Balagopal – A Chapter in the History of Human Rights Movements నవంబరు 19, 2009
Posted by mbbhushan in Articles, Culture, Economy, Identity, Media, Telangana, Telugu, politics.Tags: Andhra Pradesh, balagopal, democracy, Human Rights
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Remembering Balagopal
A One in a Century Rights Activist
K G Kannabiran
K Balagopal metamorphosed from a committed believer in the Naxalbari movement to a human rights activist, defining the terms of his transition. In doing so, he rejected the choice of social transformation by violence, opting instead for such change through a struggle for rights. But the problem is that rights campaigns by themselves will not lead to social transformation. As a lawyer, Balagopal showed himself as the only lawyer of the poor of his generation with a reputation for competence. The poor knew that he was about the one lawyer who believed in their right to life. In his competence that equalled the lawyers of the affluent he was visible. Balagopal made the Court conscious that he was appearing for a citizen or a collective of citizens for whose benefit the Constitution was created.
Writing about Balagopal is like scripting the history of the human rights movement. For him the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was the announcement of the rights that inhered in the people and the societies in which they lived. The third preamble to the Declaration “if man is not to be compelled to have recourse as a last resort to rebellion against tyranny and oppres¬sion, that human rights be protected by the rule of law” became the focus of all his human rights activities. Writing about him involves penning his metamorphosis from a committed believer in the Naxalbari movement to a human rights activist and he defined the terms of his transition. The movement came at a period of crisis in the late 1960s and the only method governments knew to tackle unrest was to unleash repression. Pre-constitutional laws intended to suppress anti-colonial struggles were all adapted by the president of India by way of abundant caution. By the time the Naxalite movement arrived at Srikakulam, the Constitution was around 18 years of existence; Nehru, “the fixed asset” we inherited, was dead in 1964 and, after some delays, the dynastic succession was found to be the proper thing for the country. Post-independence, the Marxist-Leninist (ML) movement threw a comprehensive challenge to the Constitution and its value system. (ఇంకా…)
Greater Hyderabad polls is cheap politics, says KCR నవంబరు 6, 2009
Posted by Telangana Utsav in 1969, Congress, G.O 610, Hyderabad, Identity, In News, MIM, Mulki, PRP, TDP, TRS, Telangana, corruption, elections, politics.add a comment
TRS will not contest GHMC elections: KCR
Express News Service: 06 Nov 2009
HYDERABAD: The Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) has, as expected, announced that it will not contest the elections to the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC).
Addressing a news conference here today, party chief K Chandrasekhara Rao said that as these elections were not important, the party decided to keep away from the elections.
“The GHMC elections do not merit the party’s attention. Fighting them is nothing but indulging in cheap politics,’’ Rao said. (ఇంకా…)
Journalism for sale – Telugu media నవంబరు 3, 2009
Posted by mbbhushan in Culture, Media, Telugu, corruption, elections, politics.add a comment
Editorial- The Hindu
Journalism for sale
India’s elections, which in mid-2009 brought 415 million voters to the 1.18 million ballot units in 834,944 polling stations and were mostly peaceful, may be one of the wonders of the world. But it is widely understood that in 2009 the free, fair, and democratic attributes of these elections have been compromised as never before by the large-scale, illegal, and scandalous use of money power — which, to a considerable extent, involved recycled dirty money garnered through corruption in executive and legislative office. The role of the Election Commission of India in curbing booth capturing, intimidation of voters, and some other kinds of electoral fraud has won public appreciation. But as P. Sainath points out in his article, “The medium, message and the money,” published in The Hindu on October 26, 2009, “it is hard to find a single instance of rigorous or deterrent action” by the ECI in the face of such a serious danger to the democratic process. That is a large question that needs to be addressed in depth and in all its complexity by the various players in the political system.
The new shame is the extensive and brazen participation of not insignificant sections of the news media, notably large-circulation Indian language newspapers in two of India’s largest States, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, in this genre of corruption — which a politician speaking at a Hyderabad media seminar memorably characterised as a “Cash Transfer Scheme” from politicians to journalists. Sainath’s article exposes the phenomenon of “coverage packages” exploding across India’s most industrialised State during the recent Assembly election.
Candidates paid newspapers different rates for well-differentiated and streamlined packages of news coverage. Those who could not or would not pay for the packages tended to be blacked out. The Andhra Pradesh Union of Working Journalists has, on the basis of a sample survey conducted in West Godavari district, estimated that newspapers across the State netted Rs. 350 crore to Rs. 400 crore through editorial coverage sold to candidates during the 2009 Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. Some candidates even recorded the expenditure incurred in purchasing editorial coverage in their official accounts submitted to the ECI. With some senior journalists drawing its attention to this new-fangled cash transfer scheme in Andhra Pradesh, the Press Council of India has constituted a two-member committee to inquire into the matter. What to do about such a shocking breach of readers’ trust (which is unlikely to be confined to Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra) by the so-called Fourth Estate will form the subject of a follow-up editorial.
Source: The Hindu, 30 October 2009 http://beta.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/article41149.ece
భయాంధ్రప్రదేశ్! Andhra Pradesh Seized with Fear నవంబరు 2, 2009
Posted by mbbhushan in Culture, Economy, Essays, Identity, Telugu (తెలుగు), YSR, politics.Tags: balagopal, democracy, Human Rights
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భయాంధ్రప్రదేశ్!
-కె.బాలగోపాల్
భయం నుంచి బయటపడి ధైర్యంగా ఆత్మస్థైర్యంతో మాట్లాడేటటువంటి ఆ ప్రజాస్వామిక విలువను కాపాడుకోవటం కూడా చాలా ముఖ్యమైన పనైపోయింది ఇవ్వాళ మన ఆంధ్రప్రదేశ్లో. ఆత్మ స్థైర్యం, ధైర్యం, నిర్భీతి, ఈ ప్రజాస్వామిక విలువలు లేకపోతే హక్కులసాధన అయ్యేపనికాదు, ఇవి లేకపోతే మనం హక్కుల కోసం కొట్లాడట మనేది సాధ్యమయ్యేపనికాదు. అది చెప్పటం అవసరమని నేననుకుంటున్నాను.
సమాజం భయపడుతూ ఉంటే, నిజం చెప్పటానికి భయపడుతూంటే, అబద్ధాన్ని అబద్ధం అనడానికి భయపడు తూ ఉంటే ఏ హక్కులు సాధించుకుంటాం? దళితులు గానివ్వండి, కార్మికులు గానివ్వండి, ఉద్యోగులు గానివ్వండి, ఎవరైనా గానివ్వండి, సత్యాన్ని సత్యం అనగలగాల, అసత్యాన్ని అసత్యం అనగలగాల, నాకిది న్యాయమూ అని నిర్భయంగా చెప్పగలగాల.
అది సాధ్యం గాని చోట హక్కులు అనే మాటకు అర్థం ఉండదు. ఈ రాష్ట్రాన్ని భయం ఏలుతూ ఉంది. ఆ భయం నుంచి ఈ రాష్ట్రం బయటపడలేదు అని – పడింది అని ఒకవేళ అనుకున్నా ఎప్పుడైనా- రాజశేఖరరెడ్డి మరణం తరువాత జరుగుతున్నటువంటి పరిణామాలు స్పష్టం చేస్తా వున్నాయి.
ముఖ్యమంత్రిగా ప్రమాణ స్వీకారం చేసిన వ్యక్తి తన కుర్చీలో కూర్చోలేడు. ధైర్యం చాలడం లేదు.. తన తోటి మంత్రులు పని చెయ్యకపోతే, ఎందుకు పని చేయడం లేదు అని వాళ్ళనడగకుండా, ‘ఏం? మంత్రి ప్రతిరోజూ సంతకం చేయాలా సెక్రటేరియట్లో కూర్చోని?’ అని వాళ్ళ తరఫున ఆయనే జవాబు చెప్తున్నాడు. అడగటానికి ఆయనకు భయం. రాజశేఖరరెడ్డి చనిపోయినాక రాష్ట్రంలో ఎవరో అన్నారంట, ప్రతి పెద్ద ఆస్పత్రిలోను కూడ రోజుకో ఇరవై అయిదు ముప్పై అయిదు మంది గుండెపోటుతో వస్తుంటారు, పోతుంటారు, కొందరు మళ్ళీ ఇంటికి పోతుంటారు అని.
ఇవ్వన్నీ గూడా ఆ చావుకు సంబంధించిన మరణాలే అని బుకాయించారని ఒక ఆంగ్ల పత్రికలో ఆంగ్ల మీడియా చెప్పవలసివచ్చింది. మనకు« ధైర్యం చాలడం లేదు. ఇక్కడ మీడియాకు ధైర్యం చాలడం లేదు. ఇక్కడ వ్యాఖ్యాతలకు ధైర్యం చాలడంలేదు. అన్నిటినీ తీవ్రంగా విమర్శించే వ్యాఖ్యాతలుగా టివిలో కనిపించినటువంటి మహానుభావులు, పేర్లు చెప్పొద్దు, బాగుండదు, వాళ్ళకి సాధ్యం కాదు.
ఎటువంటి సమాజంలో జీవిస్తున్నాం మనం? ఈ సాధ్యం కాకపోవడం, నిజాన్ని నిజం అనలేకపోవడం, కొందరిలో భయం కావచ్చు, కొందరిలో అవకాశవాదం కావచ్చు, రెండూ కూడా ప్రజాస్వామ్యానికి వినాశకరమే, ఎందుకంటే, నిజాయితీ లేకపోతే, భయం ఉన్నా నిజాయితీ ఉండదు, అవకాశమున్నా నిజాయితీ ఉండదు, నిజాయితీ లేకపోతే ప్రజాస్వామ్యముండదు.హక్కుల సాధన సాధ్యం కాదు. హక్కులు సాధించుకోవడం సాధ్యంకాదు, ఇటువంటి సమాజంలో బ్రతుకుతున్నాం మనమూ అనే ఓ సిగ్గుపడే పరిస్థితి, బుర్ర రాములు అననే అన్నాడు. మనకు వాస్తవానికి ఉంది నెలరోజులుగా. అరే, గమనించలేదే మనం, ఇంతటి దౌర్భాగ్య పరిస్థితులలో మనమున్నామని మనకు మనమే చెప్పుకోవలసి వస్తుంది.
ఎట్లా దీన్నించి బయటపడాలా అనే ప్రశ్న వేసుకోవలసివస్తుంది. హైదరాబాద్లో బ్రతికిన వాళ్ళకు ఓ జ్ఞాపకం తప్పనిసరిగా వస్తుంది. ఎవ్వరూ మాట్లాడలేకపోతున్నారు. జగన్మోహనరెడ్డిని ముఖ్యమంత్రిగా చెయ్యకపోతే ఇది జేస్తాం అది జేస్తాం అనడం, ఇక్కడా అక్కడా దౌర్జన్యానికి పాల్పడటం చూస్తూ ఉంటే, హైదరాబాద్ నివాసులమైన మాకు 1992 జ్ఞాపకం వస్తుంది.
ఒక ముఖ్యమంత్రిని దించి మరొకరిని ఎక్కించడానికి పీకలు కోసిన ఆ మారణకాండ జ్ఞాపకం వస్తుంది. తండ్రి పీకలు కోసి ఆ రోజు ముఖ్యమంత్రులను మార్చాడు. కొడుకు అదే పని చేస్తాడా అన్న భయం. మీకిది అతిశయోక్తిగా అనిపియ్యవచ్చు బయట వాళ్ళకు. హైద్రాబాదులో బ్రతికిన వాళ్ళకు, చూసిన వాళ్ళకు, ఆ ఘటన కాలంలో అక్కడ జీవించిన వాళ్ళకు సహజంగా వచ్చేటటువంటి సందేహం.
ఎందుకు అనలేకపోతున్నారు ఈ విషయాలన్నీకూడా, ఎందుకు మాట్లాడలేక పోతున్నాం? ఈ జాతి, హక్కుల సాధనకు యోగ్యమైన జాతేనా? ఈ జాతి ప్రజాస్వామ్యానికి అర్హతున్న జాతేనా, ఈ తెలుగు జాతి? విమర్శకులుగా, మేధావులుగా, ప్రగతిశీల వ్యక్తులుగా పేరుబడ్డ వాళ్ళు, భయంలోపల తమ అవకాశాలు వెతుక్కుంటూ, దౌర్జన్యం లోపల తమకు అవకాశాలు వెతుక్కుంటూ, పోతూంటే, ఈ జాతి భవిష్యత్తు ఏమిటీ అన్న ప్రశ్న. (ఇంకా…)
River-linking Polavaram project in more controversies అక్టోబర్ 30, 2009
Posted by Telangana Utsav in Bhadrachalam, Congress, Economy, Khammam, Koya, Polavaram, TDP, TRS, Telangana, politics.add a comment
Ministers squabble on Polavaram
October 31st, 2009
By Our Correspondent
Hyderabad, Oct. 30: A sustained campaign by a section of senior Congress leaders against the Polavaram project has irked their counterparts from the beneficiary districts.
This has come at a time when the Centre is all set to accord national project status to the Polavaram project. The Centre will bear 90 per cent of the project cost once it is accorded the national status.
Taking a cue from the Congress leaders, the Left parties and Telangana Rashtra Samithi have revived their demand for scrapping Polavaram and taking up a couple of minor projects in its place.
The pro-project sections are waiting for the Chief Minister, Mr K. Rosaiah, to make the government’s stand clear not just on Polavaram but the entire Jalayagnam. Mr Rosaiah has reviewed every subject except irrigation. Sources said he postponed the Jalayagnam review twice.
The irrigation officials said the government would lose the grant of Rs 25,000 crore over a period of time if any of the projects were scrapped.
The earlier union minister of water sources, Prof. Saifuddin Souz, had identified 25 projects including Pranahitha Chevella for completion under the PM’s package for distressed districts. (ఇంకా…)
Whose city is Hyderabad? GHMC gears up for polls అక్టోబర్ 30, 2009
Posted by Telangana Utsav in Congress, G.O 610, GHMC, Hyderabad, Identity, MIM, Mulki, TDP, TRS, elections, politics.add a comment
GHMC polls on November 23
Times of India, 29 October 2009
HYDERABAD: The state election commission on Wednesday announced the much-awaited schedule for the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) elections for which voting will take place on November 23.
This will be the first electoral test for the state Congress under new chief minister K Rosaiah. As per the scheduled announced by SEC commissioner A V S Reddy, nominations for the polls will be accepted from October 31 to November 6. November 10 will be the last date of withdrawals and polling will take place on November 23. The results will be announced on November 26 and the newly-elected 150 councillors will elect the mayor and deputy mayor on December 6.
This will be the first election for the GHMC since it was created in 2007. The 150 wards of GHMC are spread across five Lok Sabha and 25 assembly constituencies. The LS constituencies are Hyderabad, Secunderabad, Malkajgiri and parts of Chevella and Medak.
The last elections to the civic body was held in 2002 when it was known as Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad and had a strength of 100 members. At that time, the Telugu Desam government was in power in the state. The elections in 2002 were held after a gap of 15 years. The MIM emerged as the single largest party winning 36 divisions, the TDP-BJP combine secured 37 divisions, Congress 20 divisions, TRS and Majlis Bachao Tahreek 2 each, and Telangana Sadhana Samiti and independent one each
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/GHMC-polls-on-November-23/articleshow/5174770.cms
MIM eyeing Mayor’s post
J.S. Ifthekhar
The Hindu, 29 October 2009
Party receives 332 applications for the 150 divisions
Hyderabad: ‘Shaher hamara, Mayor hamara’. That’s what the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) is going to town with. The party has set its sights on the coveted Mayoral gaddi in the next month’s civic polls. (ఇంకా…)
No Trust Motion on Hyderabad Free Zone / G.O 610 ? అక్టోబర్ 30, 2009
Posted by Telangana Utsav in Congress, Economy, G.O 610, Mulki, PRP, Six Point Formula, TDP, TRS, Telangana, elections, politics.add a comment
TDP may not back TRS on free zone issue
Express News Service, 26 Oct 2009
HYDERABAD: Six months after the Assembly elections, the main Opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has almost dumped its ally the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS). The TRS too is trying hard to move away from the TDP in order to get closer to the Congress.
As the experiment with the TRS failed to click in the Assembly elections, the TDP is now targeting the TRS leadership for its failure to carry forward the Telangana slogan effectively.
The TDP is now trying to project a picture to the people of Telangana that it is the only party which has been with the Telangana people through thick and thin.
The TDP leaders say that they launched agitations against `skull symbol on beedi packs’, Babhli project and other key issues. It was TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu who visited several villages in Mahaboobnagar and helped the flood victims by providing relief material. (ఇంకా…)
New controversy on Most violated Presidential Order – Free Zone అక్టోబర్ 29, 2009
Posted by Telangana Utsav in Congress, G.O 610, Hyderabad, Mahabubnagar, Medak, Mulki, Nalgonda, Nizamabad, Rangareddy, Six Point Formula, TRS, Telangana, elections, politics.Tags: G.O 610, Zone VI
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SC order on capital gives TRS fresh life
A Srinivasa Rao
India Today, October 28, 2009
Is Hyderabad not a part of Telangana, but a separate entity by virtue of being the capital of Andhra Pradesh? This issue is now the most hotly debated topic across the state. And it has given a new lease of life to the Telangana movement, which had almost been buried after the debacle of pro- Telangana forces in the recent general elections.
The whole controversy began with a Supreme Court judgement on October 9, declaring that Hyderabad was not a part of Telangana but a free zone insofar as recruitments and postings in government went.
Therefore, the Supreme Court ruled, people from all parts of the state would have equal rights in jobs, postings and promotions there. It meant the people of Telangana, who have been enjoying local area status in Hyderabad with 70 per cent quota in government jobs all these years, would have to forego the benefit and now have to compete with people from coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema for such openings.
Hitherto, the state government had been treating Hyderabad as part of Zone VI, along with Ranga Reddy, Mahbubnagar, Nalgonda, Nizamabad and Medak districts for the purpose of government recruitments, postings and promotions. There are five other zones in the rest of the state.
The Zonal system was created as part of Presidential Orders issued in 1975, based on the six point formula worked out by the then Indira Gandhi government to undo the injustice caused to Telangana in recruitments, as a fallout of the historic Telangana movement of 1969- 72. But, the formula was violated more often than not, causing a lot of unrest among the Telangana employees. (ఇంకా…)
YSR ‘Shock deaths’ – Facts & politics అక్టోబర్ 27, 2009
Posted by Telangana Utsav in Congress, Hyderabad, In News, TRS, Telangana, Warangal, YSR, politics.add a comment
Economic & Political Weekly, October 24, 2009 vol xliv no 43
Commentary
YSR ‘Shock Deaths’ in Andhra
C Ramachandraiah
Over 450 people were reported to have died of “shock” following the death of Andhra Pradesh chief minister, Y S Rajasekhara Reddy. While the high-pitched media coverage may have contributed to some of these deaths, it also appears likely that eager Congress workers gave money to poor people asking them to claim that the natural deaths of members of their respective families were due to “shock” at the death of YSR. This was a cynical move to pressurise the Congress leadership to make his son, Jaganmohan Reddy, the chief minister.
Over 450 people are reported to have died of shock in the days following the tragic death of the former chief minister of Andhra Pradesh (AP), Y S Rajasekhara Reddy (popularly known as YSR) in the helicopter crash on 2 September 2009. Though the helicopter carrying YSR and four others is now known to have crashed around 9.30 am on 2 September, the news of their death was telecast only on the morning of 3 September, i e, after a full 24 hours of suspense about the fate of the chief minister. That the helicopter was missing was itself confirmed only late in the afternoon of 2 September by the then finance minister (present chief minister) K Rosaiah.
YSR had emerged a mass political leader in AP after his padayatra during April-June 2003. Aided by a booming economy, a slew of welfare/populist measures and distribution of patronage through public work contracts and other means, he became a popular chief minister. His personal traits of helping those who approach him and taking care of the needs of his followers earned him supporters across the state. (ఇంకా…)
Mulki Rules movement in Hyderabad Karnataka అక్టోబర్ 27, 2009
Posted by Telangana Utsav in Hyderabad, Identity, Mulki, Six Point Formula, Telangana, politics.add a comment
Bandh paralyses normal life in Gulbarga city
Special Correspondent, The Hindu 15 July 2009
Several organisations had called for bandh for varied reasons
• Hyderabad Karnataka Horata Samiti wants Article 371 of the Constitution to be amended
• Karnataka Rakshana Vedike protests against delay in taking up road-widening work in the city
Gulbarga: Bandh was total in Gulbarga city on Tuesday. Normal life was paralysed with all shops, business establishments, both wholesale and retail markets downing their shutters in response to two separate bandh calls.
While the Hyderabad Karnataka Horata Samiti and the Hyderabad Karnataka Chamber of Commerce and Industries supported by other organisations called for bandh demanding Amendment to Article 371 of the Constitution on the Telangana model, the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike called for Gulbarga city bandh to demand that an IAS officer be posted as the Commissioner of the Gulbarga City Corporation and also to demand that road-widening work be taken up in the city. Besides, the vedike activists protested against the lack of will of political parties to get Article 371 of the Constitution amended.
In response to the bandh call, the North Eastern Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NEKRTC) authorities suspended its city and mofussil services since morning as a precautionary measure. The only saving grace for the harassed public in the absence of public transport was a few auto rickshaws that defied the bandh call and operated in the city. (ఇంకా…)
