Re: [PMARC] Dalits Media Watch - News Update 18.04.09

On Sat, Apr 18, 2009 at 8:27 PM, Peoples Media Advocacy & Resource Centre-PMARC <pmarc2008@gmail.com> wrote:

Dalits Media Watch

News Update 18.04.09

Caste bias can't be equated with racism: India - Times Of India

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Caste-cant-be-equated-with-race-India/articleshow/4415617.cms

Dalit voters in Bihar protest - Daily India

http://www.dailyindia.com/show/308087.php

Lucknow Dalits want Mayawati as PM - NDTV

http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20090091085

Green voice from Kerala hinterland - The Hindu

http://www.hindu.com/2009/04/14/stories/2009041450711600.htm

Times Of India

Caste bias can't be equated with racism: India

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Caste-cant-be-equated-with-race-India/articleshow/4415617.cms

18 Apr 2009, 0428 hrs IST, Indrani Bagchi, TNN

NEW DELHI: India is fighting back a renewed onslaught from European countries who want to nail India on the charge that the caste system is a form of racism. In the run-up to the review of the Durban racism conference to be held in Geneva from Monday, South Block was surprised when Scandinavian countries resurrected their stand on the caste system. India has contended that while the caste system is certainly a form of discrimination, it could not be equated with racism. The Indian delegation will be led by Vivek Katju, special secretary in the MEA.

The review of the World Conference on Racism (WCAR), which addressed the issues of "racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance" in 2001, came out with a resolution that did not mention caste, though India had to fight back a similar charge even then.

The review process in Geneva is intended to follow-up on the implementation. But Europpean countries, taking advantage of a line in the Durban text that "recognise(d) the importance of the problem of racism and xenophobia based on descent" restarted the debate. India fought back, and thus far, has been successful. The draft text of the document, as approved by UN human rights chief Navi Pillay, is far bereft of any reference to caste, but sources said the pressure would be renewed during the actual conference itself.

India is also fighting a related battle, of giving tribals the status of "indigenous people". For India, this is unacceptable, because this could open a can of worms that would be uncontrollable.

Given the huge presence and profile of NGOs in global human rights discourse, India can expect a battering from organisations like Human Rights Watch, international dalit organisations etc. Analysts of the UN process said these little inclusions in official documents make a big difference in the field -- in terms of funding to social activist organisations. This could be channeled to organisations with a strong caste bias.

The danger this poses can be seen from the fact that this weekend, the US government is hosting a conference of South Asian countries (including India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh) to help counter terrorist financing among charities. India is deeply sceptical of organisations that attempt to meddle in the Indian social fabric.

Officials said India was fighting the caste problem, particularly in the fight against poverty and inclusion. But this could not be equated with racism which has a physical component. By that token, every caste in India would be a different race.

Daily India

Dalit voters in Bihar protest

http://www.dailyindia.com/show/308087.php

From ANI

Chapra (Bihar), Apr 17: Voters belonging to Dalit community in Bihar took to the streets as a mark of protest against certain persons preventing them from casting their votes at one of the booths in Lal Bazar near Chapra.

The Lal Bazar is a part of the Saran constituency from where Lalu Prasad of Rashtriya Janata Dal is facing Bharatiya Janata Party's Rajiv Pratap Rudy and Bahujan Samaj Party's Salim Pervez.

The irate protestors alleged that the hooligans from certain political parties tried to prevent them from casting votes on the candidates of their choice and were later attacked with knives.

"When we went to vote and as soon as we entered the polling booth they told me to vote on their candidate. They tried to force me when I opposed them. They then attacked me with knives. Around ten to fifteen persons attacked me at the same time and stabbed me with knives all over," said Pintu, a Dalit voter, Lal Bazar booth.

Infuriated, the Dalits blocked roads and raised slogans until the police personnel arrived and pacified the protestors.

Meanwhile, in Patna, Lalu Prasad accused his political rivals of indulging in electoral malpractice.

He termed the incident as a sheer failure of the State Government and demanded action against all those who were involved in preventing people from casting their votes.

"A lot was tried to disrupt the electoral process and I believe it might have happened in different places. People from weaker sections of society especially the Dalits were attacked in Chapra's Lal Bazaar by men of Awadhpura with knives. They are now suffering and fighting for their lives. This is a complete failure by the Nitish Kumar Government," he said.

As a part of the multi-phased elections, the first phase of polling was held in 124 Lok Sabha constituencies spread across 17 states and Centrally administered territories on Thursday.

NDTV

Lucknow Dalits want Mayawati as PM

http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20090091085

Shikha Trivedy

Saturday, April 18, 2009, (Lucknow )

ahujan Samaj Party supremo and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati may have done little to improve the lives of Dalits on the ground, but she has done one thing - given them a sense of self worth. And that's why survivors of the 2004 sari stampede in Lucknow want to see her as the next Prime Minister. Survivors of the Lucknow sari stampede, in which 22 Dalit women were killed just before the last Lok Sabha elections. They had come to attend Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Lalji Tandon's birthday bash, in return for a Rs 40 sari and votes for the party. Although former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee won the seat, the tragedy dimmed the BJP's India Shining campaign.

This time Lalji Tandon himself is contesting from Lucknow, against the BSP's Dr Akhilesh Das, who has replaced the sari with a steel tiffin and plastic fan. They cost the same. So why is this gift more acceptable? "He has distributed them at home, with honour. Not thrown it at us like we were dogs," said a Dalit woman. But dignity has not come with electricity in their homes, or jobs for their sons outside. Still they don't blame Mayawati for it, or for doing nothing to help victims of the sari stampede. "She is doing her best for the people. What can she do if her orders are not followed by upper caste officials? We will still vote for her," said a resident. The BSP may have long ceased to be a Dalit party, but the Dalits in Lucknow have only one election issue - Mayawati for PM.

The Hindu

Green voice from Kerala hinterland

http://www.hindu.com/2009/04/14/stories/2009041450711600.htm

K. Santhosh ,Thrissur

Kunjan Pulayan looks sadly at his empty barn as his wife Ammini asks him to borrow paddy from a relative. "I am a landless farm worker. Sometime back, I leased some land and started farming. But now farmlands in the village are shrinking because of the sand mafia," he says.

Mr. Pulayan and agricultural workers at Muriyad in Thrissur's rural hinterland tell a tale of empty barns, shrinking paddy fields and failed dreams. It is to highlight their woes that Mr. Pulayan has decided to contest the Thrissur Lok Sabha seat. The 52-year-old farm worker represents 'Poura Munnettam,' a forum with no political affiliation.

"Political issues do not concern us. We are concerned only with protection and irrigation of our paddy fields. Also, we want to get fair prices for farm products," he declares.

Under the banner of the Karshaka Munnettam, the Muriyad agitation was launched in 2007 after the area under cultivation in the region shrunk from 4,452 hectares to 2,833 hectares because of the sand/clay mining, conversion of paddy fields to brick kilns, and large-scale procurement of land from indigent farmers by sand miners.

The farmers want a permanent ban on sand mining, drainage of water from paddy fields, and the setting up of a land development authority exclusively for Muriyad.

He is proud of his surname, Pulayan (a Dalit community). "Do you know the meaning of 'Pulayan'?" he asks. "It means 'one who works on the land.' Our community is rooted in agriculture. As far as I know, five generations of my family have been engaged in farming," he says. "I am not contesting to win. It is only to highlight the need for a farmer's voice to be heard in Parliament," he adds.

--
.Arun Khote
On behalf of
Dalits Media Watch Team
(An initiative of "Peoples Media Advocacy & Resource Centre-PMARC")
..................................................................
Peoples Media Advocacy & Resource Centre- PMARC has been initiated with the support from group of senior journalists, social activists, academics and intellectuals from Dalit and civil society to advocate and facilitate Dalits issues in the mainstream media. To create proper & adequate space with the Dalit perspective in the mainstream media national/ International on Dalit issues is primary objective of the PMARC.

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