Wednesday 24 May 2017

Secularism in India
While India claims to be a secular country, with a secular Constitution, the truth is that the vast majority of Hindus are communal, and so are the vast majority of Muslims ( though they may not say so openly ).One proof of this is that when Muslims are lynched or attacked in India only a minority of Hindus are horrified at this, while the vast majority
are indifferent, and many even approve of this as ' putting the Muslims in their place '. The same attitude would be of most Muslims in Pakistan when some atrocity is committed on Hindus there
Secularism is a modern value which arose in Western Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries with the growth of modern industry. But India is still backward,  semi feudal, and only partially industrialized.
After Independence the Congress party was in power for several decades. It professed secularism, but this was really for getting the Muslim vote bank in elections. Now with the BJP in power even the fig leaf of secularism has been removed.
Dark days are ahead for India

Monday 22 May 2017

Bhim Army
I have always condemned the atrocities and discrimination against dalits.
Nevertheless, I am against formation of a Bhim Army, BAPSA, or such other separatist organizations of dalits, as that is a serious mistake, and is against the interests of the dalits.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/…/articlesh…/58768048.cms

http://indianexpress.com/article/india/saharanpur-violence-on-the-run-bhim-army-chief-appears-at-jantar-mantar-says-will-surrender-4667069/
Such separate organizations of dalits only play into the hands of the rulers who want to divide and rule. Dalits must not isolate themselves, but should join hands with the enlightened sections of the upper castes and OBCs.
In America separate organizations of blacks like The Nation of Islam, whose leaders were Elijah Muhammed, Malcolm X, Louis Farrakhan, etc, and the Black Panthers, etc failed to achieve anything
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Panther_Party
India must make one of two choices
Logically, India must make one of two choices now :
Either
1. Continue recognizing Pakistan as a legitimate country by accepting the validity of the two nation theory ( i.e. that Hindus and Muslims are two separate nations ) on the basis of which India was partitioned in 1947. 
If we excercize this option, we must logically hand over Kashmir to Pakistan since the overwhelming majority of Kashmiris were, and still are, Muslims. A single individual, the Maharaja, cannot decide the fate of a people.
Or
2. Reject the two nation theory as bogus and reject the validity of that historical British swindle called Partition, in which case we must logically derecognize Pakistan as it is a fake, artificial entity, recall our diplomats from Pakistan, throw out theirs, declare to the world that Pakistan is part of India and must be reunited with it under a secular government, and withdraw from the United Nations unless it throws out Pakistan
Did President Abraham Lincoln recognize the Confederate States of America ?
Did President Ho Chi Minh recognize South Vietnam ?
Did China recognize Taiwan, and did it sit in the U.N. until Taiwan was thrown out ?
It is time we took the logical step

Saturday 20 May 2017

Jobless Growth
The expression 'jobless growth', which is sometimes used for the Indian economy, to my mind is an oxymoron. Either there is growth or there is high unemployment, but there cannot be both. Let me explain.
There can be no doubt that unemployment has increased after the BJP came to power in May 2014. 
According to the Indian Labour Ministry, 9.5 lac jobs were created annually in the organized sector of the Indian economy in the years 2009 to 2011. But in the years 2015 and 2016 the jobs created annually were less than 2 lacs.
In the quarter October to December 2016 2.5 lac small units closed down. In the I.T. sector there have been massive lay offs, and according to Vishal Sikka, CEO of Infosys, half the I.T. jobs will become redundant in a few years.
Can there be growth of the economy without increasing the number of jobs ? I submit there cannot, because if production increases there must be an increase in sales. To increase sales there must be more people with purchasing power to buy the increased amount of products, and this implies increase in jobs. A jobless person has little purchasing power.
It follows that 'vikas' was an empty slogan, a jumla, like Indira Gandhi's 'garibi hatao', useful for winning elections, but after which people are left high and dry.
In this connection see my blog http://justicekatju.blogspot.in/search?q=unemployment

Friday 19 May 2017

A new interpretation of a Ghalib sher
Zulmat kade mein mere shab-e-gham ka josh hai
Ek shama hai daleel-e-sahar, so khamosh hai
Mirza Ghalib
Great Urdu poets often write not in direct language but in indirect language, using hints, suggestions, allusions or indications. So to understand their real meaning the reader must go behind the plain literal and superficial meaning, and try to find out the deeper real meaning which the poet is trying to convey. To find out this deeper real meaning you have to often use your head to find it out, and often it may not be evident to you initially.
 Also, Urdu poetry has the quality that several meanings can be given to many shers ( couplets ). Sometimes a meaning can be given by the reader which even the shayar ( poet ) may not have contemplated.
So let us interpret the above sher of Ghalib, the greatest Urdu poet.
Zulmatkade means place of darkness, shab means night, gham means sorrow, shamaa means flame, daleel means proof or argument, sahar means dawn, khamosh means silent.
My own interpretation of the sher, which reflects the present conditions in India is this :
" Even in these dark miserable times there is a passionate fire of optimism in me
When the candle which has burnt all night gets finally extinguished it increases the darkness
But it is also proof that the dawn ( i.e. the beginning of a new prosperous era ) is shortly coming "
In other words, the greater the suffering of the Indian people, the nearer is the Revolution

Thursday 18 May 2017

Rajnikanth
I have a high opinion of south Indians, but I just cannot understand their stupid deification and idolization of filmstars.
I remember when I was in Annamalai University ( 1967-68 ) I once went with some Tamilian friends to see a movie starring Shivaji Ganesan. At the very beginning of that movie the feet of Shivaji Ganesan were shown ( and only the feet ) and the audience went hysterical. 
Now it seems many south Indians are crazy about Rajnikanth, and some even want him to enter politics and be the Chief Minister of Tamilnadu
http://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/movies/rajini-will-not-disappoint-7-cr-tamils-says-his-friend/article18475206.ece?homepage=true
But what is there in Rajnikanth ? Has he any solutions to the massive problems of poverty, unemployment, malnourishment, lack of healthcare, farmers distress, etc ? I think he has none. Then why do people want him in politics ? Like Amitabh Bachchan, Rajnikanth has nothing in his head.
Lunch with a pro-Modi NRI in California
Had lunch in a Chinese restaurant in Fremomt, California with an NRI friend who is settled in the Bay Area ( Silicon Valley ) USA for over 30 years and has his business here. He is pro-Modi, like most NRIs in America.
He was the host of Prime Minister Modi's visit to the Silicon Valley in September 2015, and spent 2 days with him, and they had long conversations.
He has a very good opinion of Modi, whom he regards a man with a vision, the vision being of developing India.
I told him that at present there was no credible opposition to Modi, and that is why BJP won 4 of the 5 states in the recent elections. He agreed, and said that AAP too was now discredited.
He asked about Congress, and I said in my opinion it was finished as long as Sonia and Rahul are its leaders. He said why do Congressmen then not choose another leadership instead of sticking with them. I said India is a feudal country, in which the son/daughter of a king becomes the next ruler, even if he is incompetent and undeserving. The Nehru-Gandhi family is regarded by the Congress party as the royal family, and it is this binding force which keeps the party united.
He asked whether Modi was corrupt. I said that I had not heard of any personal corruption of Modi. For whom will he take money ? He has no family. But of course one has to take money for the party because politics is an expensive affair in India, elections are expensive, and it costs a lot of money to run an organization.
In contrast, I am convinced Sonia Gandhi was personally corrupt. She looted India, and took away a huge amount of money which she has parked in foreign banks or secret havens. Scam after scam ( e.g. 2G scam, coalblock scam, CWG scam, etc ) was taking place, not of crores of rupees but of lacs of crores, when UPA, of which she was the Chairman, was in power. Where has all this loot gone ? Everyone knows that Manmohan Singh was a dummy, and the real ruler was Sonia. So one can put two and two together. There may not be direct evidence, but there is also a thing called circumstantial evidence.
He asked why BJP won even in Muslim majority areas in U.P. I replied that I had no idea, but normally Muslims do not vote for BJP, and that is why no Muslim was given a BJP ticket in the recent U.P. Assembly elections.
He asked whether the Muslims were feeling alienated. 
I replied that was so. I also told him of the fear of Muslims who are feeling insecure after the attacks on some Muslims in Dadri, Alwar, etc. The appointment of Adityanath as C.M. of U.P. has also sent a wrong message.
He did not deny that, but hoped the extreme elements will be controlled.
He said that he told Modi to have a substantial number of his Secretaries, Addl Secretaries and Jt. Secretaries from the private sector, instead of from the I.A.S.
To this Modi replied that the bureaucracy was very powerful in India, and he did not want a confrontation with it at present, but may consider about it later. However, my friend said he did not believe Modi will ever change the state of affairs in this connection.
My friend said that most jobs are created not by big business but by small businesses, but in India before Modi the climate was hostile to small businesses and Start Ups. For instance, in notices inviting applications for contracts it was usually mentioned that parties having a turnover of less than a certain amount in past years will not be considered, and this turnover amount was fixed so high that new Start Ups could never be considered.
According to him this has now changed by the DIPP. I am not sure this is true. As far as I know, small businesses are having an even more difficult time.
I told him people voted for Modi thinking that vikas meant millions of jobs will be created, but in fact jobs have been further reduced. 12 million youth are coming into the Indian job market every year, but last year only 140, 000 jobs were created in the organized sector of the Indian economy.
The divide between the rich and the poor has increased, and now 57 individuals in India control 70% of India's wealth. How long will this situation be tolerated ?
We also discussed the media. He said that TRP rating of anti-establishment media goes up, and so in USA the TRP rating of CNN, which is regarded as anti-Trump has gone up, while that of Fox News, which is regarded as pro-Trump has gone down.
I said that as far as the Indian media is concerned most of it is presently pro-establishment. Many mediapersons who were perceived as anti Modi have lost their jobs. Most of the media has been taken over by corporates, and these corporates are all pro-Modi.

Wednesday 17 May 2017

Chitto Jetha Bhaypurno
Where the minds of the people are always in fear of losing their livelihood or not being able to make two ends meet, and the head is stooped low
Where the leaders of the country are shameless gangsters, crooks, looters, deceivers and gundas who have amassed fortunes
Where crony capitalists have cornered most of the country's wealth, while the masses are living in abject misery
Where most people are servile and kowtow, crawl and do shaashtang before the corrupt leaders 
Where cows are worshipped and minorities lynched on false charges of cow slaughter
Where a Ram Mandir is built not only in Ayodhya but also in every town, and even in every mohalla and village, in India
Where Muslims are thrashed if they do not say ' Jai Shri Ram ' and are forced to eat gobar and drink gomutra
Where people raising their voice against oppression, exploitation and corruption are branded as Naxalites and shot like partridges
Where bollywood, cricket, fashion parades and astrology is given to the poor masses instead of food and jobs, the way the Roman Emperors gave circuses to the people
Where people demanding bread are told to eat cake
Where the largely corrupt, sold out and shameless media keeps diverting attention of the people from the real socio-economic issues to trivialities
Where every virtue has decayed and vanished, and honesty regarded as stupidity
Where wealth replaces character and conduct. Might becomes right, might alone determining dharma and justice.
Where trade and fraudulent practice become synonymous.
Where the law favours only the rich, and has no regard for justice. 
Where he that can curse and swear best will be considered the finest scholar.
Where poverty will be sufficient cause to establish guilt in the eyes of the law, while wealth and ostentation will be indices of character.
Where he who maintains his family by the foulest means will be considered most respectable. 
Where dharma is observed only for exhibition.
Where whoever is crooked and daring becomes the political leader, and rules like greedy lustful bandits, with plunder and rapine of the citizens
Where exhausted by cruel taxes, deprived of rains in the land, the people subsist on wild vegetation, roots, and leaves
Where the political leaders, when the people complain they have no food, tell them, like Foulon before the French Revolution, to eat grass `.
Where the rulers are mere robbers, and men, driven by despair, poverty and unemployment will become thieves, murderers or suicides.
Where arrogance, hypocrisy, deception, dishonesty, sloth, somnolence, cruelty of every kind, delusion, terror and wretchedness will rule 
Where the vilest men become the foremost traders, making cheating and thievery the common practice of the marketplace. 
Where seated upon the sacred thrones of great and holy gurus of yore, babas that are masters only of vice will expound dharma to the gullible populace.
Where depleted by dreadful taxes, tormented by drought, starved, owning none of the bare necessities of life---homes, clothes, food and drink, a bed, a bath,etc. --men will seem more like bhutas and pisachas.
Into that hell of slavery, Father, let my country awake
Hari Om

Tuesday 16 May 2017

The Intellectual bankruptcy of the Indian 'critical thinkers'
After reading the discussion between the self styled 'critical thinker' Romilla Thapar and Siddhartha Varadarajan in thewire.in, I thought a response is really called for.
These ' critical thinkers ' in our Universities, media, etc cry hoarse against the sins of the present regime in India, denouncing it as fascist, anti-democratic, and what not. But, to use a Hindi proverb, ' kabhi inhone apne girebaan mein jhaank ke dekha hai ? '.
I accuse the Indian self styled 'liberal',and 'critical' thinkers of totally letting down the nation, by hankering for lucrative posts and sinecures in Indian academia and elsewhere, and of being totally superficial while posing to be profound thinkers. It is indeed fashionable today to be a 'leftist' 'intellectual' in India, as long as your comfortable lifestyle is not adversely affected.
Let me ask a few questions to these ' critical thinkers ' ?
1. When I denounced Gandhi as a hypocritical, feudal minded, reactionary British agent in a series of blogs ( see the blogs on Gandhi in justicekatju.blogspot.in ), for which I gave my reasons, but for which I was condemned by both Houses of the Indian Parliament, without even considering my reasons, where were these ' critical thinkers ? '. Did anyone of them come to my defence ? Or if they thought I was wrong, did any of them consider my reasons and seek to refute them rationally ? No, they maintained the 'noble silence ' of the Buddha, probably thinking the topic too hot and dangerous for a rational discussion. But surely critical thinking means application of reason to every phenomena, even it results in personal discomfort.
2. Similarly when I denounced Tagore, Syed Ahmed Khan, Allama Iqbal, Savarkar, Tilak, Bankim Chandra etc as British agents, and Subhas Chandra Bose as a Japanese stooge and lackey, for which I gave my reasons in my blogs, where were they ? Again, maintaining the ' noble silence '.
3. How many 'critical thinkers' came to my support when I condemned the irrational, feudal laws, customs and practices of beef ban, sharia, burqa etc and called for their abolition ? Not one.
4. Have Romila Thapar, Irfan Habib, or other 'celebrated' historians in India said, or even realized, that communalism in India is an artificially created phenomenon which did not exist before the Mutiny of 1857 in which Hindus and Muslims jointly fought against the British, and which was created craftily and systematically by the British after suppressing the Mutiny of 1857 ( see my article ' The Truth about Pakistan ' and B.N.Pande's speech ' History in the service of Imperialism ' online ), and by certain vested interests after 1947 ?
5. Has any of these ' critical thinkers ' ever said, or even realized, that Pakistan is a fake, artificial country which was created by the British on the basis of the bogus two nation theory, using as their agents Gandhi and Jinnah ? ( see my blogs ' The Truth about Pakistan ', ' We are one ' , and my blogs on Gandhi, etc), that we are really one nation sharing the same culture, that we were one country since Mughal times, and that we are bound to reunite under a truly secular govt. which does not tolerate religious bigotry or extremism of any kind, whether Hindu or Muslim.
6. Has any of these 'critical thinkers' ever considered what is India ?
I did, and after deep investigation found that India is largely a country of immigrants, like North America, with about 93-94% of its present inhabitants having ancestors who came from abroad, mostly from the north west ( see my post ' What is India ? ' online and on my blog), and this explains our tremendous diversity.
Now I am a man with a legal background. This discovery should really have been made by the academicians. But where were they ? Enjoying their comfortable lives ?
I have pointed out in several posts on facebook and my blog that the solutions to the massive problems India is facing---poverty, unemployment, malnutrition, lack of healthcare and goof education, etc---do not lie within the present Constitutional and political system, but outside it, and hence India is inevitably heading for a revolution.
http://www.huffingtonpost.in/…/reforms-will-not-do-india-a…/
But every great revolution has to be preceded by an ideological revolution.
For instance, the French Revolution of 1789 was preceded by several decades of struggle in the realm of ideas, in which great thinkers like Voltaire, Rousseau, the French Encyclopedists, and thinkers of the Enlightenment bravely fought ideologically against the feudal system and religious bigotry. in France. Without this long drawn ideological struggle the Revolution of 1789 would have been difficult, if not impossible.
Similarly, before a revolution can take place in India to establish a modern, just, political and social order in which all Indians can have decent lives, a powerful ideological struggle is needed to attack and sweep away the centuries of backward, feudal filth, e.g. casteism, communalism and superstitions which has accumulated, and which still pervades and persists in Indian society, and spread rational and scientific ideas widely
This was the job of our 'critical thinkers'. But where are they ? What have they been doing so long ?
We are one
Two Indian jawans were killed and mutiliated, but by whom ? Indians blame the Pakistani army, but Pakistan has denied the charge. Now whom to believe ?
The TRP driven Indian media paints Pakistanis as devils, and the TRP driven Pakistani media reciprocates the compliment.
What is the truth ?
The truth is that India and Pakistan are really one country, sharing the same culture. We were one since Mughal times, but were befooled by the Britishers into thinking that Hindus and Muslims are each other's enemies, and temporarily divided on the basis of the bogus two nation theory. 
But how much longer must we remain befooled ? How much longer must blood flow between us ? We are bound to reunite one day under a secular government. 
99% Indians are good people, and so are 99% Pakistanis, 99% Hindus are good people, and so are 99% Muslims.
To say that Partition took place 70 years ago and hence reunification is not possible as much water has flown, overlooks the fact that Germany was reunited in 1990 after 45 years separation, Vietnam was reunited after 30 years separation, and China has still not recognized Taiwan since 1945 when they were separated.
To say that reunification is not possible as there is too much hatred on both sides, overlooks the fact that this hatred is artificially created ( see my article ' The Truth about Pakistan ' online ). When Indians go to Pakistan they get overwhelming love and hospitality from Pakistanis, and the same happens when Pakistanis come to India. We are really one, and so must reunite
Justice Karnan
Contempt is discretionary jurisdiction. Hence even when contempt has in fact been committed, the Court is not bound to take action for contempt of court.
Justice Karnan is no doubt a bit crazy, but he is retiring on 10th June this year. Hence in my opinion it would have been best for the Supreme Court to have avoided taking contempt of court action against.
However, in its wisdom, the Court has sentenced him to 6 months jail.
Now the problem is of implementing this order. Justice Karnan has elluded two state police in 3 states for almost a week. I am reminded of these lines :
" They seek him here, they seek him there
Those Frenchies seek him everywhere
Is he in heaven, is he in hell ?
That damned elusive Pimpernal "
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Scarlet_Pimpernel

When a person against whom there is an arrest warrant absconds, the police may attach his properties, moveable and immoveable under section 82/83 Cr.P.C.
Will the Supreme Court direct the Tamilnadu police do the same in respect of Justice Karnan ?
And are the Tamilnadu police sympathising with Justice Karnan in their hearts, and helping him in certain ways, since they too are Tamilians ?
It seems like an Agathie Christie mystery scenario, which requires a Hercule Poirot to solve
The Supreme Court may also consider asking the Indian Govt. to seek help from Interpol or Scotland Yard to trace the whereabouts of our own Scarlet Pimpernal.
Hari Om
, first published in 1905. The novel was written after Orczy's stage play of the same title enjoyed a long run in London and popular success earlier in 1905, after a first run in Nottingham in 1903.
EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG

Sunday 14 May 2017

The Belt and Road Forum


The Belt and Road Forum Summit, being held in Beijing on 14th and 15th May, should be renamed the ' Greater Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere Summit ', because it is reminiscient of that euphemistic phoney organization created by the Japanese fascist Imperialists in the 1930s and 1940s as a cover to seek out new avenues for investment, and to capture the markets and raw materials of Asian countries for the needs of the growing Japanese industry.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_East_Asia_Co-Prosperity_Sphere

People should not have any illusions about today's China, and should not be misguided by the Cheshire Cat grin President Xi Jinping gives.. China today is not a socialist but a ravenous imperialist country, whose leaders are a gang of big time dacoits and mafia.
China has a huge foreign change reserve of over 3 trillion dollars, which is hungrily seeking new economic fields for investment in foreign countries, like a vampire seeking victims from whose bodies it intends to suck blood. It has already spread its talons and fangs in many Asian, African and Latin American countries to enslave and loot them, and bring them under the heels of its its colonial empire, by various devious methods, including giving huge bribes to the corrupt leaders of those countries.
OBOR ( One Belt, One Road ) is nothing but Chinese neo-imperialism. Only shameless lackeys & bootlickers of the crooked rulers of China are supporting it
It is the time this seemingly 'benevolent' mask of the Chinese imperialists is torn off, and the whole world is made aware of the truth, so that it unitedly puts up a determined resistance to the Chinese Dragon's imperialist ambition to swallow the whole world, beginning from the underdeveloped countries, otherwise a great calamity shall fall on all of us


. It also declared the intention to create a self-sufficient "bloc of Asian nations led by the Japanese and free of Western powers". It was announced in a radio address entitled "The International Situation and…
EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG

Friday 12 May 2017

The Problem for Indian Muslims


When Indian Muslims go to vote, they have only one aim in mind--to defeat BJP.
For a long time after Independence they voted for Congress, as Congress leaders told them " If you dont vote for Congress, Jan Sangh ( now BJP ) will eat you up ". So they voted en masse for Congress.

After demolition of Babri Masjid in December 1992, Muslims became angry with Congress, and broadly joined Mulayam Singh in U.P. and Lalu Yadav in Bihar. But then too they resorted to 'tactical voting', i.e. voting for the strongest non BJP candidate in a particular constituency. So in some constituencies they voted for BSP, Congress.etc
In Delhi at one time there were only 2 strong parties, BJP or Congress. Obviously Muslims would not vote for BJP, and so they voted for Congress. When Congress became discredited and AAP was formed, they became AAP supporters.
And now that AAP too is discredited, where are the poor Indian Muslims to go ?
Shashi Tharoor
In his book ' Era of Darkness ', Shashi Tharoor writes that British industrialization was based on looting India and other colonies.
But what is so original about this ?
Primitive accumulation of capital, on whose foundation British industrialization took place, was based on expropriation of the peasantry and looting of the colonies, as Marx had explained almost 150 years ago. So what is new in what Tharoor says.
Talking of return of the Kohinoor in his book shows the shallowness of Tharoor's mind.
https://en.wikipedia.org/…/Primitive_accumulation_of_capita…
Tharoor says there is nothing wrong in democracy, only the manner in which it is practised--another of his platitudes.
He refuses to acknowledge the truth that Indian democracy is a farce, largely based on caste and communal vote banks, our state institutions have become largely hollow and empty shells, and the only way out for the Indian people from their massive poverty, unemployment, etc is by a revolution.
Tharoor is a totally superficial thinker pretending to be very original.
In Marxist economics and preceding theories,[1] the problem of primitive accumulation (also called previous accumulation, original accumulation) of capital concerns the origin of capital, and therefore of how class distinctions between possessors and non-possessors came to be.
EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG

Tuesday 25 April 2017

The BJP and the Nazis


The BJP has often been compared to the Nazis.
While it is true that there are some similarities, inasmuch as both were ( and are ) fascists, nevertheless there are some vital differences between the two.

The Nazis seized power in 1933 when Germany was already a highly industrialized country. So they used their technological might to aggressively grab country after country in Europe, first peacefully and then militarily, using the economic resources of each conquered country for further aggression, until they met their Waterloo at Stalingrad in 1942-43. But by 1945, when the Second World War ended, the Nazis were responsible for 50 million deaths, including 6 million Jews sent to gas chambers
On the other hand, India is a relatively backward country, only partially industrialized. Hence it does not have the technological strength to launch aggressive foreign wars. The fascism of BJP can therefore be a much weaker fascism than Hitler's.
BJP had come to power in 2014 on the slogan of 'vikas' i.e. development, due to which hundreds of millions, particularly the youth, voted for it, thinking that vikas meant that tens of millions of jobs will now be created.
But this slogan of vikas was a hoax, as Indians, who were taken for a ride and hoodwinked, have now realized.The Indian economy is stagnant , and jobs have become less ( 12 million youth are entering the Indian job market every year, while only 140, 000.jobs were created in 2016 in the organized sector of India's economy. )
India has massive poverty, child malnutrition, lack of healthcare and good education, etc.
All this is bound to lead to popular agitations against the govt. which will then blame the minorities for all problems, the way Hitler blamed the Jews. In other words, communal riots and communal incidents will be engineered through agent provocateurs, the 'beef' lynchings being latest examples. .
No doubt the Hindu majority will approve of this for some time, but this drama cannot go on forever. You can fool people for some time, but not all time. Ultimately even Hindus will realize that what is needed is jobs, healthcare, food, etc and not Ram Mandir or cow protection.
Then the day of reckoning for BJP will come in some way ( which cannot be presently predicted ).

Saturday 22 April 2017

Indo-Pak delegation to meet Pak Consul General in Los Angeles
An Indo-Pak delegation to be led by me has got an appointment with the Pakistan Consul General in Los Angeles, California, USA on Monday, 24th April at 11 a.m.
In that meeting we shall be submitting to the Consul General a petition signed by a large number of people from several nationalities praying for clemency to Kulbhushan Jadhav, an Indian national who has been sentenced to death by the Pakistan army authorities.
We will request the Consul to forward the petition immediately to the Pakistan President and Prime Minister.
All those who wish to sign the petition online may contact Santosh Addagulla at his email id santosh.addagulla@gmail.com
Below is the petition I sent by email on 19.4.2017 to the Pakistan President and P.M.
To
1. His Excellency the President of Pakistan
2. His Excellency the Prime Minister of Pakistan
Islamabad
Your Excellencies,
I am writing to you to seek clemency for Kulbhushan Jadhav, an Indian national, who has been sentenced to death by a Pakistan Military Tribunal.
I do not know the facts of the case, so I will not comment on the merits.
I may, however, be permitted the liberty of referring to Portia's famous speech in Shakespeare's ' Merchant of Venice ' where she pleaded that justice should be tempered with mercy.
I may also quote a couplet of the celebrated Urdu poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz ( which I also quoted in my judgment in the Indian Supreme Court in Gopal Das vs. Union of India in which I pleaded for mercy to Gopal Das to the then Pakistan President & P. M. ) :
" Qafas udaas hai yaaron, saba se kuch to kaho
Kaheen to beher-e-khuda aaj zikr-e-yaar chale "
Yours respectfully
Justice Markandey Katju
former Judge, Supreme Court of India
Fremont, California, USA
18.4.2017

Wednesday 19 April 2017

To
1. His Excellency the President of Pakistan
2. His Excellency the Prime Minister of Pakistan
Islamabad
( to be forwarded by someone )
Your Excellencies,
I am writing to you to seek clemency for Kulbhushan Jadhav, an Indian national, who has been sentenced to death by a Pakistan Military Tribunal.
I do not know the facts of the case, so I will not comment on the merits.
I may, however, be permitted the liberty of referring to Portia's famous speech in Shakespeare's ' Merchant of Venice ' where she pleaded that justice should be tempered with mercy.
I may also quote a couplet of the celebrated Urdu poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz ( which I also quoted in my judgment in the Indian Supreme Court in Gopal Das vs. Union of India in which I pleaded for mercy to Gopal Das to the then Pakistan President & P. M. ) :
" Qafas udaas hai yaaron, saba se kuch to kaho
Kaheen to beher-e-khuda aaj zikr-e-yaar chale "
Yours respectfully
Justice Markandey Katju
former Judge, Supreme Court of India
Fremont, California, USA
18.4.2017
Visiting Pakistan
I spoke on skype some time back with a Pakistani friend who lives in Lahore.
I said I was planning to come to Pakistan, a country ( or rather a part of India, since I refuse to recognize that historical British swindle called Partition ) which I have never visited before.
But I told him now I am scared seeing what happened to Mashal Khan recently. I am an atheist who believes all religions are superstitions. At the same time, I am a strong supporter of religious freedom, and support the Ahmediyas' right to believe what they want, as Mashal Khan did. So, I told him, I may meet the same fate as he did if I go to Pakistan..
My friend replied that I should not worry. He said what was done to Mashal Khan was done by Pathans, and Pathans are somewhat crazy people. He said he condemned what was done to Mashal Khan, and people in Lahore, where he lives, also condemn it.
On this assurance I will come to Pakistan, but only visit civilized places like Lahore and Karachi.
Hindus and Muslims must be made to fight
Hindus and Muslims
Get this firmly into your heads.
You will be made to fight with each other, though there is no natural enmity between you. It has been artificially created, and by cunning propaganda communal hatred has been injected into your minds by powerful vested interests.since a long time. 
Why was this done ? Because if you unite, no power on earth can prevent India ( which includes Pakistan and Bangladesh ) from emerging within 10 years or so as a highly developed, highly prosperous country, with all its citizens enjoying a high standard of living.
But if that happens, what will happen to the economies of the developed countries ? With your cheap labour you will be able to sell goods manufactured in India at one half, or perhaps even one third, the price of the goods manufactured by developed countries, because Indian labour is cheap, whereas labour of developed countries is expensive, and cost of labour is a big chunk of the total cost of production. Who, then, will buy goods made by the developed countries ?
So you must be made to fight with each other

Wednesday 12 April 2017

Kulbhushan Jadhav
I have a hunch that the Pakistani authorities will hang Kulbhushan Jadhav.
The reason why I think so is that the Pakistan was created so that there should be hatred between Hindus and Muslims. If there is no hatred the very purpose of Partition and creating Pakistan will be lost.
So in my opinion the decision to hang Jadhav was taken by the Pakistan authorities after cool deliberation since hanging him is bound to considerably increase hatred of Muslims in India, and there may then soon be attacks on Muslims and mosques in many parts of India. These will of course be described as 'spontaneous' by the Indian Govt., just as attacks on Jews during 'Kristallnacht' in November 1938 in Germany were described as 'spontaneous' by the Nazis.
These attacks on Muslims and mosques in India will inevitably result in 'spontaneous' attacks on the small Hindu community in Pakistan ( and possibly even Bangladesh ) and on Hindu temples.
There will then be further 'spontaneous' attacks on Muslims and mosques in India, and retaliatory 'spontaneous' attacks on Hindus and their temples. in Pakistan.
Whether this sequence of events will at all happen, and if it does, how long will this see saw go on, and whether this heightened tension will escalate into a war between India and Pakistan, is yet to be seen.
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Tuesday 11 April 2017

Undeclared Emergency in Tamilnadu
An Emergency was declared under Article 352 of the Constitution by the President of India on recommendation of the then Indian Govt. in 1975, in which the fundamental rights like the freedom of speech guaranteed by Article 19(1)(a), freedom to assemble peacefully and without arms, Article 19(1)(b), etc were suspended, and a large number of people arrested.
A similar Emergency seems to have become the order of the day in the state of Tamilnadu, though it is an undeclared one.
Anyone wanting to protest peacefully and without arms regarding issues like the plight of Tamilnadu farmers, setting up of hydrocarbon projects, etc is immediately arrested by the police. I have received numerous facebook messages regarding this. One of such fb messages is reproduced below :
" Hello sir ... We r pretty much interested to start protest ... But as soon as v start protest , police directly arrest us and start to put some cases on us... Even when v try to get permission legally , police officials doesn't give permission for us ... V didn't even asked for hunger strike ... V have just requested for silent strike ... So what is the legal action I can do now ?."
Here is another fb message :
" Sir.. tn youngsters are crying. We can't see our farmers nude protest. We are ready to give our support to farmers. But we haven't permission for protest in chennai. No one help to us. Plz sir do something to us. We won't new india. We want only our agriculture. Plz help us sir plz "
And here is yet another :
" Dear Sir , Tamilnadu police is not allowing people to do protest for saving the farmers. They are not allowing if the people are protesting in peaceful way also .Please provide some suggestions for us in your page so that everyone will get some clarification . Thanks for your support "
And another :
" Dear sir I am normal village youth from deep down of Tamilnadu ... as you know the current situation of tamil farmers. we need a solution ... we need your guidance.. even though no media is ready to support them .. for the past 25 days they are protesting in the India's capital with skulls of suicides, but no one care for them... even TN government is busy with R.K nagar and Koovathoor resort.. and also they are arresting youths who wish to protest peacefully ... à®’à®°ு கைவிடப்பட்ட தமிà®´் விவசாயின் சாà®°்பாக உங்கள் உதவியை நாடுகின்à®±ேன் ... ஹிந்தி à®…à®±ிய தமிழன் சாà®°்பாக வேண்டுகின்à®±ேன் ."

  Here is another fb message :
 " There is an unofficial 144 in whole tamilnadu. Wherever more than 4 peoples go together police starting enquiring and starting to threat us to go home. After some scolding they started to beat us. The situation is more severe than emergency in tamilnadu. The number of false cases are filed in the name of students."
I can quote many more messages which I received
Does Part III of the Indian Constitution ( the Fundamental Rights ) not apply in Tamilnadu ?
This facebook post may be treated as a letter petition and filed by someone as such before the Supreme Court or Madras High Court.
:

Monday 10 April 2017

The Caste System In India
The caste system is one of the greatest social evils plaguing our country today. It is acting as a powerful social and political divisive force in our country at a time when it is absolutely essential for us to be united if we wish to face our nation’s challenges. It is a curse on our country which must be speedily eradicated if we wish to progress.
We may consider a few facts to realize how strongly caste is still entrenched in our society today.
Our politics is largely governed by caste vote banks. When the time comes for selecting candidates for the elections a study is made of the numerical caste distribution in a constituency, because voters in most areas vote on caste basis.
What to say of the illiterate people, even the so called intellectuals tend to operate on caste lines. Thus, in the elections to many bar associations the lawyers tend to vote for the candidates of their caste.
Many castes want to be declared as O.B.C.s or Scheduled Castes, to get the benefits of reservation. Even some O.B.C.s strive to be declared as M.B.C.s (most backward castes) or Scheduled Castes.
Fake caste certificates have become rampant, as is often witnessed in our law courts, to get jobs or admissions in educational institutions.
Marriages are still largely performed within one’s caste.
Violence often occurs between castes, as was noticed in the recent fight between students of different castes in a University in Chennai, while the policemen looked on as silent spectators.
Even Muslims, Christians and Sikhs often have castes, although their religions preach equality.
We can multiply these facts manifolds. Many books and articles have been written about the caste system in India, but a scientific study is still wanting. An attempt shall be made here to explain the origin, development and future of the caste system.
Origin of the Caste System
The origin of the caste system was in all probability racial. It is said that caste originated when a white race, the Aryans, coming from the North West, conquered the dark coloured races inhabiting India at that time, probably 5000 years ago or so.
Some persons deny that the Aryans came from outside India and assert that India was the original home of the Aryans (Aryavarta) from where a section of them migrated to Europe. It is difficult to accept this view because people migrate from uncomfortable areas to comfortable areas (see the article `Kalidas Ghalib Academy for Mutual Understanding’ inwww.kgfindia.com). Why should anyone migrate from a comfortable country like India which has level and fertile land ideal for agriculture to a place like Afghanistan or Russia which is cold, mountaneous and therefore uncomfortable. Indian history bears out the view that almost all invasions/immigrations were from outside India (mainly from the North West and to a lesser extent from the North East) into India.
The caste system is called `Varna Vyavastha’ and the word `Varna’ in Sanskrit literally means colour of the skin. This also points at the racial origin of the caste system. Fair skin colour is usually preferred to darker skin even today, as is evident from matrimonial advertisements. Even today, upper castes are usually ( though not invariably ) fairer than dalits.
Subsequent Development of the Caste System
While the origin of the caste system appears to be racial (as mentioned above) it subsequently developed an altogether different basis according to the needs of the feudal society in India. In other words, the caste system, though originating in race, subsequently developed into the feudal, occupational division of labour in society. This needs to be explained in some detail.
In theory there were only four castes, Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras. This, however, was only a fiction. In reality there were (and still are) hundreds, if not thousands, of castes and sub-castes in India many of which do not fit into the 4 traditional castes mentioned above e.g. Yadavs, Kurmis, Jats, Kayasthas, Bhumihars, Gosains, etc. Every vocation became a caste. Thus, in North India badhai (carpenter) became a caste, and so did lohar (blacksmith), sonar (goldsmith), kumbhar (Potter), dhobi (washerman), nai (barber), darzi (tailor), kasai (butcher), mallah (fisherman), kewat (boatman), teli (oil presser), kahar (water carrier), gadadia (sheep herder), etc.
This was not something unique to India. For instance, in England even today there are many people with the surnames Taylor, Smith, Goldsmith, Baker, Butcher, Potter, Barber, Mason, Carpenter, Turner, Waterman, Shepherd, Gardener, Miller, etc., which indicates that the ancestors of these persons belonged to those professions.
In feudal society, apart from agriculture, there was development of handicraft industry. This happened in India too, and the caste system became the Indian variation of the feudal occupational division of labour in society, somewhat like the medieval European guild system.
As pointed out by Adam Smith in his book `The Wealth of Nations’, division of labour results in great progress. The caste system in India resulted in great development of the productive forces, and hence in the feudal age it was a progressive institution (as compared to the preceding slave society).
It is well known that before the coming of the British, India was one of the world’s most prosperous countries (at that time). India was exporting Dacca Muslin, Murshidabad silk, Kashmir shawls and carpets, ornaments, etc. apart from agricultural products like spices, indigo, etc. to the Middle East and even Europe. The discovery of Roman coins in several parts of South India show the great volume of trade from India, which shows the great development of the productive forces in feudal India. In fact India was once a super power with a 31.5% share in the global gross domestic production, which came down to 3% in the year 1991.
The Destruction of Handicraft Industry in India
It is estimated that before the coming of the British into India about 40% of the population of India was engaged in industry while the rest of the population was engaged in agriculture. This industry was no doubt handicraft industry, and not mill industry. Nevertheless, there was a very high level production of goods in India by these handicraft industries before the coming of the British, and many of these goods were exported often up to Europe, the Middle East, China, etc. e.g. Dacca Muslin, Murshidabad silk, and other kind of textiles, spices etc.
A rough and ready test of the level of the economic development of a country is to find out how much percentage of the population is engaged in industry, and how much in agriculture. The greater the percentage of population in industry and lesser in agriculture the more prosperous the country. Thus, the U.S.A., the most prosperous country in the world today has only about 2 or 3% of its population in agriculture, while the rest is in industry or services.
India was a relatively prosperous country before the coming of the British because a high percentage of the people (which could be up to 40%) was engaged at that time in industry (though no doubt this was handicraft industry, not mill industry). Thus, Lord Clive around 1757 (when the battle of Plassey was fought) described Murshidabad (which was then the capital of Bengal) as a city more prosperous than London, vide `Glimpses of World History’ by Jawaharlal Nehru (Third Impression p.416, chapter entitled `The Indian Artisan goes to the wall’).
When the British conquered India they introduced the products of their mill industry into India, and exorbitantly raised the export duties on the Indian handicraft products. Thereby they practically destroyed the handicraft industry in India. The result was that by the end of the British rule hardly 10% or even less of the population of India was still in the handicraft industry, and the rest of those who were earlier engaged in the handicraft industry were made unemployed. In this way about 30% of the population of India who were employed in handicraft industry became unemployed, and were driven to starvation, destitution, beggary or crime (the thugs and ‘criminal’ tribes were really these unemployed sections of society). As an English Governor General wrote in 1834, `the bones of the cotton weavers are bleaching the plains of India’. At the end of the British rule, India, which was one of the most prosperous countries in the world, became one of the poorest, unable to feed itself, with industrial development stalled (as the British policy was to not permit industrialization of India), low life expectancy and very low literacy rate. As Angus Madison, the Cambridge University historian points out, India’s share of world income fell from 22.6% in 1700 to 3.8% in 1952.
In this connection it may be noted that in the revenue records in many states in our country one often finds recorded: ‘A son of B, caste lohar (smith), vocation agriculture’; or ‘C son of D, caste badhai (carpenter), vocation agriculture’, or ‘E son of F, caste kumhar (potter), vocation agriculture’, etc. This indicates that the ancestors of these persons were in those professions, but later they became unemployed (although ostensibly they were shown as agriculturists) as British mill industry destroyed their handicraft. Some people think that if the British had not come into India an indigenous mill industry would have developed in India, because the high development of handicraft industry leads to capital accumulation which is the pre-requisite for industrialization, and India would have become an Industrial State by the 19th Century, like North America or Europe, but it is not necessary to go into this here, as there is no use crying over spilt milk.
In England and other European countries, too, the handicrafts were destroyed by the mill products, but the handicraftsmen got employment in the mills, whereas in India the British policy was to prevent industrialization of India (see Rajni Palme Dutt’s `India Today’) with the result that the millions of handicraftsmen either starved or became beggars or criminals. The Thugs of India or the `criminal tribes’ were those former handicraftsmen who became unemployed.
Handicraft Industry and Mill Industry
In the feudal period there were no engineering colleges or technical institutes, and the only way to learn a craft was to sit with one’s father from childhood and learn the craft by seeing how he works, with some tips from him. Thus the father was not only doing the production work through his craft but also teaching the craft to his son.
This was totally unlike modern times where the teacher in an engineering college or technical institute is not a producer engaged in some industry. In other words, in modern times the vocation of a teacher is separated from the vocation of a producer, but there was no such separation in the feudal age.
In feudal times one had no choice of one’s profession, one had to follow his father’s profession, and thus the son of a carpenter (Badhai) became a carpenter, the son of a blacksmith (lohar) became a blacksmith, etc. In this way carpenter, blacksmith, potter, etc. all became castes. The same thing happened in Europe too in feudal times (as mentioned above).
Modern Mill Industry
In the modern industrial age the demand for skilled technical personnel is much larger than in the feudal age, because the demand of goods is much more (due to increase in population, etc.). Hence the traditional feudal method of teaching a craft, in which only a handful of persons, (usually the sons of the handicraftsman), were taught, no longer sufficed for modern society. Now technical institutes or engineering colleges have become necessary, where a large number of students are taught the technical skill. Obviously all these students could not be sons of the teacher. This destroyed the very basis of the caste system in which one had no choice in choosing one’s vocation and had to follow his father’s profession. The caste system, in which one’s vocation is chosen by one’s birth, is thus totally outmoded in the modern age.
Today a boy of the badhai (carpenter) caste comes from the rural areas in India to a city where he becomes an electrician or motor mechanic or takes up some other vocation. If he gets some education he becomes a clerk or even a doctor, lawyer, engineer or teacher. He does not usually follow his father’s profession, and this has largely destroyed the basis of the caste system economically.
The caste system is now being artificially propped up socially by some vested interests e.g. vote bank politics, but when the basis of an institution has been destroyed (by the advance of technology) how long can that institution survive? To my mind the caste system in India will not last for more than ten or twenty years from now (because its very basis has gone).
A modern mill no longer bothers about the caste of the worker it employs, it only sees his technical skills.
The caste system was a social institution corresponding to handicraft industry. Now that handicraft industry has largely been replaced by mill industry, the caste system has today become totally outmoded, and is hindering our progress. The sooner it is destroyed the better.
Was the Caste System Bad for India?
Many people think that the caste system did a lot of damage to India. This is undoubtedly true of modern times. But it must also be said that in the feudal age the caste system did good to India because it corresponded to the feudal occupational division of labour in society (as pointed out above), which resulted in the great development of the productive forces (at that time).
It is a myth that the Scheduled Castes of today were always treated with indignity. In fact upto the coming of British rule, these castes were usually in some handicraft vocation and were earning their livelihood from that vocation. It was only when the British mill industry destroyed their handicraft and they became unemployed that they began to be treated with indignity. An unemployed man becomes a poor man, and a poor man is not given respect in society.
For instance, the chamars were at one time a respectable caste because they earned their livelihood by doing leather work. It was only when Bata and other companies destroyed their handicraft (and thereby their livelihood) that they sank in the social ladder, so much so that today to call a person a chamar is often regarded as a word of insult (see the judgment of the Supreme Court in Swaran Singh & Ors. vs. State through Standing Counsel & Anr. [2008(8) SCC 435, JT 2008(9) SC 60]).
Similarly, other castes whose handicraft occupations were destroyed by the British mill industry also became unemployed and thereby fell in the social order.
How will the Caste System be Destroyed?
To my mind the caste system will be destroyed (and is in fact being destroyed) in India by (1) The advance of technology (2) The people’s struggles, and (3) Inter caste marriages.
As regards the advance of technology, it has already been pointed out above that in modern industrial society the division of labour cannot be on the basis of one’s birth but on the basis of technical skills. Hence industrialization destroys the caste system, and in fact the caste system has become weak in a State like West Bengal, which was partially industrialized before most other states.
As regards the people’s struggles, these are in fact going on everywhere in view of the harsh economic conditions in India (price rise, unemployment, etc.). People in India are realizing that united they stand and divided they fall, and caste is certainly a dividing force.
As regards inter caste marriages, I have stated in my judgment in Lata Singh vs. State of U.P. [2006(5) SCC 475, JT 2006(6) SC 173], that inter caste marriages are in the national interest and hence should be encouraged.