[ZESTCaste] BALAGOPAL,S ARTICLE ON LAND UNREST
Please read Balagopal'a article on the land unrest in Andhrapradesh,Economic and Political weekly,vil42,no 38,September 22-28,2007
[ZESTCaste] More Lok Sabha seats: Panel proposes, Govt set to dispose (News)
More Lok Sabha seats: Panel proposes, Govt set to dispose http://www.indianexpress.com/story/221534.html RITU SARIN NEW DELHI, SEPTEMBER 26: Redrawing of India's constituency map as per change in population has pitted the Delimitation Commission against the Government. The commission has completed its final notification for reorganisation of Parliamentary and Assembly constituencies in 25 states — based on the 2001 Census — but the Government is now trying to find ways to get around this. Reason: the commission has reserved 13 new Parliamentary constituencies and 73 Assembly seats as SC/ST seats. This has affected virtually every political party and a host of important leaders. Stepping on the gas is commission chairman retired Supreme Court judge Justice Kuldip Singh. Underlining the fact that the Rs 20-crore exercise was conducted after three decades, he told The Indian Express: The immediate implementation of these reserved seats is the need of the hour. The next general elections should be held on the basis of the formula decided by the Delimitation Commission and notified in official gazettes of 25 states. My job is over. Now the Government has to explain the delay...It is the politicians who are making the delimitation exercise to be a controversial one, not us. Justice Singh said he wrote three letters to the Ministry of Law to get the Presidential nod and inform him about the date of implementation but there has been silence from the government. The next general elections should be held on the basis of the formula decided by the Delimitation Commission and notified in official gazettes of 25 states. (The remaining states are locked in legal battles over the 2001 Census). My job is over. Now the Government has to explain the delay, Justice Kuldip Singh said. It is the politicians who are making the delimitation exercise to be a controversial one, not us. His views are echoed by Chief Election Commissioner, N Gopalaswamy, an ex-officio member of the Delimitation Commission. We need just four months to prepare the new electoral rolls on the basis of the readjustment done by the Commission, he said. My predecessor has informed the Government in writing that six months time was needed about a year ago but there is no word from the Government. Despite such reminders, the UPA Government is in no hurry to implement the readjustment. It first set up a high-level group of Secretaries to scrutinize the Delimitation Commission's report and then on September 13, discussed the issue at the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA). Sources said now a Group of Ministers (GoM) will step in. UPA Ministers and PMO officials say that the GoM will go beyond the commission's findings and assess proposals laid before it by the Committee of Secretaries (CoS). These include identifying the increase in population of minorities in several constituencies, delimiting them as general category constituencies and shifting SC/ST seats to adjoining constituencies. -- Subscribe to ZESTCaste by sending a BLANK email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] OR, if you have a Yahoo! ID, by visiting http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/ * Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional * To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join (Yahoo! ID required) * To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[ZESTCaste] Lara's mother hurt in attack (News)
Lara's mother hurt in attack http://www.indiapress.org/gen/news.php/The_Tribune/400x60/0 Sonepat, September 26 Mother of the dalit youth, Rakesh, alias Lara, whose murder sparked tension in Gohana town last month, was allegedly attacked with sharp-edged weapons by a youth today, the police said. Shakuntala was on way to her house at Gohana, 35-km from here, when a youth hit her by a bicycle and allegedly attacked with sharp-edged weapons. She sustained serious injuries and was immediately rushed to the community health centre at Gohana town. Later, she was referred to a hospital at Rohtak for treatment. She has named one Dharampal of the Balmiki Basti, Gohana, for the attack. The police is investigating the case. However, no case has been registered so far. Meanwhile, a Dalit woman, Renu, sustained bullet injuries when she intervened in the clash that took place between two rival groups at Prahladpur Kirohli village, about 20 km from here, last night. The injured woman was rushed to the community health centre at Kharkhauda town. Later, she was referred to a hospital at Rohtak for further treatment. The police has registered a case against three persons. — PTI -- Subscribe to ZESTCaste by sending a BLANK email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] OR, if you have a Yahoo! ID, by visiting http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/ * Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional * To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join (Yahoo! ID required) * To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[ZESTCaste] Crown doesn't pinch
http://in.news.yahoo.com/070926/48/6l8xe.html Thu, Sep 27 Crown doesn't pinch By IE Thursday September 27, 01:53 AM There is talk of anti-incumbency in the air in Gujarat. Caste and community groups like the Patidars, Kolis, Tribals, OBCs, Brahmins, Muslims, Dalits as well as Sangh Parivar outfits like the VHP, RSS, and BKS are seen declaring their resentment against the Modi-led BJP dispensation. Analyses in the electronic and print media show that the BJP's dominance in Gujarat is shaken and declining. How realistic is this scenario? The CSDS conducted a countrywide opinion poll, interviewing 18,750 voters in 18 states in the first week of September 2007. This survey was sponsored by The Indian Express and CNN-IBN. In Gujarat, a total of 1,075 voters in 48 polling stations of 12 assembly constituencies were interviewed. When asked about their being satisfied or dissatisfied with Modi's rule of the last five years in the state, 66 per cent reported being satisfied and 19 per cent were dissatisfied. Besides, 38 per cent voters in Gujarat have chosen Modi instead of Vajpayee, Advani, Jaitley and Rajnath Singh as the BJP leader for the next LS poll. When asked to name one leader from different parties as prime minister of the country, Modi was the second highest choice of 23 per cent Gujarat voters as against Sonia Gandhi who ranked at the top with 24 per cent. These, by any measure, are formidable ratings for an incumbent leader and party. The overall gap in the vote share between the BJP and Congress, which had narrowed in the 2004 Lok Sabha poll by 3 per cent, has once again expanded to its earlier decade-old position of 10 per cent. Secondly, the answers to the question: ... if polls are held tomorrow, which party will you vote for... yielded some interesting revelations. The BJP's strongest social support group, comprising of the Patidars, has not only remained intact but their support has increased from 82 per cent for the BJP in the post-Godhra 2002 poll and 75 per cent in the 2004 Lok Sabha poll to 83 per cent as reported in this survey. Also, the much hyped threats of withdrawal of support to the Modi-led BJP by the coastal Kolis and Brahmins are not supported by the survey data. Actually, it is the tribal voters who have changed their party preference in a big way. In the 2002 assembly poll, 34 per cent tribals voted for the BJP as against 49 per cent for the Congress. In the 2004 LS poll, 48 per cent tribals voted for the BJP as against 46 per cent for the Congress. The present survey shows that the tribal support to BJP has slid, as only 27 per cent will vote for the BJP and 69 per cent for the Congress. The OBC vote share of the BJP which slipped from 57 per cent in 2002 to 40 per cent in 2004 has been retrieved by the BJP and it stands today at 60 per cent. The Dalit, Bania, Rajput and Muslim vote shares are withheld from the analysis due to their small numbers. This political sociology of Gujarat voters' preferences places the BJP in a comfortable position. The rebellion, factionalism, and leadership crisis in the BJP are apparently only skin deep. The overall pre-poll picture shows that while the Congress's total vote share has marginally declined from 45 per cent in 2004 to 43 per cent now in 2007, the BJP has raced ahead from 47 per cent in 2004 to 54 per cent now. The anti-BJP and anti-Modi mood, it seems, is superficial. One caveat is in order: pre-poll surveys usually contain a pro-ruling party bias. But on the whole, this survey shows that the BJP under Modi continues to dominate the electoral contest in the state. The writer is professor of political science at MSU-Baroda, and is the Gujarat State Coordinator for Lokniti Research Programme, CSDS, Delhi
[ZESTCaste] Dalit labourer dragged by tractor over refusal to work (News)
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Dalit_labourer_dragged_by_tractor_over_refusal_to_work/articleshow/2404265.cms Dalit labourer dragged by tractor over refusal to work 26 Sep 2007, 1322 hrs IST,PTI MORENA: Refusal to plough a field proved costly for a Dalit labourer, who was allegedly tied to a tractor and dragged till he was injured by two persons in Murdav village of Morena district. The incident occurred yesterday when Lalsingh Jatav refused to plough the field of Kadamsingh Kushwaha and Ball Singh, saying he was sick and will do it later, police said. Angry over the refusal, the duo abused Jatav and tied him with a rope to a tractor and dragged him in the village, leaving him injured. Some of Jatav's sympathisers also pelted stones on the duo while they were dragging him and they also sustained injuries. Police have registered a case against Kushwaha and Singh and also against Jatav and his supporters, based on complaints from both sides.
[ZESTCaste] Future of Dalits safe under leadership of Sonia: DPCC chief (News)
http://www.hindu.com/2007/09/26/stories/2007092654710400.htm New Delhi Future of Dalits safe under leadership of Sonia: DPCC chief Staff Reporter Congress has always protected their interest NEW DELHI: Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee president J. P. Agarwal on Tuesday said that Dalits had always extended unstinting support to the Congress and expressed confidence that the party would win the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections next year for the third time in a row riding on their support. Addressing a convention at Rajiv Bhavan here, Mr. Agarwal said his party had always protected the interests of the Dalits and the community in return had reposed full faith in the party for its efforts towards their growth and uplift. He said the Delhi Government had been taking new initiatives for their welfare and the efforts had helped a great deal in protecting the interests of the community. The future of Dalits is safe under the dynamic leadership of Congress president Sonia Gandhi and the dreams of Father of the Nation Mahatama Gandhi and Bharat Ratna B. R. Ambedkar will be realised under her stewardship, said Mr. Agarwal. Hailing the appointment of Rahul Gandhi as All-India Congress Committee general secretary, Mr. Agarwal hoped that his young and dynamic leadership would help the Congress grow. Senior party leader Yogendra Makwana exhorted the Dalits to unite under the Congress flag and fight for their own uplift and betterment of the country as a whole. The Congress alone can serve the community well and help it accomplish its objectives. Karol Bagh MP Krishna Tirath claimed that the party had been working tirelessly to provide food, shelter and employment to the community and the efforts had brought about visible changes in the condition of the community. AICC Scheduled Castes department chairman Lal Chand Chandelia said Ms. Gandhi had laid much emphasis on improving the lot of the poor and downtrodden and the community would continue to strengthen her hands by extending firm support to the party.
[ZESTCaste] Start admissions without OBC quota: Govt (News)
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Start_admissions_without_OBC_quota_Govt/articleshow/msid-1965407,curpg-2.cms Start admissions without OBC quota: Govt 27 Apr 2007, 1319 hrs IST,PTI NEW DELHI: After days of uncertainty, government on Friday issued a directive to all Central educational institutions to commence admissions for General and SC/ST categories asserting every constitutional and legal measure will be taken to ensure the OBC reservation. The directive to 64 Central government funded institutions, including IIMs and IITs, came after UPA allies and Left parties gave a go-ahead to the government to allow admissions to general, SC and ST categories for the coming academic session without the OBC quota for the time being. ... the offer of admissions to the ensuing academic session in Central Educational Institutions shall, until further communication, be limited to the approved intake that existed during the academic session 2006-07, said the directive. The directive also made it clear that no offers of admissions shall be made until further communication in respect of seats that are proposed to be expanded during the ensuing academic session. HRD Minister Arjun Singh told reporters on Friday that notwithstanding the order, the commitment of the government to the principle of reservation to OBCs is irrevocable. We shall explore every constitutional and legal procedure by which to ensure it, said Singh. Asked about CPI(M)'s suggestions for a fallback option in case the Supreme Court does not vacated the stay on 27 per cent OBC quotas, Singh said all kinds of options were voiced. Obviously, that is not the manner in which we can function. When the situation comes we can see. To a question whether the government was hopeful of a positive outcome, he said the court will have to take a decision and we are waiting for that. Government has made no decision on that. Pressed further on the options before the government, Singh said: There is always an option for everything but we should not start thinking about options even before the time has arrived.
[ZESTCaste] 24 residents of same village selected as VAOs (News)
24 residents of same village selected as VAOs http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/004200709270324.htm Madurai, Sept. 27 (PTI): As many as 24 villagers from Dalit-dominated Pazhaya Ayakudi village near Palani in Dindigul district have been selected as Village Administrative Officers in a test conducted by Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission recently. According to officials, the 24 candidates, including a couple, from one village getting selected is a unique feat, as 5,51,834 candidates had written the examination for the recruitment of 2,500 VAOs. More than 60 per cent of the 6,000 residents of the Pazhaya Ayakudi were Adidravidars. We are more happy as 17 persons from one street were able to make it, a villager said. The village has already produced IAS and IPS officers besides several doctors and engineers. The candidates attribute their success to the coaching given by village elders, who had constituted a People's club.
[ZESTCaste] BSF For Action Against Corporate Colleges (News)
http://www.siasat.com/english/index.php?option=contenttask=viewid=210130Itemid=63cattitle=Andhra%20Pradesh BSF For Action Against Corporate Colleges Thursday, 27 September 2007 Hyderabad, September 27: Demanding action against the corporate colleges in Telangana region for charging extra fees illegally, the Bahujan Student Federation (BSF) on Thursday organised a rally from Narayanaguda to Basheerbagh. The BSF twin cities President, Perika Krishna, who led the rally, has alleged that the corporate colleges are refusing to give admissions to the students of SC, ST, BC communities, who have passed tenth standard in compartment. In order to make aware the students, the BSF organised awareness classes at Ambedkar Junior college, Saint Francis, Jahanavi Degree college, Reddy Women's College and other colleges. BSF City General Secretary B. Ambedkar, Secretary A. Srinu, Saidulu, Kalyan Rao, V. Srinu, Sanjeev and others participated in the rally. (NSS)
