[Assam] CHIDAMBARAM, Naxalism by AGARWAL

[Chan Mahanta]

Ram:

The point is not about what the rebels stand for. It is about what they
obviously stand against. They are doing what they deem best for them
because what is in place have failed them so.

That simple.

In the article Kamath wrote, he shared some heretofore unknown
or unheard of insights, something I should have given him
credit for earlier :


> Roads can be laid down. Schools can be established. Medical  
> attention can be provided.
> Jobs within the tribal jurisdiction can be created, and a rich and  
> meaningful life can
> be guaranteed to the tribal population.


And

> One thing is obvious: the government of the day must undertake  
> massive public works and welfare schemes.


Isn't it brilliant? No wonder people like our own KJD are so  
mesmerized by his intellectual brilliance.

Only problem was that Kamath  forgot to connect the dots. He forgot  
to  ask WHY such things
were not done way back when the problem used to be little. Or NOW when  
the problem has gotten
out of hand, ASSUMING  that he is RIGHT about his deterministic views  
about WHY  the rebellion
is spreading has any or at least some merit, that it is all about that  
'mokordhwoz montro'--DEVELOPMENT!

I suspect the reason why he did not ask those question is because he  
knows the answer already, which is, in his own words:

	>That is obviously not what our revolutionaries want. They want  
glamour, publicity.


*** Do you know now Ram, why the rebels don't TRUST  what you hold on  
a pedestal, desi-demokrasy?
Or its advocates? Because as Kamath has clearly demonstrated that he  
knows not what he speaks of.



 >"Birthers"
> demanding that President Obama show his birth Certificate or that he  
> does
> not respect the US flag and so on.


**** Huh? This one flew right out over my head Ram. You are not  
grasping at straws, are you?
How does the analogy apply here?


 >Maoism almost sounds like a better alternative than democracy.
>
>

**** Heh-heh!

> Anyway, this whole thing is one-sided. Mr. Chidambaram is not here  
> to refute
> or defend the allegations of Mr. Agarwal.

**** Oh he is there allright :-)!  This petition is all over the  
place. I saw it first
in Waterwatch, but did not read. Now that a friend, whose judgement I  
trust
  saw it, read it and forwarded to me, I read.  That is why I forwarded
it for others'  benefit here in assamnet.

It will be interesting to see IF  PC would respond.  But I won't hold my
breath on it.


c-da


 >Only people who have
>
> an intense dislike for India would support or find it comforting  
> that Naxals
> or Maoists are on the rise?


*** What led you to make this conclusion, that likes of Agarwal find  
it comforting
------ etc.?







On May 23, 2010, at 11:49 AM, Ram Sarangapani wrote:

> OK - according to Mr. Agarwal,  Chidambaram is a crook, a corporate
> supporter etc. But what do the Maoists stand for?
>
> Again, if they care so much about human rights, welfare, and  
> fighting for
> the common man, why do so under the Maoist banner.
>
> And assuming Chidambaram is highly corrupt, why is it so great that  
> the
> Naxals (a Marxist-Lenninist group)  is on the rise? Only people who  
> have
> an intense dislike for India would support or find it comforting  
> that Naxals
> or Maoists are on the rise?
>
> Mr. Agarwal, seems to know the issues well, and it seems he has  
> "issues"
> with Chidambaram.  His letter so circulated seems much like the  
> "Birthers"
> demanding that President Obama show his birth Certificate or that he  
> does
> not respect the US flag and so on.  (I'm surprised C'da, you fell  
> for this
> :-))
>
>
>> We have no vested interest except that what belongs to the people  
>> should go
> to the people
>> and that innocents, whether the security forces or the people  
>> forced to
> join the Maoist, >should not die for corporate profits...
>
> Right!  I do get that warm fuzzy feeling now ......sounds so damn  
> good,
> Maoism almost sounds like a better alternative than democracy.
>
> Anyway, this whole thing is one-sided. Mr. Chidambaram is not here  
> to refute
> or defend the allegations of Mr. Agarwal.
>
>
> --Ram
>
>
>
>
>
>
> 010 at 6:02 PM, Chan Mahanta <cmahanta at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>>
>> This came from a close NRI friend and old classmate, who has been  
>> doing
>> development work among some of India's poorest. He just returned  
>> from India
>> after a two months stay at some of the locales where Naxalism is in
>> progress.
>>
>> cm
>>
>>
>>
>> Begin forwarded message:
>>
>>
>>> This piece might offer something...long but well argued...As you  
>>> knw this
>>> subject holds my interest, and I am contemplating penning a work  
>>> of fiction.
>>>
>>>
>>> From Evernote:
>>> CHIDAMBARAM- AGARWAL
>>> Interview on NDTV: Response from a member of civil society (fwd)
>>> Posted by: "Shiva Shankar" sshankar at cmi.ac.in
>>> Thu May 20, 2010 9:52 am (PDT)
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Arun Agarwal's letter must be shared on the internet widely. - Anil
>>> Sadgopal
>>>
>>> Below is Arun Agarwal's brilliant letter to Chidambaram on his  
>>> taunts
>>> towards Civil Society. It should be widely circulated. Warmly,  
>>> Prashant
>>> Bhushan
>>> ------------ -------
>>>
>>> Dear Shri Chidambaram,
>>>
>>> This is in response to your repeated taunts on NDTV that the civil  
>>> society
>>> must respond to the wanton killing by the Naxals. It appears that  
>>> the
>>> interview was tailor made for getting the consent of the Cabinet  
>>> for more
>>> firepower and airpower to combat the Maoist. The diabolic support  
>>> of Arun
>>> Jaitly, be it by describing you an injured martyr, was designed to  
>>> achieve
>>> his ambition through the support of the mining barons of the BJP  
>>> ruled
>>> states.
>>>
>>> As a member of society I hope I am being civil in disagreeing with  
>>> you on
>>> your hard line approach against the innocent tribal. I also hope  
>>> you will
>>> not find it too shocking for being accused of being largely  
>>> responsible
>>> for the rise and growth of Naxalism, as the following happened on  
>>> your
>>> watch as Finance minister.
>>>
>>> Is it not true that Naxalism grew exponentially in the last ten  
>>> years to
>>> become the present menace? In fact you have yourself identified  
>>> the time
>>> frame of the last ten years in your interview with NDTV.
>>>
>>> Is it not true that the rise in popularity of Naxalism is also
>>> coincidental with the rise in iron ore mining profits which  
>>> increased from
>>> around Rs50 per tonne to over Rs5000 per tonne in the last ten  
>>> years?
>>>
>>> Is it not true that the map of Naxalism is also the map of the  
>>> Indian
>>> Minerals. These minerals belong to the people of India but have been
>>> handed over to mining barons and corporate in a relationship of  
>>> mutual
>>> benefit, more appropriately described as crony capitalism. It is  
>>> for this
>>> reason that Arun Jaitly is your staunchest supporter because the  
>>> fate of
>>> four state government ruled by BJP is dependent on the money from  
>>> the
>>> mining mafia.
>>>
>>> Is it not true that during your watch as Finance Minister for four  
>>> and
>>> half years, corporate raked in a profit of over two lac crores  
>>> through
>>> legal and illegal mining, mostly in the iron ore sector? How was  
>>> this
>>> profit shared?
>>>
>>> Is it not true that during your entire tenure as FM the royalty on  
>>> iron
>>> ore was not revised and remained at a ridiculous Rs 7 to 27/ tonne
>>> (depending on the type and grade of iron ore) with the average of  
>>> around
>>> Rs 15 per tonne. This royalty was neither made ad valorem nor was it
>>> revised from year 2000 onwards when the international price of  
>>> iron ore
>>> rose to dizzy levels.
>>>
>>> Is it not true that the minerals are owned by the people of the  
>>> State? Is
>>> a meager 0.5% royalty on iron ore profits adequate compensation to  
>>> the
>>> owner of the resources? Would you sell your one crore property for  
>>> Rs
>>> 50,000?
>>>
>>> Did your fulfill the oath that you took as a Minister to abide by  
>>> the
>>> Constitution, in particular Article 39 (b) and (c) of the  
>>> constitution
>>> which directs the government to use natural resources owned by the  
>>> people
>>> of the country are used to subserve the common good?
>>>
>>> Would the Naxal problem have been there if 25% of the mining  
>>> profit was
>>> spent on the poor and the tribal living in the mining area and  
>>> whose life
>>> was uprooted by the greedy corporate/mining mafia with active  
>>> connivance
>>> of the law enforcers and policy makers?
>>>
>>> What prevented the government from nationalizing the iron ore mine
>>> industry and handing it over to a PSU or NMDC whose shares of  
>>> Re1/- was
>>> lapped at a premium of Rs300(30000% premium) and using the profit  
>>> for
>>> benefit of the people?
>>>
>>> Are you aware that even a resource rich and affluent country like
>>> Australia with a low population base is imposing an additional 40%
>>> windfall tax on the mining profits? Can a poor country like India  
>>> afford
>>> to forgo these windfall profits?
>>>
>>> Will you reveal as to how many times you have defended public  
>>> interest
>>> through PIL and how many times you have defended corporate  
>>> interest during
>>> your professional career as a lawyer? The question is relevant  
>>> because of
>>> your empathy for the corporate sector is in apparent conflict with  
>>> that
>>> towards the toiling masses.
>>>
>>> Is it wrong for the civil society to conclude that both as Home  
>>> Minister
>>> and Finance Minister you have been protecting the corporate  
>>> profiteers (by
>>> first allowing them to loot the mineral wealth belonging to the  
>>> people and
>>> now securing these mines for them) and not protecting the interest  
>>> of the
>>> poor and tribal people who are victims of corporate greed and crony
>>> capitalism of the political parties? You in particular should have  
>>> known
>>> better having been a Director of Vedanta Resources!
>>>
>>> In your appearance on NDTV you talked about the two prong approach  
>>> and one
>>> of them having been weakened. It is the prong of development which  
>>> has
>>> been weakened and is non existent. The royalty collected is not  
>>> sufficient
>>> to pay for the various types of direct damages done by the mining  
>>> industry
>>> (health, environment, water, roads, rehabilitation etc) let alone  
>>> the cost
>>> of security forces.
>>>
>>> Is it not true that the killing of innocent security forces and  
>>> tribal is
>>> the direct result of the policy of securing the mineral wealth for  
>>> the
>>> corporate profiteers and political parties who share the loot?
>>>
>>> It was shocking to know that you were more concerned about your CV  
>>> falling
>>> short by a few months of completing five years as Finance Minister  
>>> when
>>> you met your maker (refer the NDTV interview) than about the blood  
>>> of the
>>> innocent that has been spilled on both sides as a consequence of  
>>> corporate
>>> profiteering.
>>>
>>> It is not surprising that all the State government which get  
>>> reelected on
>>> the money of the mining mafia are interested in using air cover to  
>>> make
>>> mining safe and profitable ever after. You should know better the  
>>> role of
>>> money in elections after having managed to squeak past the post  
>>> while the
>>> DMK MPs romped home with handsome margin. Mr Raja retained his  
>>> portfolio!
>>>
>>> What is at stake is the credibility of the State: that it is using  
>>> force
>>> to benefit the mining mafia and that it has a vested interest in the
>>> profiteering of the mining mafia which is prospering because of  
>>> crony
>>> capitalism.
>>>
>>> To restore its credibility the Government should resume all the  
>>> mines
>>> which in any case belong to the people and give a solemn pledge  
>>> that a
>>> minimum of 25% of the mining profits will be used for the benefit  
>>> of the
>>> local people. The solution is not only just but one mandated by the
>>> Constitution. It is only after restoring its credibility that the  
>>> State
>>> will have the right to act. That one hopes, will not be necessary  
>>> because
>>> honest development based on the resources belonging to the people  
>>> is the
>>> best contraceptive against the Maoist ideology. (One is happy to  
>>> note that
>>> according to newspaper report the Mining Minister has made a similar
>>> proposal and not surprisingly facing resistence.)
>>>
>>> What happened Mr Chidambaram, you used to be a nice guy? You  
>>> resigned over
>>> the Fairgrowth affair when you were not even guilty.
>>>
>>> Life is not about arguing a brief in Court for money. It is about  
>>> arguing
>>> for what is right. You have wrongly accused us being 'clever nor  
>>> being
>>> devious' (refer interview with NDTV), because we are not capable  
>>> of it. We
>>> cannot argue the way you do. Your arguments in Parliament over the  
>>> oil for
>>> food programme while shielding Reliance from being referred to the  
>>> Pathak
>>> Committee were indeed 'brilliant'. Were you being clever or  
>>> devious in
>>> your arguments? (Refer the book Reliance the Real Natwar written  
>>> by the
>>> undersigned for deciding the issue.) Please do not use the civil  
>>> society
>>> as an excuse for your omissions and commissions. We have no vested
>>> interest except that what belongs to the people should go to the  
>>> people
>>> and that innocents, whether the security forces or the people  
>>> forced to
>>> join the Maoist, should not die for corporate profits. We are not  
>>> powerful
>>> to tie the State governments with legal cases on police excesses.  
>>> Those
>>> trying to uphold human right violations do so at considerable risk  
>>> to
>>> their life and liberty and deserve our respect and not  
>>> condemnation as
>>> misguided romantics.
>>>
>>> On a personal note Sir, Will you resign and argue my PIL before  
>>> the High
>>> Court involving three lac crores of iron ore being gifted by the  
>>> State to
>>> Posco and Arcelormittal (as Palkhivala did to argue the Minerva Mill
>>> case). It will be difficult to lose the case because law, facts  
>>> and most
>>> important you will be on the same side.
>>>
>>> If you agree to do so, Sir, I am sure He will give you far more  
>>> credit
>>> than He would for the extra six months that you missed out as  
>>> Finance
>>> Minister!
>>>
>>> In case you are interested I will send you a copy of the petition.
>>>
>>> Looking forward to hearing from you. For far too long you have been
>>> shifting the blame on the civil society. We too need answers.
>>>
>>> With warm regards
>>>
>>> A K Agrawal
>>>
>>> E13/2 Vijaykiran Apartments
>>>
>>> 32 Victoria Road
>>>
>>> Bangalore 47
>>>
>>
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