Monitoring Indian Communists - 2

[Guest]

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->NGO pulls curtains down on ‘anti-US’ Pak play
ASIT SRIVASTAVA
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
http://indianexpress.com/full_story.php?co...ti-US’~Pak~play

LUCKNOW, NOVEMBER 29: For these 11 theatre actors from Pakistan, the
show has ended even before it began. Invited by an NGO — the Women’s
Initiative for Peace in South Asia (WIPSA) — to stage plays across the
country, the Pakistani troupe was allegedly told to pack their bags
because their production, Zikr-e-Nashunida (Discussing the Unheeded),
expressed anti-US sentiments.

Speaking to Newsline, Sheema Kermani, head of the Karachi-based group,
alleged that one of the WIPSA members — the organisers — warned them
that if they continued to go against US sentiments through their play,
they would be handed over to the police. The NGO also reportedly
threatened to take away their tickets if they didn’t leave the city as
soon as possible.

And at around 7 am today, the Pakistani actors were made to leave their
accommodation at Isabella Thoubourn College. Later in the day,
<b>Magsaysay awardee Sandeep Pandey</b> stepped in to their aid, making arrangements for their stay at a city hotel. When contacted,<b> Nirmala Deshpande</b>, founder member of WIPSA, said: ‘‘It’s very shocking. Bahut galat hua. Sandeep told me about the sequence of events that took place today... It’s
shameful.’’

According to Kermani, their play focussed on the aftermath of war,
especially in relation to the Vietnam war. ‘‘In our show, we
highlighted images of wars that often go unheard and unrecorded. WIPSA reacted very strongly to this. So strongly that the NGO, which invited us to India,
has now left us stranded,’’ she said.

‘‘They asked us to change the theme as they claimed it went against
American sentiments. All this has been done because the NGO is
financially supported by the Ford Foundation, an American
organisation,’’ alleged Kermani, whose family is originally from
Lucknow.

According to the Pakistani troupe, WIPSA had readily accepted the theme
of their play when they issued the invite about two months back. ‘‘They
called us to stage our play at Lucknow, Varanasi and Bhubaneswar,’’
said Kermani.

They were part of the NGO’s programme to ‘‘create culture of peace
through stage shows’’, for which they had invited theatre groups from
South Asian countries. Among the other participants were actors from
Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka.

The Pakistani actors arrived in the city on November 24, in time for
the first performance in the city on November 27 which was held as
scheduled. They were all set to leave for Varanasi for their second
show on November 30, when WIPSA pulled down the curtains.

So, even as the organisers and the other teams left for Varanasi, the
Pakistanis were told to go home, much before their scheduled departure
on December 8. The Bhubaneswar performance was to have been staged on
December 3.

Interestingly, the director of the play is an Indian — Prasanna
Ramaswamy. ‘‘Initially, we presented an excerpt of our play at a city
school whose administration had invited us to participate in a
programme based on nuclear disarmament. The organisers had then
reprimanded us for participating in the programme without their
permission,’’ he said.

‘‘Later, when we pointed out that we hadn’t signed any agreement
prohibiting us from performing outside, they asked us to change the
theme of our play. Since we refused to bow before them, they resorted
to such an action,’’ added Ramaswamy.

Meanwhile, Magsaysay awardee Sandeep Pandey said: ‘‘They were to leave
India on December 8, but they will be heading for Pakistan within a
couple of days. They are slated to reach Delhi tomorrow.’’
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

[Guest]

Should we also have a thread for monitoring Indian NGOs funded by US and US orgs.
This news piece connects usual suspects (Indian leftists <-> Ford Foundation)

<!--QuoteBegin-k.ram+Nov 29 2005, 08:33 PM-->QUOTE(k.ram @ Nov 29 2005, 08:33 PM)<!--QuoteEBegin-->‘‘They asked us to change the theme as they claimed it went against
American sentiments. All this has been done because the NGO is
<b>financially supported by the Ford Foundation, an American
organisation</b>,’’ alleged Kermani, whose family is originally from
Lucknow.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

[Guest]

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Should we also have a thread for monitoring Indian NGOs funded by US and US orgs.
This news piece connects usual suspects (Indian leftists <-> Ford Foundation)<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
There are two other thread which we are using for this purpose.
IRDF thread and anti India/Hindu charity thread

[Guest]

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->http://southasia.oneworld.net/article/view/123048/1/1893
  
Indian NGOs Build People�s Movement on WTO Ministerial
Rahul Kumar
OneWorld South Asia
29 November 2005

  NEW DELHI, Nov 29 (OneWorld South Asia) - Dozens of Indian civil
society organizations have formed a People�s Caravan to lobby with the
Indian government against the proposed World Trade Organization (WTO)
agreements. The People�s Caravan, which is holding a mass awareness campaign
all over the country, has already reached millions of Indians through
rallies, public meetings and street plays.

  In a press conference on Friday, activists from a number of
grassroots civil society organizations warned the people that accepting WTO
agreements would lead Indians to another era of colonization by
multinational companies (MNCs) and the worst affected would be the marginalized
communities and the poor people.

  The People�s Caravan is part of a global effort under which
international and regional civil society organizations have joined together to
educate people in different countries.

  Providing an insight to the demands by the caravan, <b>Indu Prakash
Singh of ActionAid India</b> raised objections to the high subsidies, upto $300
million, provided by the European Union and the US to their farmers.
These subsidies, he pointed out, are much high in comparison to those
provided by the developing countries.

  He also opposed the existing norms of non-tariff barriers imposed by
developed countries on the import from the developing countries.
Present conditionalities in the WTO draft will further increase the trade
imbalance between the rich and the poor countries. His advice for the
Indian government was: �To negotiate hard and to keep the welfare of the
Indian farmers in mind.�

  Director of Nirman Mazdoor Sangathan, which works with unorganized
workers in the construction sector, Subhash Bhatnagar said that 93 per
cent Indian workers are in the unorganized sector and are also outside
the purview of social security schemes. He added: �Globalization and the
WTO will further deprive unorganized workers as existing employment
opportunities will shrink for them.�

  The People�s Caravan was launched in India on 24 October and seeks to
educate people about the impact of WTO on people who live in peripheral
and rural areas of India. <b>The caravan is highlighting the impact of
globalization, privatization and urbanization on Dalits, tribals, women,
forest dwellers and workers in the unorganized sector. </b>

  The sites for launching the People�s Caravan in various parts of
India have a historical significance. Most of the places have been
signposts in India�s struggle for independence and include sites like the
Jallianwala Bagh in Punjab and Champaran in Bihar. Though the underlying
tone for creating awareness is the WTO, people in different regions in
India are taking up local and regional issues that are close to them.

  President of Bal Vikas Dhara, which works with marginalized and slum
children, Devinder Kumar said that shopping malls, urbanization and
beautification of Indian cities is causing large scale urban unemployment.

Giving an example he said: �Services like water, electricity and solid
waste management are being handed over to the private sector.

Unorganized workers are losing their jobs and their families are getting
dislocated.�

  Ram Kishan of Aashray Adhikar Abhiyan (AAA), an NGO that works on
providing shelter to the homeless said: �The government has not been
elected to sell off the resources of the country to the MNCs. It has to
provide water, power and other necessities to the people at affordable
prices.�

  Speaking at the press conference, Anil Chaudhary from the Indian
Social Action Forum presented a completely radical perspective of WTO. He
said: �WTO is fundamentally wrong. Its predecessor � GATT (General
Agreement on Trade and Tariffs) � was to regulate only factory-made produce
and not agriculture. Agricultural production cannot be regulated as it
depends upon climate and natural factors therefore farm produce should
not be regulated under WTO.�

  Chaudhary added that tinkering with WTO rules and agreements will not
help the cause of the developing world. He suggested a more radical
solution: �We want the WTO to be completely scrapped. International trade
is not a new thing. It has been carried out for centuries and in better
ways.�

  The regional caravans that pass through almost all of India will
culminate in a final protest march in Delhi on December 10. The People�s
Caravan has sought permission to present a memorandum to the President
regarding their demands and expectations from the government. Selected
members from the caravan will join the global protests at the WTO
ministerial at Hong Kong.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

[Guest]

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Gujarat: A Work in Progress & Lesser Humans (Venth Chetha)</b>

Two Films by K. Stalin & the Drishti Media Collective

@ the Brecht Forum, NYC
Tuesday, Dec 6 2005 @ 7:30 PM

<b>Gujarat: A Work in Progress</b> -- In March 2002, the neo-fascist Hindutva
movement in India unleashed a State sponsored pogropm that left more
than 3000 Indian Muslims dead in Gujarat, India.

Through interviews with survivors, this film reconstructs the
systematic carnage unleashed on the minorities in Ahmedabad from
28th February 2002 onwards. The film is a work in progress and
was put together to be submitted to the National
Human Rights Commission when it first visited Gujarat in the third week
of March 2002. K. Stalin and the Drishti media collective are based in
Ahmedabad, one of the prime sites of the massacre, and recorded the
carnage even as it was unfolding.

35 minutes. Hindi, Gujarati with
English Sub-titles

<b>Lesser Humans (Venth Chetha)</b>-- 50 years of Independence have not
changed the lives of the Bhangis in Gujarat, who even today continue the
profession prescribed to them by the caste system -- manually disposing
human excreta. This film investigates the factors responsible for the
continuance of this often banned inhuman practice.

59 min. Gujarati, English. 1998


451 West Street, New York, NY 10014- (212) 242-4201
For directions go to: www.brechtforum.org

Suggested donation: $4/6/8/10 <b>(nobody will be turned away) </b>  <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo-->  <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo--> <i>(ofcourse not)</i>

for more info
call 212 242 4201<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

[Guest]

THERE YOU HAVE IT - ARYANS CAME FROM KAZAKISTAN !!


Pune, September 9: Fresh evidence suggests that the home of the Aryans was near Kazhakstan, around Altai Dagh, also called the ‘golden mountain.’ It is highly likely that the Aryans migrated from this region around 10,000 years ago due to adverse environment and reached Afghanistan and India, said archaeologist MK Dhavalikar, emphasising that Lokmanya Tilak’s theory of the Arctic home of the Vedas was not far off the mark.

Dhavalikar was speaking on ‘The Aryans: Old problem and new evidence’ on the occasion of the 80th death anniversary of R G Bhandarkar, at the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute (BORI) on Thursday.

‘‘The Rig Vedic Aryans have recorded their memory in a hymn which says that many days have passed before sunrise. This points to a cold place nearer the Northern Pole. The reference to Mount Meru, mountain of gold, in the Puranas then points to Altai Dagh,’’ said Dhavalikar.

While they may have come from outside India, they lived in the Sapta-Sindhu area, the region bound by the river Sindhu in the west and Saraswati in the east, where they stayed for 7,000 years, said Dhavalikar, adding that whether to call them outsiders after such a long stay depended on one’s perspective.

He pointed as evidence recent publication about excavations at Mehrgarh in present day Baluchistan. The Harappan ancestry can now be stretched back by a couple of millennia thanks to the Mehrgarh excavation findings, said Dhavalikar. ‘‘Here, the significant period between 4500 to 3800 BC shows the arrival of new people who introduced wheel-made painted pottery, mother goddess worship and copper. They seem to have come from through neighbouring Afghanistan and later, after 4000 BC started to spread into the Saraswati valley where further development into the urban Harappan and its degenerate form, the Late Harappans can be traced in unbroken succession,’’ he said.

‘‘There is also evidence of some Aryan branches migrating from India due to harsh conditions — tectonic movement, drying up of water sources — to West Asia, due to similarities in languages and motifs,’’ said Dhavalikar.

The function was chaired by Deccan College director K Padayya and was conducted by honorary secretary, M G Dhadphale. The institute released eight publications.

http://cities.expressindia.com/full...p?newsid=147855

[Bhootnath]

Hi!

I hear Mukund Menon of notorious CHRO - Kerala is no more..
It seems even his Heart was not willing to with him and he had heart attack.

I am not shedding any tears.

When Punyanis , Bidwais and Nayyar will go..

[Guest]

xposting Mitra's post from BJP thread.

<!--QuoteBegin-Mitra+Dec 16 2005, 01:57 PM-->QUOTE(Mitra @ Dec 16 2005, 01:57 PM)<!--QuoteEBegin-->How to win elections - now this is a pretty complex issue.

Do not make the big mistake, performance alone does not suffice. As a Govt. the NDA performed excellently on nearly all fronts. Economy, Industry, tourism,etc. - and not to ignore liberalisation, which is responsible for the resugent India we see today. The agriculture scene was reasonable, not too good but not bad either. Progress was there though slow. However its non performance on its core ideological issues was what got it out of power by alienating its core votebank. Whenever a party wants to win solely on performance - it turns the common voter into a very selfish mode. He tends to think "ok if everything is going so well and everybody is making good, let me calculate exactly what good things have happened to me - mujhe kya mila?" And believe me, however high may be the performance index of the govt. concerned, it more often than not does not add up favourably. People tend to forget their blessings and concentrate on the blemishes. There is also another factor. Every developement happens in a trickle down mode and certain sections utilise and exploit the gains of a good economy earlier than the others. In India currently the most benefitted section is not the rich but the middle and upper middle classes. However rather large chunks of these classes have started to consider themselves as too cool to vote. Thus while the benefitted and the well disposed stays home and watches TV, those that feel a grudge rush out to vote, determined to make it a day of reckoning for the present govt. This has happened to every party and every goverment who has tried to win elections solely on performance.

Only ideology does not suffice either. The prime example of this is the CPM of Kerala (NOT of WB) which has lost every alternate election.

Elections under normal circumstances (when nobody is emotionally charged due to some reason or other) are generally won by a judicious mix of both performance and ideology. And a large dollop of realpolitik, basically its - whom to subdue, whom to promote and whom to buy out. And the permutations and combination of these equations change frequently. Nobody advertises it, everybody does it. Politics is the most undiluted form of worldliness and materialism. Anyone who is searching for saints in this sphere is deluding himself/herself.

jay_dk, ashyam, ben_ami

How does the CPM holds on to power in WB for 30 years? To do justice to this topic would require pages and pages. But here's the nutshell.

It is undeniable that for the first two phases (1977-1987) the CPM did a lot of work targetted towards its core constituency in the State - the rural poor. This was achieved through mainly two means - land reforms and social empowerment of the backward castes. Both these policies went haywire in later stages but the goodwill they earned for the first ten years have stood them in good stead for the next 20. Though the factor of Caste is weak in Bengal still this "empowerment" angle has a little twist. It is not that the poor or backward has had their lot improved to a great deal. Empowerment really meant that the party cadres were given free reign to help themselves with the land and goods of the opposing "classes". This earned them their loyalty and votes.

2. The Party totally infiltrated and controlled the academia and intelligentia. Till the middle of the 1990's nearly 99% percent of the School, Collage and University teachers posts were filled only by people subscribing to the Marxist ideology. So were the other academic bodies and research institutes. It is this part of the strategy that brainwashed the youth of a whole state for 2 full decades.

3. Realpolitik. Half of CPM's total efforts were used to play the weaknesses and differences of its opponents. It is wrong to assume that WB CPM used extreme violence (like Kerala) to subdue its opponents. Differences in opponent ranks were eagerly exploited. Weaker leaders of the opponent parties were actively assisted with money, men and the "influence" they were allowed to employ in govt. circles and other places sometimes surpassed even hardcore party office bearers! The sole reason for this policy was to promote a weak leadership in the opposition which is beholden to the CPM for its prominence and influence. Many a time CPM deliberately fielded lightweights against chosen opposition leaders and the party cadres were ordered to work against the official party candidate. Subsequently when these leaders won they did the CPM's bidding either in Delhi or Kolkata. This, in a nutshell, is the secret why the Left Front keeps winning WB decade after decade, although the vote % of the left has never surpassed 41-43%.

One very important factor to notice between the two so called 'Organised Political Parties' of India CPM and BJP is that the CPM clearly identifies its core votebank and unabashedly promotes its interests, whatever and wherever they might be, thereby winning their loyalty and fidelity. In close run contests it is this votebank which tides them over. They simply do not care what the media says or does. Whatever keeps them in power, they stick with it. In these matters their intellectual communities are well utilised to provide a veneer of sophistication for the more unpalatable activities. Everybody knows how the BJP treats its votebank and the whirlwind of resentment such treatment reaped.

Although, as a parting shot, it must be said that the Superb focus and Organisation of the CPM can be maintained only because it is a very small party influential in two small states, however all pervading that influence might be there. It is nearly impossible for any pan-india party to maintain such a tight structure.
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[Guest]

Mitra, on page 2 i had xposted a link (Ram had set a context with an excerpt from another paper)

http://www.mises.org/story/1952

Perhaps we are in a state of affairs where envy is indeed a huge factor in elections. In that sense perhaps elections is a battle of emotions. We saw in LS 2004 that envy trumped feel-good.

[Guest]

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Left agenda to cripple economy </b>
Pinoeer.com
New Delhi

If the Left parties have their way, you will be paying more for committing the `sin' of living a comfortable life.The proposal being mooted by the Red brigade to help government mobilise additional revenue in place of divestment of profit-making non-Navratna PSUs, wants you to pay for an array of things including your marriage bash and the pleasure of shopping

In the booming age of consumerism, the Left's proposal will amount to setting the clock back. Though the Left parties have still not decided the final blue print, which they would submit before the Government, many of these proposals were submitted by the Left last year too.

<b>* Pay for going to shopping malls.
* Pay more on hotel expenses.
* Pay surcharge on diesel on family cars.
* Pay for big marriage bash.
* Pay more on corporate spending.
* Pay on agrarian income
* Raise tax-GDP ratio to 12 per cent from existing 7 per cent.
* Widen tax net & put more tax pressure on corporate houses.
* Increase tax on conspicuous consumption & high value purchases.
* Charge levy from stock exchange brokers.</b>
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

[Guest]

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Ramdev: Coke and Karat targeting me </b>
Pioneer News Service / Lucknow 
In a prompt rejoinder to CPI-M leader Brinda Karat's allegations that animal parts and human bones were being used in ayurvedic medicines prepared by his pharmacy, Baba Ramdev said he was ready for a probe into the matter and accused Karat of acting at the behest of multi-national companies.

Alleging that ever since he began his campaign against Cola companies and allopathic drugs, MNCs had been targeting him, he said, "There is a ploy to destroy my entire effort of restoring yoga culture in the Indian family.''

Terming the allegations of using non-vegetarian substances in his herbal drugs as baseless, Swami Ramdev said in Lucknow on Tuesday that his firm, Divya Yog Pharmacy manufactured drugs in keeping with ayurvedic standards and had been certified by the Government.

Samples of medicines prepared by Divya Yog Pharmacy had never been collected officially and, therefore, no testing was carried out to ascertain whether it contained animal parts and human bones, he added.

He said that there were two separate companies, namely Divya Pharmacy and Divya Yog Pharmacy and the one whose samples were collected was not his.

Brinda Karat had alleged that Ramdev's medicines not only contained animal and human parts but also violated licensing and labelling provisions.

<b>Sample this!</b>
* Unlike norms for drugs testing, the alleged samples were not collected by independent health inspectors or state drug controllers, but by CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat herself

<b>* Samples collected and sent by Ms Karat to Department of AYUSH for examination were labelled Divya Pharmacy, Rishikesh in Uttranchal. Ramdev's unit is Dviya Yog Pharmacy, Khankal near Haridwar.

* Joint Secretary's letter to Ms Karat, which was distributed to media, said analysis report of the samples had been received. But did not say whether or not the Ayurvedic medicines contained animal parts and human skulls, as alleged by the CPI(M) leader.</b>

* The letter said prima facie there was a violation of "licensing and labelling" provisions anda sked the Uttranchal Governemnt to pursue the matter under Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

how they had verified its human skull not bones from leg? Why they have sent it to AYUSH not any government agency?
These commies are scared of Ramdev popularity.

[Guest]

I already had Swami Ramdev's Yoga VCDs. I have checked their web site also. He is very very popular for popularising Yog as prime healing mechanism and people have realized it that is why they flock to his programmes.

Now that commie Brinda Karat is officially trying to defame him means it is time for us to double our efforts in purchasing, encouraging, donating all things Swami Ramdev comes up with <!--emo&:devil--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/devilsmiley.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='devilsmiley.gif' /><!--endemo-->

[Guest]

Swami Ramdev has gained immense popularity.

Just a few weeks ago, my parents told me how popular his programs are and how increasingly large number of people are taking up yoga-pranayama etc because of him. My parents were quite enthusiastic about his teachings.

[Guest]

I am a commie and I have been taught that religion and patriotism is opium of masses. Yoga is Hindu religion and look at all those fanatics saluting the sun, must be on high quality crack. If my masters in China can kick Falun gong butt why can't I the commie queen brinda karat do so too. I am sure my brother in law will give me enough footage on NDTV.
Lal Salam.

[Guest]

<!--QuoteBegin-Ashok Kumar+Jan 4 2006, 04:17 AM-->QUOTE(Ashok Kumar @ Jan 4 2006, 04:17 AM)<!--QuoteEBegin-->Swami Ramdev has gained immense popularity.

Just a few weeks ago, my parents told me how popular his programs are and how increasingly large number of people are taking up yoga-pranayama etc because of him.  My parents were quite enthusiastic about his teachings.
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http://o3.indiatimes.com/rediscoveringindi...9.aspx#Comments
Yes Baba Ramdevji has immense following. I will write the personal experience of my falimy later . In the meantime go through comments and see what a lot of people think of this 24 karat crap.

[Guest]

http://www.dailypioneer.com/indexn12.asp?m...t&counter_img=1
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--> Left spits and runs

The Pioneer Edit Desk

The Left, especially the CPI(M), has mastered the sinister art of hurling unfounded allegations, maligning individuals and organisations, and peddling slander as 'truth'. Witness the manner in which CPI(M) Politburo member and Rajya Sabha MP Brinda Karat has levelled serious and potentially damaging charges against Baba Ramdev and the Ayurvedic medicines prepared and marketed by his Divya Yog Pharmacy at Khankal near Haridwar in Uttaranchal.

In a sensational 'disclosure', Ms Karat has claimed that Baba Ramdev's Ayurvedic medicines contain animal and human parts and that these contents are not listed on the label as required under the law. To buttress her outrageous claim, she has also produced a letter from the Union Health Ministry. What does not seem to have struck her - or perhaps she chose to ignore the contents of the letter, smug in the belief that a Comrade's word is taken as the absolute truth - is that the Health Ministry has not endorsed her slanderous charge.

On the contrary, it has pointed out, and this merits reiteration, that the samples were collected by her and not by independent inspectors or State drug controllers as per established procedure; that they were labelled as products of Divya Pharmacy, Rishikesh and not Divya Yog Pharmacy, Khankal; and, that Uttaranchal authorities have been asked to take further action.

Most important, the letter does not mention that the samples had any trace of animal or human parts. Yet, Ms Karat, in true Communist style, has chosen to spit and run, confident that neither she nor the CPI(M) will ever be made accountable for such gross and defamatory misrepresentation. Baba Ramdev has been prompt in countering the allegations, but if he were to opt for legal remedy, we can be sure that the Left as a whole will unleash a venomous campaign, tarring him and his millions of followers for daring to challenge the Marxist version of 'truth'.

Of course, there is the other possibility that Ms Karat will just refuse to turn up in court, feigning illness or indisposition. That example was set by Comrade Harkishen Singh Surjeet, who, after wilfully maligning actor Anupam Kher and hounding him out of the Censor Board, did not have the courage to respond to court summons in a subsequent defamation case.

However, the essential cowardice - a trait shared by all bullies - of our Leftists need not detain us. What is of concern to society at large is the Left's, more notably the CPI(M)'s, nefarious campaign against Baba Ramdev's attempt to revive indigenous and traditional systems of medicine which, in the long run, could dent the profit margins of multinational drug companies. Ironically, Ms Karat, while promoting her twisted perception of this nation and its traditions, has served a blow for the very MNCs whom her party misses no chance to berate.

Or is the Left's anti-MNC rhetoric merely a ruse to mislead the masses? There may be more than a grain of truth in Baba Ramdev's counter-charge; the history of Communism is replete with amazing tales of strange and apparently inexplicable alliances. It is, after all, an ideology preached with a forked tongue.

This paper believes that irrespective of the individuals involved, if the law has been violated, the guilty should be punished. But judgement cannot be pronounced by Ms Karat and her comrades who have little regard for facts and even lesser respect for truth. India is a democracy governed by the law of the land, not a Communist dictatorship ruled by commissars.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

[Guest]

Brinda Karat's real ailment. May be Prannoy "commie" Roy is itching to give appropriate "coverage" to the Swamiji.

Swami tastes Left's ire

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Swami tastes Left's ire

The Communists' tirade against Ramdev shows that the UPA's economic policies favour big business and foreign companies, says Anuradha Dutt

What ails CPI(M) politburo member Brinda Karat? This is a question that popular yoga guru Swami Ramdev's followers might well be asking after her renewed onslaught on the savant, known for prescribing ayurvedic and yogic nostrums for maladies, and for MNC-bashing.

Some months ago, Ms Karat had launched a similar assault, which soon receded from the news. Her tirade this time is along familiar lines, charging the Swami with manufacturing and selling ayurvedic products that contain powdered human bones and animal parts.

The Communist leader's attack is on two counts. One, vegetarians are not aware that his medicines contain non-vegetarian ingredients. And, two, by not listing these components on the products, the yogi had flouted licensing and labelling rules, set down by the Government. The charges, levied by a senior Communist leader, would certainly merit serious attention if only there were not so many lacunae in the case.

These have been pointed out by the accused himself. <b>First, there is no proof that the samples found faulty by the department of AYUSH (ayurveda, yoga and naturopathy, unani, siddha and homoeopathy) are medicines made by his pharmacy, since they were collected by Ms Karat and not by independent investigators. Further, the labels carry the name Divya Pharmacy, Rishikesh, while his own manufacturing unit is called Divya Yog Pharmacy and is located at Kankhal.</b>

<b>Second, the letter issued by the department of AYUSH, the basis for Ms Karat's campaign, though stating "a violation of licensing and labelling provisions of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act (DCA), 1940", does not mention the presence of animal and human components in the medicines, meant for epilepsy and impotency. And, finally, the Swami detects the foreign hand, in this case, that of MNCs', in the campaign against him.</b>

Not one to mince words, Swami Ramdev came on various private news channels shortly after the controversy erupted to <b>question the motives for targeting him.</b> On her part, Ms Karat, by single-mindedly focusing attention on the Swami, among a host of yoga exponents and religious gurus who have stormed television channels, <b>has stoked doubts about her own impartiality.</b>

While there are others besides the Swami, who revile MNC fast foods, colas and pharmaceuticals as being injurious to health, <span style='color:red'>none has chosen to propagate the Sanatan way of life - that is, India's Hindu heritage, geared towards natural living - in such a concerted fashion.</span> Gujarat's widely watched Asaramji Maharaj, for instance, dismisses the ubiquitous kurkure as putrid but not with the same fervour as, say, <b>Swami Ramdev, who repeatedly debunks colas and their ilk, that he advises should be used as pesticides.</b> His forceful advocacy of ayurvedic medicines in place of allopathic remedies for common ailments is similarly geared towards a swadeshi revolution.

There can be no disputing the Swami's growing popularity, or his impact on millions of viewers across the world as the reach of satellite television extends to other continents. The vast Indian diaspora certainly has appreciated his message. Part of the same section supports the VHP's campaign for restoring Hindu pilgrimages, vandalised by Muslim invaders, and is reported to be funding revivalist Hindus. Even worse, so far as the Communists are concerned, in the red bastions of Kerala and West Bengal, which is scheduled to elect a new Assembly this year, Swami Ramdev is watched raptly by many among the Left's loyal vote-bank.

<b>In the event that his incessant invocation of ancient wisdom has managed to influence some of his viewers, the possibility of their political re-alignment is very real.</b> This might benefit the saffron camp at the hustings, or, at least, reduce the Communists' tally. For, among the galaxy of television gurus, <b>the Swami is the most overtly political in his sermons, which propagate cultural and economic nationalism more effectively</b> than the rabble-rousing of Hindutva activists.

<b><span style='color:red'>It is notable that the attack on the Swami should have occurred in the wake of a concerted campaign against alternative medicine, especially homoeopathy and ayurveda, in the West.</span></b> In the United States, certain aurvedic medicines have recently been banned for high mercury content. While allopathic medicine, especially surgery, has its virtues, especially in emergency cases that require expeditious treatment, alternative therapies are too often seen as a counter-measure, representing a different worldview and lifestyle that stresses the spiritual over the material. The conflict boils down to a clash between cultures and ideologies.

In the present instance, the CPI(M)'s clout with the ruling coalition has ensured that the Uttaranchal Government will conduct an enquiry into the Swami's ayurvedic work. Significantly, the Congress-led UPA's economic policies favour big business and foreign companies.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

[Guest]

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->I am a commie and I have been taught that religion and patriotism is opium of masses. Yoga is Hindu religion and look at all those fanatics saluting the sun, must be on high quality crack. If my masters in China can kick Falun gong butt why can't I the commie queen brinda karat do so too. I am sure my brother in law will give me enough footage on NDTV.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Other factor-
Aastha and Sanskar Channels are popular in India, US, Europe and Africa.
NDTV is trying very hard to make money abroad, so this is a long term strategy to target one after another Hindu preachers and Gurus.

[Guest]

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>CPM faces Ramdev's ire </b>
Pioneer News Service/ New Delhi
Protests against CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat's allegation that Baba Ramdev's Ayurvedic medicines were adulterated with human and animal tissue spilled over from UPA allies and the Opposition, on to the streets of Delhi, Kolkata and elsewhere.  

Across the nation, hundreds of agitated Baba Ramdev supporters gave vent to their anger against Ms Karat by burning her effigies and raising slogans against the CPI(M). The spontaneous nature of the protest and growing political support for Baba Ramadev from non-Left parties have completely isolated Ms Karat. Her campaign Ramdev has boomeranged. The bearded guru is considered to have revolutionised the use of alternative medicine, yoga and pranayam as plausible cures for even the most dreaded ailment.

In Delhi, agitated supporters of Baba Ramdev assembled in front of the CPI(M) headquarters at AK Gopalan Bhavan and shouted anti-Left slogans. The crowd turned violent and pelted stones on the office building. Some protesters belonged to the Arya Samaj. Earlier, the demonstrators had sought permission from the local police to hold protests at Jantar Mantar but consequently, they became violent and started approaching the CPI (M) headquarters in Gole Market.

The police reached the spot and cordoned off the area within 15 minutes. "As a precautionary measure, we have detained 20 protestors who were aggravating the situation," said Manish Agarwal, additional deputy commissioner of police, New Delhi.

"They did not even spare us and threatened that they would come again with a larger strength to protest at the place," Asha Lata, general secretary, All India Democratic Women's Association, said.

Meanwhile, a close ally of the Left, Rashtriya Janata Dal chief and Railway Minister Lalu Yadav said, vested interests by multinational companies are trying to prevent the Swami from propagating the Indian system of medicine. The Uttaranchal unit of Congress and Jharkhand Chief Minister Arjun Munda refused to join the issue and preferred to wait for a detailed inquiry. The Vishva Hindu Parishad and the BJP have also came out in support of Baba Ramdev.

"Multinational companies are opposed to people like Ramdev and me. They are against those who propagate the indigenous cause," Lalu Yadav said. The Railway Minister preferred to wait for a detailed report before passing a verdict on the medicines. "Samples should be tested to reveal the truth. Even Ramdev is saying the same thing," he said.

There is nothing wrong with the medicine if it saves lives, whether is contains bones of "manav ya danav (human beings or devils)," the Railway Minister added.

Jharkhand Chief Minister Arjun Munda preferred to wait for the probe report before commenting on the issue. "Let us wait for the inquiry report to come," Munda said when his reaction was sought over the ongoing controversy.

The ruling Congress in Uttaranchal on Thursday said it would insist that the embattled yoga guru Ramdev should resolve the issue of retrenchment of employees belonging to his Divya Yog Pharmacy in Haridwar.

The labour issue snowballed into the present form, with Ms Karat alleging that Ramdev's medicines contained animal bones and human skull.

Party President Harish Rawat refused to be drawn into the war of words between CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat and Baba Ramdev.

The guru found supporters in the northeast as well where the BJP Assam unit accused Ms Karat of attempting to "demean" the culture and tradition of the country by attacking Swami Ramdev "at the behest of multinational companies (MNCs)."

BJP State unit spokesman Ashok Singhal in a statement charged Ms Karat of "bidding farewell to the ethics of politics and tradition, the Left parties having lost popularity was working against the country's interests."

The VHP slammed the CPI(M) for acting at the behest of multinational companies involved in the international conspiracy to defame and humiliate the yogiraj working to popularise Ayurveda.

People should oppose designs to defame the yogiraj who has popularised and revived the faith of crores of people in the traditional Indian method of treatment through Ayurveda, VHP media in-charge, Sharad Sharma, said in a statement.

"The world has come to understand that Ayurveda can match allopathy through the works of Swami Ramdev and the communists are trying to create hurdles in his growing popularity," Mr Sharma said.

Meanwhile, denying Ms Karat's allegation that animal parts and human bones were used in his Ayurvedic preparations, Baba Ramdev on Thursday reiterated his statement that multinational companies were behind the "baseless" campaign.

"Sixty per cent of the people, who follow my yoga lessons, have stopped consuming cold drinks manufactured by the MNCs. This has prompted them (the companies) to start this false campaign," he told reporters in Nasik on Wednesday evening.

Ramdev, who was in Nasik for his yoga camp beginning on Thursday, said "the baseless allegations have hurt the sentiments of the people."
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[Guest]

<b>Just shut up, Brinda Karat</b>

Person with mad cow disease got nice Jhappad from everyone except Traitor times.