before
the emergence of YFE, politically backed student bodies were fighting
the JNUSU election on issues far from JNU. Now there is talk of
campus related issues. YFE raised the scholarship issues for all.
When the discrimination taken place in the disbursal of scholarship
to


the
general category students, it is YFE which raised voice and demanded
equalization. YFE’s all 8 councilors signed and present the
case at the UGC for equal scholarship to general category student.
AISA never thought it good to include in the proposal neither at the
JNU Court nor at UGC. SFI another silent spectator of this drama
never bother to visit UGC to press the demand. It is only YFE which
raise the issue every now and then and filed a series of RTI both at
JNU and at UGC to reach to the genesis of the discrimination.


YFE
would like to ask the AISA and its predecessor SFI – when the
need, study requirement, livelihood and all other parameters are the
same for general category student and Rajiv Gandhi Fellowship holders
why there is a huge discrimination? Why general category students
should remain satisfied with Rs.3000/5000 when the Rajiv Gandhi
Fellowship holder get Rs.12,000/14,000 every month? YFE has already
demonstrated through a series of action how it can change the course
of history. Through our missionary zeal we forced the CSIR to
increase the number of scholarship and also to increase the amount
from Rs.8000 to Rs.12000. YFE through raised the issue of full
fledged bank facilities with draft facility and agitated/negotiated
with the senior SBI official. Now it is a reality.



Now other student organization not seeking vote on the issue of Iraq,
America, Russia, China, Palestine, Israel or on any other exotic
issues but on campus related issues.



Contrary to the welfare of the student AISA indulged in self
promotion. They use JNU as a stage for national politics. AISA led
JNUSU’s own expenditure sheet told us how they have used 40% of
student money in their party’s pamphleteering! Their only
weapon is rumor machine, which always work overtime to propagate
false achievement and accuse other of not doing anything. But the big
question is how long AISA can fool its own supporter and JNU student?





Hame
kaun Hara Sakta hai, hum to AISA hai:
AISA has been claiming this
since long and their claim is based on the innocence and suffering of
new students. First they allow them to suffer from scarcity of
hostel, then their indoctrination style includes paranoia to new
entrants and finally they take caste issues to come into power! This
is how AISA play in JNU.


Friends,
now the time has come to expose the antipathy of left organization to
the student aspiration. The time is to elect a sensitive and student
centric student body. Only Youth For Equality has proven humility to
take the place of JNUSU.














Central
panel


Vikram
Singh - President


Brundaban
Mishra - Vice President


Amit
Ranjan – General Secretary


Raghiv
Akhtar - Joint Secretary


Frame1



SCHOOL
OF LANGUAGE, LITERATURE AND CULTURE


Councillors:


Pankaj
Kumar Choubey


Pranav


Pratyush


Mohitashir
Ahemad


SCHOOL
OF SOCIAL SCIENCES


Vinod
kumar


SCHOOL
OF LIFE SCIENCES


Councillors:


Bibhor
Gupta


Gautam
Kr. Tanti


Prakhya


SCHOOL
OF BIO-TECHNOLOGY



Councilor: Sibendra


SCHOOL
OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY


Councilor: Arvind
Singh Mer












Manish
Mishra /Chief Campaign Coordinator




Anti-Left forum comes up ahead of JNUSU polls

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Anti-Left_forum_ahead_of_JNUSU_polls/articleshow/3627642.cms

22 Oct 2008, 1224 hrs IST, PTI

NEW DELHI: Ahead of JNU students' union elections, a section of students in the campus have formed a platform to prevent the Left organisations from coming to power this year.

Led by an Iranian student, Farbode Vasighi, the newly formed 'Anti Communist League' is an effort to take all the forces together to prove that JNU is not limited to Left's ideology alone.

“Anti-Left forces are not less than pro-Left forces in JNU. Then why JNU is called Left's bastion. It has a national character,” said Farbode, a student of Persian Centre.

“Our aim is to destroy dominance of Left in JNU and create equal opportunities for all,” he added.

These students blame Left organisations for hijacking the whole administration of the campus.

“According to the constitution of JNUSU, the elections should have been over by October 21 this year. But, these Left groups purposefully conduct elections in festive season of Diwali and 'Chhath', due to which our supporters go home and we get less votes in the elections," said Amit Srivastava, a PhD student and co-convener of the forum.

Accusing the administration of targeting non-left students, he said, "Teachers in JNU have been a cadre of Left. You can be targeted in any way here."

To mobilise students, the conveners of the league have launched a campaign through SMSes, e-mails, orkut and facebook.

YFE Pamphlet 21.10.2008

YOUTH
FOR EQUALITY

21.10.08

Why Youth For Equality is the need of the hour??



One communist student body (SFI) was taken over by another set of radicals but more inefficient communist student body (AISA) during the 2007 JNUSU election. The tall claim of AISA had fallen flat when the year 2007-08 ended without a single achievement to name! AISA’s style of functioning does not include the welfare of student or welfare of campus! That’s why they remained a mute spectator to the end number of discriminatory treatment meted out to various sections of JNU student in matter ranging from hostel allotment to scholarship issue. The outgoing JNUSU never raised the issue of placement cell in JNU and cannot think of e-governance. All the infrastructure including adequate no of computers meant for the e-governance programme gathering dust in JNU but AISA have no time to modernize the campus and least interested to make the university more student friendly. JNU follows archaic system of admission, registration and its policies are more painful for those who intended to submit Dissertation and Thesis. AISA want to make it more complicated and prefer to stay in the Stone
Age.


If we forget for a moment about the campus activities – the most popular theme of AISA was Singoor. Contrary to their claim, the farmers and families who were earning their bread and butter from TATA Plant in Singoor are now committing suicide after the departure of TATA. AISA must be very much satisfied seeing the population of Singoor starving after the departure of TATA! Due to heavy construction activities in JNU the number of workers actually increased over the one year but AISA stopped persuading their cause! Probably it is no more productive politically for AISA! There is no end of their failures!



YFE to check the champion of competitive reservation politics!


Another party ABVP (champion of caste based OBC reservation) with all its loud words for nationalism and national unity actually work overtime to divide the society on caste basis. Twice its parent party BJP had bent the Indian Constitution to accommodate its vote greed interest
by promoting sectarian interest. First the BJP bent the constitution in the year 2000 with

THE CONSTITUTION (EIGHTY-FIRST AMENDMENT) ACT, 2000 [9th June, 2000].
This was meant to overrule the Supreme Court order on the rule against the carry forward policy! Look at this how BJP’s Vasundhara Raje made the proposal: “The Supreme Court of India in its judgment in the Indra Sawhney versus Union of India held that the number of vacancies to be filled up on the basis of reservations in a year including carried forward reservations should in no case exceed the limit of fifty per cent. The Government,
after considering various representations, reviewed the position and has decided to make amendment in the constitution so that the unfilled vacancies of a year, which are reserved for being filled up in that year in accordance with any provision for reservation made under clause (4) or clause (4A) of article 16 of the Constitution, shall be considered as a separate class of vacancies to be filled up in any succeeding year or years and such class of vacancies shall not be considered together with the vacancies of the year in which they are being filled up for determining the ceiling of fifty percent.”

BJP’s scheme of promoting caste does not end here and in the year 2002 brought another amendment. This time extending reservation in promotion! Scandalous one can say and while doing so the BJP actually killed the efficiency factor at work place in one stroke. Now onwords promotion no more on the basis of performance but caste. THE CONSTITUTION (EIGHTY-FIFTH AMENDMENT) ACT, 2001[4th January, 2002], brought by the BJP government made provision for reservation in promotion, that means promoting the already empowered! The amendment says: “Amendment of article 16.

In article 16 of the Constitution, in clause (4A), for the words "in matters of promotion to any class", the words "in matters of promotion, with consequential seniority, to any class" shall be substituted.” Now the time has come to realize the folly. Let’s choose our leader with reason and result oriented analysis. Lets make no mistake in choosing Youth For Equality.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

YFE Pamphlet 20.10.2008

YOUTH
FOR EQUALITY


Why Youth
For Equality is the need of the hour??
20.10.08


Competitive
politics over reservation in India is rampant without rest. All the
parties trying to woo one or other caste group. Political parties are
holding caste panchayat and offering irrational booty in return of
vote. While addressing a convention
of upper castes in UP, Mayawati said, "The reservation on the
basis of
economic
and other parameters will enable the upper caste community members to
address their problems, especially those related to poverty and
unemployment." This is another way of alluring some more caste
groups and hence continues with the caste legacy. If the state nurse
education and economy properly no reservation is needed for any
section or community of India. Youth For Equality is all for over all
improvement of all the community not on the basis of caste but on the
basis of real disadvantage and poverty. Identification of the people
who left behind in the process of development must be done on
individual basis and accordingly the issue of backwardness must be
addressed.


The
need of YFE is very relevant to achieve certain most striking goals
of JNU student.




  1. YFE will meet the demand that the UGC Fellowship for
    M.Phil./Ph.D. (Rs.3,000/5,000 since April 2007) students should be
    equalized with that of the Rajeev Gandhi Fellowship (Rs.
    12,000/14,000 since July 2005).



  2. If YFE’s agitation can resulted in the increase
    of CSIR seats and increase in CSIR Fellowships (Rs.12,000 & Rs.
    14,000 respectively for JRF and SRF from Rs.8,000 & Rs.10,000),
    JNUSU’s agitation can ensure many such achievements.



  3. YFE never collected money from the campus for Bihar
    Relief Work. Rather we seek volunteer for relief work in Bihar. Even
    now YFE volunteers are working in Saharsa, Bihar. The contact nos
    for help line are Mumbai +91 - 9324334359, 9821871945, New Delhi-
    +91 – 9811382902,9868340420, Patna - +91 – 9308022326,
    9234616135. More can be found at
    http://youthforequality.com.
    Now the question is what happens to the money collected by outgoing
    JNUSU from JNU community?? Every time there is a national calamity
    the left parties indulge in collection of money and make profit out
    of national calamity. Last year’s community kitchen scandal is
    still fresh. Lots of money collected from the student, faculty and
    staff but no account is available.



  4. YFE will ensure that reservations should not be on the
    basis of caste, but should be based on the real backwardness and
    economic background.



  5. YFE will ensure in no uncertain term that in the campus
    must be the first 'e-governance' zone in India.



  6. YFE will ensure that DSW should notify the list of all
    hostels just before the commencement of academic session clearly
    stating the no of rooms available for fresh allotment for the
    newcomers and also the shortfall the university have to bear. This
    is especially important as every hostel asked the old student to
    vacate the room on 15th May every year. Why periodic list and why
    harassment?



  7. As per the JNUSU constitution article-13(ii), no. of
    council seats from different Schools/Centres should be like
    following: NO. OF STUDENT COUNCIL SEAT

    20-60 1

    61-100 2
    101-200 3

    201-300 4

    301 and above 5




As per the constitution the JNUSU must ensure the
increase of one council seat in SBT, SPS and SAA as their strength is
more than 60 from past many years. Also, one separate council seat
should be allotted for SCMM, which has been included with BIC till
now, since both centers have more than 30 students. YFE will ensure
all this.



With these ideals and many more YFE is again contesting the 2008
JNUSU election. We believe that during the last many years precious
little has been done for the University and hence JNU is not figured
in the best 400 universities of the world. YFE is committed for the
excellence of JNU with the support of student community.










Central
panel


Vikram
Singh - President


Brundaban
Mishra - Vice President


Amit
Ranjan – General Secretary


Raghiv
Akhtar - Joint Secretary





Frame1






SCHOOL
OF LANGUAGE, LITERATURE AND CULTURE


Councillors:


Pankaj
Kumar Choubey


Pranav


Pratyush


Mohitashir
Ahemad


Nandan


SCHOOL
OF SOCIAL SCIENCES


Vinod
kumar


SCHOOL
OF LIFE SCIENCES


Councillors:


Bibhor
Gupta


Gautam
Kr. Tanti


Prakhya


SCHOOL
OF BIO-TECHNOLOGY



Councilor: Sibendra


SCHOOL
OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY


Councilor: Arvind
Singh Mer



Manish
Mishra


Chief Campaign
Coordinator

Monday, October 20, 2008

YFE Pamphlet 19.10.2008

YOUTH
FOR EQUALITY


19.10.08


Why
Youth For Equality is the need of the hour??



In the aftermath of Shri Rajiv Gandhi’s death, India stops
producing true national leaders capable of running India without
indulging in caste politics! Many caste based parties mushroomed and
the national parties were also sided with one or other caste. The
result is a divided India in the line of caste, creed, religion and
region. There is no political party now who can claim to represent a
united India. Campus never remained untouched from this divisive
caste politics and the reflection of this nasty politics can be seen
with a more sinister face. A good part of study time inside the
campus now devoted to discuss the benefit and loss of belonging to
one caste or another.


Today
only North Indian students who are on their way to appear in Railway
Examination in Mumbai are beaten black and blue by the Maharashtra
Navnirman Sena. Youth For Equality condemns such act and committed to
end it not by word but through genuine means.


We
believe in the essential Indian ideal that we are not constrained by
the circumstances of birth but can make of our lives what we will.
Unfortunately, for too many, that ideal is not a reality. We have
more work to do. Youth For Equality will fight to end discrimination
based on race, sex, ethnicity, national origin, language, religion,
gender identity, age, and disability in every corner of our country,
because that's the India we believe in.



We aim at Casteless society i.e. society where there is no
discrimination on the basis of birth mark. Education for All
with special emphasis on women and children education. Good
Governance,
that is Sensitive, honest, transparent, pro-people.
Employment opportunity for all the needy people. The Gandhian
model of employment, where a delicate balance of man and machine,
must be followed as India is a populous country. Health for all in
a healthy environment
. Develop and consolidate a feeling of
National Unity among people irrespective of religion, caste or
province. Promote and nurture excellence to make India a superpower.


What we
have achieved??



  • The
    agitation of Youth For Equality generated debate, tact and talk in
    the whole country. This has resulted huge increase of educational
    infrastructure.


  • Not
    a single medical or engineering seat has even been increased in the
    history of independent India despite the large increase of student
    population and demand. It is because of Youth For Equality there is
    now provision for massive increase of seats in all institutions of
    repute which includes IITs, IIMs, AIIMS, Centrally Funded Medical
    Colleges and Institutions.


  • YFE
    forced the national government to offer a whopping Rs. 224 Crores
    for JNU specific grant alone to increase infrastructure. This is not
    sufficient but vital at this hour. Not a single penny the leftist,
    rightist or centrist student body ever generated for our own
    university.


  • The
    YFE restrained the entire political class inside the campus and
    outside to implement the irrational OBC reservation policy for two
    years. Now the vacant OBC seats gone to general category students
    and no politics can be played on the implementation of OBC
    reservation.


  • Parity
    in amount of CSIR-UGC (8000/PM) Fellowship with that of UGC
    (12,000/PM) scholarship was a proud achievement of YFE! Contrary to
    this the leftist have beached the trust of the students and accepted
    lower amount (3000/5000) and unacceptable date (April 2007) for the
    release of UGC sponsored scholarship for the general category
    students.


  • The
    protest of YFE prompted the National Knowledge Commission to
    recommend 1500 new colleges (professional/Vocational) and 300 new
    Universities to be established in India.



What
we have still to achieve??



The
most important task is to force the government to provide free and
compulsory primary education to every children of India. The second
most important task will be to make reservation of any kind
irrelevant in India. This can be done through proper education and
catering the need of each person of the society.



The
argument after the OBC reservation judgment that a person with a
master degree is educationally forward hence must be discarded from
the quota benefit is still going on at the Supreme Court. This case
is very vital for all the student community and YFE is committed to
fight.



Government
raised the bar of creamy layer to 4.5 lakh and this has exposed vote
bank politics of the government and its less concern for the poor and
deprived. YFE may not leave any stone unturned to correct the
malaise. There is a stalking danger to infuse quota in private
sector. YFE believe that will hinder the economic growth and
international reputation of India. In its recent verdict Supreme
Court has already disapproved quota in private sector. Reservation
one day must be the relic of an unfortunate past and we try to end it
through collective action.



All
the campus student bodies are now become the stooge of the political
parties. There is no independence of thought and action on the part
of student themselves. YFE is committed to fill the void. Now the
time is ripe for change. Time for Youth For Equality has come.



Sunday, October 19, 2008

YFE Pamphlet 18.10.2008

YOUTH
FOR EQUALITY


18.10.08


It is now become a habit
of the campus communist that they never stop on an issue they
themselves raise and deflect the attention of the student, read
voter, to other issues every now and then without delay. The risk of
exposure of their inefficiency is always there if they address the
self imposed question. What is/are the achievement/achievements of
the outgoing JNUSU during the last one year?? Have they ever
addressed the inequality of scholarships in between the general
category students and backward category students?? Have they ever got
success in addressing the hostel crises issues?? Do they know that
even 2nd ranker general category students of various
centres are still to get hostel and do they bother to address this
issue?? What happened to the placement cell??


Now AISA
borrowing/stealing stanza from YFE’s writing ‘deep
slumber’! AISA, an organization born with the slogan of NO
MANDAL, NO KAMANDAL is now adopting the both Mandal and Kamandal!
Despite the rhetoric of AISA, OBC reservation is the most contentious
and failed policy in JNU. AISA’s deep slumber can be judged
from the fact that there is a reduction of OBC candidates in JNU
after the implementation of OBC reservation.


Lets see AISA, the self
proclaimed master of poor people at large, is behaving on OBC
reservation! The government raised the income cap of creamy layer to
4.5 lakh per annum. That means the person who is earning Rs.37,000
per month is now eligible for OBC quota. Under this circumstance YFE
wonder if the poor people, about whom AISA makes huge hue and cry,
can avail the OBC reservation benefit! YFE also wonder if AISA’s
scheme of thinking allows their conscience to term a person with
Rs.37,000 income per month as backward and eligible for OBC quota??
This is especially important when the average
income of a person in India is still less than Rs 2,500 a month.
However, after adjusting for inflation, per capita income in real
terms (at 1999-2000 prices) comes at Rs 1,873.58 monthly. Number of
people, in India, who are below poverty line is about 300 million or
30 Crore. Indirectly these sections of people are not entitled to
get any benefit of reservation! The minimum wages in India, vary from
state to state and city to city, and average Rs. 1000 - 1250/month or
Rs. 12,000 - 15,000/yr. Now these lots of AAM ADMI have to compete
with persons whose income is Rs. 37,500 per month for reservation.


MORAL:
AISA IS THE AGENTS OF CREAMY LAYER AND OBC RESERVATION IS MEANT FOR
CREAMY LAYER WITH FIRM SUPPORT OF PARTIES LIKE AISA!


It is surprising to find
that modern days Marxists are fighting for caste! This was not the
intension of even Marx himself. He was against class and the entire
communism philosophy is based on the concept of class. But remaining
active in the business of vote bank politics the communists can do
anything, lest they can shun class and adopt caste!


Our homegrown communists
and social justicewalas can learn something from the US Democratic
Presidential candidates Barak Obama. ‘Obama opposes
slavery reparations, apology’ reported
Christopher Wills in the Associated Press on 02.08.08. He
further reported that ‘Democratic presidential candidate Barack
Obama opposes offering reparations to the descendants of slaves,
putting him at odds with some black groups and leaders. The man with
a serious chance to become the nation's first black president argues
that government should instead combat the legacy of slavery by
improving schools, health care and the economy for all.’ The
Illinois Senator himself said: "I have said in the past —
and I'll repeat again — that the best reparations we can
provide are good schools in the inner city and jobs for people who
are unemployed
". If anyone suspecting this act as a vote
getting technique, he/she can comprehensively be wrong for the simple
reason that this is not a position Obama adopted just for the
presidential campaign. He voiced the same concerns about reparations
during his successful run for the Senate in 2004.


This is the most
suitable model of improving society and Youth For Equality believes
in the ideals of Senator Obama at best.


JNU is where it was
prior to the election of 2007 even more backward than the year 2007.
AISA has perfected the art of opposing valuable dignitaries’
visit to the campus. They have opposed the visit of Prime Minister
and President and now they are opposing foreign dignitaries. There
contempt for the common students is vivid. AISA is not interested in
the welfare and academic excellence of students interested in the
subject of International Relations. A new set of leadership is the
need of the hour in JNU. With the turning of time Youth For Equality
is now better prepared to lead the University and will herald the
change students are waiting since years.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

YFE Pamphlet 14.10.2008

YOUTH
FOR EQUALITY


14.10.08


Naked
discrimination


The
Supreme Court on 9th of May 2008 struck down the AIIMS Act
2007 passed by the Parliament, which sacked Dr. P. Venugopal from
AIIMS. The apex court ordered the reinstatement of former AIIMS
director P Venugopal with all honours and termed the controversial
AIIMS Act as “naked discrimination” and “one-man
legislation”.


A
similar naked discrimination is going on since 2007 in JNU.
Discrimination on the basis of caste and unequal amount of
scholarship has now become the law of JNU. Also there is a policy of
willful offer of profit and loss to reserved category students and
general category students respectively. YFE sought information from
the JNU administration under the RTI act to know the genesis of the
problem. The answer shed some light on the willful negligence of
social justice walah of JNU. While there is a vast gap in the amount
of scholarship which is Rs. 3,000 and Rs. 5,000 for the general
category students and Rs. 12,000 and 14, 000 for reserved category,
the general category student community still to come in terms with
the yardstick taken to allow this naked discrimination. The RTI
answer said:



The University Grants
Commission while communicating its approval of the fellowship scheme
@ Rs.3000/- and Rs.5000/- per month for M.Phil and Ph.D. scholars
respectively, has left it to the Universities to decide the date of
its implementation as per the availability of the funds under the X
th
Plan grant of the University.as already communicated, JNU already had
committed expenditure more than the sanctioned grant under X
th
plan and therefore, could not implement the enhanced fellowship
during the 10
th Plan period


The
question arises are – for whom the University is functioning?
For the whole student community or for a select group of castes of
JNU? Why the financial crunch attacked the general category students
only? Is the university not committed to the welfare of the general
category students? What is the role of the JNUSU? Who will go and
request them to wake up from the deep slumber and force the
administration to equalize the amount of scholarship? Why the
expenditure crunch never affected the caste certificate holders of
this university? Why there were two different dates of implementation
of scholarship – one as back as July 2005 for the reserved and
one as early as April 2007 for the unreserved??


The RTI
further says:



“On receipt of advanced
plan grant for expenditure during the XI
th plan vide UGC
letter dated 9 June, 2007 the University had started payment of
enhanced fellowship w.e.f. 1.4.2007. It has been brought to the
notice of the University that some of the Central Universities have
been paying the fellowships @Rs. 3000/- and Rs.5000/- per month to
their students from a much earlier date.”


It was
Youth For Equality, which brought to the notice of the JNU
administration that Central University, Hyderabad, BHU and some other
universities have already been paying scholarship to their students
from the year 2006. It is now becoming a habit of the JNU
administration and left led-JNUSU to disregard all the aspirations of
general category students. The University has released grant under
XIth plan as if it is doing a great mercy to the General
Category students. The Vice-Chancellor and other officials were
behaving as if they were giving this scholarship from their own
salary. But the same university opts for the mythical Karna like
generosity when it comes to the issue of scholarship for the reserved
category students.


Youth
For Equality consistently following the scholarship discrimination
issue. When YFE pressed for the equalization of the amount of
scholarship and date of release with that of the reserved category
students, the JNU Administration said:



As already communicated
to the UGC the expenditure on account of payment of fellowships as
per UGC decision dated 1-2-2007 comes to Rs.11.00 crores per annum
for the current strength of the students. An additional sum of Rs.
19.00 crores will, therefore, be required for payment of enhanced
fellowships from July, 2005”.


Friends,
now it is clear like crystal that neither the JNU administration nor
the JNUSU were keen to fight with the UGC to equalize the date of
release of scholarships to both the categories of students. JNU
Administration’s limitation is understandable! Of many
compulsions one strong compulsion might be that of Prof. B.B.
Bhattacharya, who might be eyeing for a post retirement position with
the Government so he cannot raise voice for the General category
students! But what happened to the JNUSU? They are the most worthless
creatures for the General Category students! They never raise the
issue infront of the administration, forget about pressurizing the
UGC! What is the answer of JNUSU that why it allowed this naked
discrimination to happen?? Do the near illiterate communist led JNUSU
understand what the term GENERAL CATEGORY meant?? It includes all
including SC/ST/OBC/WOMEN/MINORITY/OTHERS/HANDICAPPED!

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

YFE Pamphlet 13.10.2008

YOUTH
FOR EQUALITY


13.10.08



Humankind cannot bear too
much reality’, T.S. Eliot observed in an immortal line. The
political establishments along with the elite intellectuals have
behaved as if their constituents and audiences cannot bear the
reality on atrocity and perpetrators of these atrocities on dalit.
Many in the political establishment and in the mainstream journalism
actively twisted the narrative so that the identity of the aggressors
remains in obscurity.



Yesterday’s communal
violence in Andhra Pradesh and Caste Violence in Patna were the
testimony of T.S. Eliot’s saying.



The so called ‘backward
class movements’ in Tamil Nadu had a narrow social base, and
was led by an elite organization of Rajas, zamindars, industrialists,
lawyers, and doctors
1,
from families with generations of involvement in the government
services and the professions behind them
2.



Since the 1990s, India has
witnessed a spurt in violence against dalits. This physical violence
is perpetrated largely by the ‘backward’ castes, who
claim victim hood under Brahmins but also turn oppressors of dalits.
Tamil Nadu, home to the non-Brahmin movement, has been projected by
the political class, social scientists and policy-makers as fertile
soil for social justice. However, the Dravidian movement’s
empowerment agenda left the dalits – nineteen percent of the
population – almost untouched. In fact, dalits have been
subjected to the worst forms of violence, from being forced to
consume human excreta to being murdered for contesting local body
elections. More than being a consequence of the accumulation of power
in the hands of the intermediary castes, such violence would be
better understood as an attempt by the ‘backward’ caste
Hindus to test their new found authority on those below them.


The
‘Backward’ castes that inflict violence against dalits –
especially physical violence – do not possess full-fledged
authority in Indian society. Since the parliamentary form of
democracy introduced in post-independence India favored the wielding
of power by those who are in a majority in society, these backward
castes have, over the years, come to control political power. The
constitution of 1950 and the introduction of the concept of
secularism curtailed the religious authority of the Brahmins,
Maulavis and other priestly class and the Backward Castes were no
longer bound to be subservient to these priestly class. It was only
subsequently that economic, administrative and political power
devolved to the Backward Castes.



If we examine the violence
against dalits in this context, we will have to come to a different
conclusion altogether. Rather than seeing it a consequence of such
accumulation of power among the Backward Castes, the violence against
dalits would be better understood as an attempt by Backward Caste
Hindus to test their newfound authority on those below them. This not
to say that the Dalits are not asserting their rights
3.



Since Brahmins have been a
numerical minority in Hindu society, their violence has mostly been
symbolic; whereas the violence unleashed by the castes which are in a
numerical majority is physical in nature. Earlier, the authority to
decide whether a king could be bestowed with recognition and
legitimacy was vested with the Brahmins. The dilemma faced by
Shivaji, the Maratha ruler, in the face of such Brahmin authority is
recent in our collective memory. Today, the Brahmins wield no such
authority. The authority that has been concentrated in the hands of
the numerically strong castes has led to their power becoming
unlimited in scope.



The Vanniyar Sangam was
constituted in 1980 and evolved into the Paattali Makkal Katchi (PMK)
under the leadership of S. Ramadoss, a medical doctor. Today, the PMK
wields tremendous influence in the Vanniar belt – the northern
districts of Tamil Nadu. In 1987, they staged a weeklong roadblock to
demand 20 percent reservation for Vanniyars. During this struggle
they torched more than a thousand dalit homes. The agitation and its
success led to the subsequent political consolidation of the
Vanniyars
4.



October 4, 1998 was a black
Sunday for the people of the coastal Ramanathapuram district in
southern Tamil Nadu. Just two days after the nation celebrated the
129th birth anniversary of Mahata Gandhi, caste-related violence
rocked the villages and towns on either side of the national highway
that links this economically backward district with the city of
Madurai. Eleven persons were killed and several were injured in the
violence and the police action that followed. Six of the dead were
dalits; the five others belonged to the thevar community, a Most
Backward Class group. All the victims were from among the
economically weaker sections. Scores of houses were torched and
hundreds of people rendered homeless.



The immediate cause of the
violence was provided by a district-level rally at Ramanathapuram,
organized by the Thevarkula Kottamaippu (Thevar Federation).
According to a senior politician from a neighboring district, the
Koottamaippu is “a conglomeration of unorganized groups of
young thevar extremists who have joined the power struggle in the
Tamil Nadu Thevar Peravai”. The Thevar Peravai is said to have
been behind the many instances of violence involving thevars and
dalits that have racked the southern districts in the past five
years. Its leadership, perceived to be close to All India Anna
Dravida Mennetra Kazhagam general secretary and former Chief Minister
J. Jayalalitha, is now caught up in litigation and has been rendered
inactive
5.



Backward Caste resistance to
dalit empowerment has manifested itself in various forms since
elections to local bodies were first held in 1996 under the revised
Tamil Nadu Panchayats Act, 1994. When civic elections were held in
1996 and 2001, in several places backward caste groups attempted to
get their village panchayats removed from the reserved category. When
such attempt failed, they tried to derail the electoral process
itself by preventing dalits from filing nominations. If dalits
managed to file their papers, they were not allowed to campaign in
non dalit areas. Nondalits also resorted to poll boycott and even
used force to scare away dalits from polling booths. Caste-Hindu
resistance continued after the elections. In several places,
nondalits refused to cooperate with the elected dalit presidents and
ward members and humiliated them with the tacit approval of
caste-Hindu government officials.



Besides Paappapatti and
Keerippatti, elections to two more panchayats reserved for dalits,
Nattamanglalam in Madurai district and Kottakachiyendal in
Virudunagar district could not be held in 1996 and October 2001
because of opposition from the predominant caste-Hindu group in the
villages – piranmalaikkallars (a subcaste among thevars)
6.



M.Puliangudi is a Village
situated in Cuddalore District in Tamilnadu. This village has a
population of around 3000 in which about 300 people are Dalits and
the remaining population belongs to Vanniyar community. Vanniyars are
the landed population and regarded as OBC in Tamil Nadu. The Dalits
have to come for everything to the Vanniyar area. The shops are all
owned by the Vanniyars. The double tumbler practice is still there
and other forms of untouchability are still in practice. All the
Dalits depend on the Vanniyars for livelihood. There have been
several incidents of conflicts within the village on account of
breaking the liquor brewing pots set up by Vanniars. The village
panchayat is held in the Vanniyars' living area. Even if there is any
dispute between the Dalits, it will be tried in the Vanniyars' area.
There were also incidents of Vanniyars raping Dalit women and
adolescent girls. Since Dalits were very few in numbers, they were
submissive to all these violent incidents.



The pillar in memory of the
people who gave their lives during the clashes between Dalits and
Vanniyars is a symbolic witness of the oppression by the Vanniyars
for the past several years. The pillar says it symbolically
represents the peace between both the communities. The Dalit leaders
claim that within the past two years in the district of cuddalore
itself there were 20 Dalits killed and in none of the cases proper
justice was done to the victims. Although there is clear evidence in
all the cases that, there is an involvement of arrack brewers from
the Vanniars side, rarely they are arrested. The killing of three
Dalits in the village of M.Puliangudi should be seen in this
background. On 25th May 2000 Karthik a Vanniyar boy went into the
house where a Dalit girl was alone and raped her. The Women Sangha
leader Vasantha and others caught him red handed and asked him why he
had done like this. Then they took him to the Vanniyar area, met the
leaders and asked them to marry him to the Dalit girl. The Vanniyar
leaders asked for three days time so that they can decide and tell
them about the issue. Mean while at midnight on 26th May 2000 three
Dalit youths were killed in a very mysterious way
7.



In the late 1980s in
Chenaganambatti village in Madurai district, Tamil Nadu, 9.5 acres of
idle land belonging to a temple under the Hindu Religious Endowment
Act were auctioned and sold to villagers for cultivation. At the
time, some 500,000 acres of such idle land existed in Tamil Nadu.
Caste Hindus did not allow Dalits to take part in the auction. In
1989 Dalits began demanding participation and, in1992, finally
succeeded in entering the auction. Caste Hindus protested and
appealed to the commissioner of the Hindu Religious Endowment Act, a
central government official. The commissioner decreed that the lands,
once bought at auction, legally belonged to the Dalits. One month
later, and in broad daylight, one hundred members of the Kallar
community, an upper-caste group, invaded and destroyed nine acres of
paddy (rice) fields belonging to Dalits. In subsequent attacks, the
Kallars murdered two Dalit men and assaulted three Dalit women, who
sustained head injuries. As the leader of the Dalit Panthers movement
in Tamil Nadu recalled: They just cut their throat on the road even
though the land belongs to Dalits, they (the Dalit owners) cannot
plow it, even today. The accused were never punished. No trial took
place
8.



Intellectuals living outside
Tamil Nadu imagine that the dalits and the Backward Castes here are
living in harmony. This is the image that has been created by
Dravidian intellectuals conversant with English. However the ground
reality is quite the opposite.



This has led to a more
fundamental question: why are Upper OBCs not adequately represented
in institutions of higher learning? Are they socially stigmatized? Do
they lack resources? Have they been prevented from entering better
schools? Even a frail mind would answer in the negative. Consider
the consequences. In the recent Mandal II agitation, India's two
leading news channels - NDTV and CNN-IBN, decided to do
pro-reservation stories. One way to showcase the value of reservation
was to profile achievers who had once used this privilege at the
entry point in education and jobs. Without any exception, all the
stories featured Dalit achievers, though Mandal II deals with Upper
OBCs alone. There is a history behind this. During upper OBCs
anti-Brahmin movement in Tamil Nadu, sufferings of Dalits were
highlighted to morally legitimize their voices. When the Upper OBC
movement in northern India begun replicating the Tamil experience,
here too Dalits' suffering were highlighted. How the Upper OBCs have
been treating Dalits in return?





Sd/
Sd/


Brundaban
Mishra






1
Beteille, Andre, 1969, Castes Old and New: Essays in Social
Structure and Social Stratification, Bombay: Asia Publishing House,
pg. 176.




2
Washbrook, D.A., 1977, The Emergence of Provincial Politics: The
Madras Presidency, 1870-1920, New Delhi: Vikas Publishing House, pg.
279.




3
S. Viswanathan, Dalit in Dravidland(2005) this book is compiled from
the reports of Human Right Watch and Frontline, Navayana Pub.,
Pundicherry, pg. xi-xii.




4
S. Viswanathan, Dalit in Dravidland(2005), this book is compiled
from the reports of Human Right Watch and Frontline, Navayana Pub.,
Pundicherry, pg. xxiii-xxxvii.




5
S. Viswanathan, Dalit in Dravidland(2005), this book is compiled
from the reports of Human Right Watch and Frontline, Navayana Pub.,
Pundicherry, pg. 101.




6
S. Viswanathan, Dalit in Dravidland(2005), this book is compiled
from the reports of Human Right Watch and Frontline, Navayana Pub.,
Pundicherry, pg.198-202,215-216.




7
As appeared in Human Rights Forum for Dalit Liberation, Villupuram,
http://www.ambedkar.org/News/hl/Brutal%20Murder.htm.




8
The Context of Caste Violence, Broken People, Caste Violence Against
India’s Untouchables, Published by Human Right Watch,
Washington, 1999.
http://www.hrw.org/reports/1999/india/