Sunday, February 18, 2007

Of Hindu Supremacists And Muslim Martyrs




The Madhesi Movement demands an immediate declaration of a republic. It is Girija who talks of a ceremonial monarchy. But Girija and his minions keep badmouthing the Madhesi Movement saying the royalists were behind it. They thought Kamal Thapa was doing it, it was not Upendra Yadav's doing. The Madhesis are cowards, how could they possibly rebel? That has been their thinking.

The Madhesi Movement has produced martyrs that are disproportionately Muslim. Hindu Madhesis and Muslim Madhesis have stood as one in the Madhesi Movement. But the Bahun chattering classes in Kathmandu have accused the Madhesi Movement of having been instigated by the Hindu supremacists. They mean to suggest the Madhesi Muslims are Hindu supremacists.

During the course of the movement, the Pahadi police in Janakpur barged into the Muslim slum near the Janaki temple, and mercilessly beat up Muslim women and children who were busy going about their daily chores. That is Hindu supremacist terror. The state is responsible.

The Madhesi Movement has produced substantially more martyrs than did the April Revolution, and the state terror unleashed in April was by a dictatorial regime, whereas the state terror unleashed during the Madhesi Movement was by a supposedly democratic regime. They kill people and injure them in the hudreds, and turn around and accuse the Madhesi Movement of being violent.

They say Krishna Sitaula does not need to resign, but the April Revolution that produced fewer martyrs got rid of an entire regime. Come election time, there will be hell to pay.

Land Reform Is A Madhesi Agenda, 100% Literacy Is A Madhesi Agenda

Leaders are Upendra Yadav are also going to have to take the lead on the issue of land reform. And I think they will. The vast majority of Madhesis need it, and they want it, and they are going to get it.

Land reform - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Agrarian reform - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Liberation Theology and Land Reform
FAO : SD Dimensions : Institutions : Land tenure
FAST TRACK LAND REFORM IN ZIMBABWE
FAST TRACK LAND REFORM IN ZIMBABWE
Land Reform Land Policy Land Tenure
Land Reform
United Nations - OCHA IRIN | Web Special | Land reform in Southern ...
Al Jazeera English - Africa

Welcome to the official website of Kerala Tourism
Kerala - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
official website of kerala.gov.in
How almost everyone in Kerala learned to read | csmonitor.com Three-year old V. S. Madhav twirls letters of his native Malayalam - the language of Kerala - into the sand with his left forefinger while his classmate, 4-year old Neethu Saji, writes Arabic numerals more quickly than her teacher can call them out. ...... Education in Kerala represents a success story that many nations might wish to emulate. ...... Kerala, located in the southern tip of India, is an agrarian state with a per capita income of only $265. Yet its literacy rate of 91 percent puts it closer to the United States than to any other Indian state. (The national literacy rate in India is 65 percent.) ....... About 37 percent of the state's annual budget goes to education. The state supports 12,271 schools. There's an elementary school within two miles of every settlement. ...... land-reform measures established after the state of Kerala was formed in 1956 also contributed to the success of its literacy movement. "When every family owns a piece of land, no matter how small, they have a sense of belonging," he says. "Then they can plan for the future, and education of their children becomes a part of that planning." ....... attributes lower levels of literacy in some other Indian states to the lack of effective land rights for the poor. "If you live by the roadside, what tomorrow do you have to think about?" ...... The Kerala government has also focused on adult education, spending $7.4 million to open 3,500 adult continuing education centers between 1998 and 2003. ..... Despite Kerala's education successes, the region has not yet been able to provide its literate population with enough work. ...... "Ninety percent of the people go out of Kerala to find jobs" ..... But education allows many from Kerala to find work elsewhere - in other Indian states, the Middle East, and the US. The money they send back home forms the backbone of Kerala's economy. Literacy has become the state's chief asset. ..... K. A. Babu, father of a 9-year-old girl at a government elementary school in Kolani, raises his hand way above his head to show how far he's willing to educate her. "To the ultimate level."
India Together: Kerala's neoliterates lapse into illiteracy ...
Kerala at a glance: Area, population, literacy, and other statistics
KERALA: India's radical success - the FACTS
The Hindu Business Line : Kerala to launch IT literacy mission
Population and Literacy in Kerala
Gender and Religion in Kerala

In The News

Interim Constitution amendment bill tabled Kantipur The bill tabled at today's sitting of parliament has incorporated the Madhesi people's demands ...... The bill has clearly mentioned proportional representation in all state organs and federal structure of governance with a restructuring of the state. ..... The bill has asked for the amendment of Article 33 (d) of the Interim Constitution "so as to ensure proportional and inclusive representation of all Madhesi, dalits, indigenious, women, laborers, peasants, disabled, underprivileged and all sectors in the state organs." ...... The bill has added the words— democratic governance with federal state system—in Article 138 of the Interim Constitution. ..... the model of the upcoming constituent assembly elections
Eight party discussion on interim statute amendment concludes, contentious points unresolved Yesterday's meeting among the leaders of the four major parties –NC, NC-D, CPN-UML and the CPN-M – had agreed to include provisions for the ouster of the prime minister through no-confidence motion and for making it mandatory for the prime minister to get two-thirds support in parliament. ..... CPN-UML, Nepali Congress and Nepali Congress (Democratic), however, said the presence of an opposition bench was inherent to the nature of parliamentary democracy.
UN registration of Maoist arms, armies completes "The report will include the number and types of weapons registered and will be submitted to the government and the Maoists in the next few days," said the UN official. ...... they have been maintaining that they have 35,000 PLA fighters. ..... The government and the Maoists said in their arms agreement that those recruited into the Maoist army after May 25 last year (when the ceasefire code of conduct was signed) and those less than 18 years of age will not be registered. ...... the two sides—the Maoist and the UN—would soon make public the official number of the PLA fighters and their weapons.
MPRF's uneasy truce ends today Home minister's resignation and formation of a high level commission to probe into the Terai movement were the two main conditions that MPRF had set for talks. .... With both demands not fulfilled even by the MPRF's deadline, the forum is preparing for fresh demonstrations. ...... Upendra Yadav warned that the forum would begin an armed movement if the Home Minister doesn’t resign by Sunday evening.
Terai: Ending the Deadlock the country’s southern plains, the Terai is seemingly heading towards another round of turbulence and tumult. ...... 49% of total electoral seats to 20 Terai districts and 51% seats to the 55 hilly and mountainous districts ...... the Terai-based Nepal Sadbhavana Party (Anandidevi), CPN-UML, Maoists and other parties, which had criticized the PM’s first address calling it incomplete, welcomed his second address. ...... The recent mass rebellion in eastern and central Terai has shaken the foundations of our historically fixed discriminatory system. And leaders of all parties have been forced to realize that the Madhesi people and other communities can go to any extent to claim the rights they have been denied throughout Nepal’s 238-year-old history. ....... Sitaula is responsible for the deaths in Terai in the same way as the home minister of the erstwhile royal regime was for the killings and suppression during the April uprising. ....... what about the Maoists? Who first killed an MPRF cadre in Lahan and later forcibly took away the dead body? Don’t they have any role in turning the general mood in Terai unexpectedly violent? And the Prime Minister himself, who could recognize the level of the Terai crisis only in his second address?
Big 4 for amendment at once, differences linger arrived at the conclusion that the demands of Madhesi, women, janajati and other groups should be included in the amendment bill. They, however, still have differences over whether to table the bill simply on the basis of the PM's address or only after the suggestions of the agitating groups are incorporated ...... the time constraints before the Constituent Assembly election," said UML leader Amrit Bohara
ऋण नतिर्ने ८० जनाको राहदानी रद्द
वार्ताप्रति ज्वाला सिंह विश्वस्त गुणराज लुइ“टेल/श्यामसुन्दर शशि जनकपुर, फागुन ५ - जनतान्त्रिक तर्राई मुक्ति मोर्चा -ज्वाला सिंह) समूहका अध्यक्ष ज्वाला सिंह -नागेन्द्र पासवान) ले सरकारले आह्वान गरेको वार्ताप्रति विश्वस्त भएको बताएका छन् । 'वार्ता भनेको लेनदेन हो,' नेपाल-भारत सीमा क्षेत्रको एउटा गाउ“मा बिहीबार कान्तिपुरस“गको भेटमा उनले भने- 'सरकारले हाम्रो समस्या सम्बोधन गरेर अधिकार दियो, मधेसको समस्या बुझ्यो भने युद्धमा र्फकनु जरुरी भयो र -' मोर्चाले सरकारभन्दा एक कदम अघि बढेर फौजी कारबाही बन्द गरिसकेको उल्लेख गर्दै सिंहले वार्ताका लागि आफ्ना साथीहरूमाथि सरकारले लगाएका झूटा मुद्दा फिर्ता गर्नुपर्ने, मधेस आन्दोलनमा मारिएकालाई सहिद घोषणा गर्नुपर्ने, उच्चस्तरीय छानबिन आयोग गठन गरी कारबाही गर्नुपर्ने र सरकारले युद्धविराम घोषणा गर्नुपर्ने माग गरे । माओवादीको मूल प्रवाहीकरणपछि मधेसका समस्यालाई सम्बोधन नगरेको भन्दै झन्डै एक सय पचास कार्यकर्ता आफ्नो पार्टर्ीी आएको र त्यसमध्ये केही हतियारसहितका भएको दाबीसमेत उनले गरे । ..... हरेक आन्दोलन र क्रान्तिमा मधेसीको पचास प्रतिशत सहभागिता भए पनि राजनीतिक परिवर्तनपछि अधिकार सुनिश्चित गर्ने बेला सत्ताले धोका दिएका कारण 'स्वतन्त्र तर्राई राज्य स्थापना' गर्न सशस्त्र युद्ध सुरु गरेको ज्वाला सिंहले बताए । ..... ४२ वषर्ीय पर्ूवपत्रकार ज्वाला सिंह ..... तर्राईका तीन समस्या उपनिवेशिक, वर्गीय र जातीयलाई सरकारले समाधान गर्न सक्यो र संघीय राज्यअर्न्तर्गत आत्मनिर्ण्र्ााो अधिकार र स्वशासन दियो भने वार्ता सफल हुने बताए । मोर्चाले सशस्त्र संर्घष्ाबाट तर्राई कब्जा, वार्ताबाट समस्या समाधान र जनमत संग्रहबाट स्वतन्त्र तर्राई निर्माणजस्ता रणनीतिक उपाय सोचेको समेत उनले जनाए । ..... मधेस आन्दोलनका क्रममा आफ्नो मोर्चाको भूमिका भए पनि मधेसी जन अधिकार फोरमलाई बढ्ता जस गएको पनि उनले बताए । 'मोर्चा फोरमभन्दा धेरै अगाडि छ,' उनले भने- 'हाम्रा साथीहरू पूरै सहभागी भए । उहा“हरूभन्दा अघि तीन वर्षेखि हामी सहभागी छौं ।' मोर्चासहितको आन्दोलनले तर्राईमा उचाइ हासिल गरेको उनले बताए । आफ्नो मोर्चालाई पहाडी विरोधी संगठनका रूपमा चित्रण गरिएकालाई उनले झूटो भएको बताए । 'भिडन्तबाहेक कुनै पनि पहाडेलाई हामीले मारेका छैनौं,' उनले भने- 'हामीलाई कमजोर पार्न यस्तो प्रचार गरिएको छ ।' ... दलित समुदायका उनले सशस्त्र संर्घष्ामा लाग्नुपरेको कारणबारे भने- 'क्रान्तिकारिता गरिबीबाट पनि हुन्छ । सत्ताको उत्पीडनबाट पनि हुन्छ ।'
आन्दोलनकारीसित वार्ता गरेरमात्र संशोधन गर’
नीति निर्माण तहमा मधेसीको संख्या बढाउनर्ुपर्छ ः सुन्ध
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अन्तरिम संविधानको हचुवा संशोधन
सिटौलाको सङ्कट गृहमन्त्री कृष्णप्रसाद सिटौलाको राजीनामाको मागको आडमा पर्दापछाडिबाट कसले कस् तो खेल खेल्दैछ - नेपाली काङ्ग्रेसका सभापति गिरजिाप्रसाद कोइरालालाई नै अन्तरमि सरकारको पनि प्रधानमन्त्री बनाउनुपर्ने कुरामा माओवादीहरू सहमत छन् । तर, यो कुराले बा“की दलहरूको मन अमिलिएको देखिसकिएको छ । खास गरेर एमाले यो कुरामा असहमत भएर पनि सहमत हुन बाध्य भएको छ । अरू दलले यस बहसमा भाग लिने हैसियतसम्म पनि बनाउन सकेका छैनन् । ....... नेपाली काङ्गे्रसकी केन्द्रीय सदस् य तथा सांसद सुजाता कोइरालाले भारतको राजधानी दिल्लीमा पुगेर गृहमन्त्री कृष्णप्रसाद सिटौलाको राजीनामा मागेकी छन् । सिटौला माओवादीहरूप्रति बढी लचिलो भए भन्ने सुजाताको मुख्य आरोप छ । ..... अहिलेसम्म राजनीतिक दलहरू गाउ“ पस्न सकेका छैनन् ..... अहिलेसम्म पनि माओवादीले ग्रामीण समाजलाई भयमुक्त नगराएको उनीहरूको आरोप छ । ...... अन्तरमि सरकार गठनका लागि सबभन्दा पहिले वर्तमान सरकारको विघटन जरुरी छ । किनभने, अन्तरमि सरकार निर्माणको अर्थ माओवादी दल अहिलेको सरकारमा थुपुक्क जोडिन जाने होइन । ..... प्रधानमन्त्री कोइराला र व्रि्रोही नेता प्रचण्ड दुवै जेठभित्र संविधानसभाको चुनाव गराउन दृढ देखिएका छन् । तर, यसका विपरीत सात दलका नेताहरूमा चुनावप्रतिको हतासा बढ्दै गएको छ । सात दलको सरकारका प्रविधि र संरचनाहरू अन्योल र अलमलमा देखिएका छन् । अहिले स्वयम् नेपाली काङ्ग्रेसका नेताहरूले गृहमन्त्री सिटौलाको राजीनामा माग्नु त्यही हतासा, अन्योल र अलमलको सङ्केत हो । ........ सिटौला फागुन ३ गते सा“झ प्रधानमन्त्री गिरजिाप्रसाद कोइरालालाई भेट्न बालुवाटार पुगे । पार्टर्ीीभापति तथा आफ्ना राजनीतिक गुरु कोइरालालाई उहा“कै शयनकक्षमा भेटेर गृहमन्त्री सिटौलाले भने, "मेरो राजीनामा खल्तीमा छ, तपार्इं जुन बेला माग्नुहुन्छ, त्यो तयार छ ।" ....... कोइरालाको जवाफ थियो, "आवश्यक पर्‍यो भने मागा“ैला, अहिले तिमीस“गै राख ।" ....... 'सतिले सरापेको देश' भन्दै गृहमन्त्री सिटौलाको ह“सिलो मुहारमा अहिले निराशाका धर्सर्ाा देखिन थालेका छन् । ....... २००७ सालमा हुने भनिएको संविधानसभाको निर्वाचन भा“ड्न तत्कालीन गृहमन्त्री विश्वेश्वरप्रसाद कोइरालालाई विभिन्न प्रपञ्च रचेर गृहमन्त्री पदबाट राजीनामा दिन बाध्य पारएिको थियो । ..... शाही शासनकालमा नगरपालिकाको निर्वाचनमा उत्साहजनक मतदान भएको तर्राईका तिनै जिल्लाहरूमा मधेशी आन्दोलनको आडमा घुसपैठ गरेको दरबारले सरकारलाई संविधानसभाको निर्वाचनको बाटोमा अघि बढ्न नदिन छिर्के हान्ने प्रयास गररिहेको अनुमान सही सावित हुन थालेको छ । ....... सिटौलाको पार्टर्ीीङ्क्तिभित्रबाट मात्र होइन, सरकारमा सहभागी अन्य दलहरूले समेत उनको विकल्प खोज्न थालेको । ..... सुजाताले आफ्ना सहयोगीहरू सुरेश मल्ल, पुष्कर ओझा, शिवकुमार बस्नेत, सुरेन्द्र चौधरीलगायतका काङ्ग्रेस सांसदहरूलाई उपयोग गर्दै सिटौलाको राजीनामा माग्ने अभियान शुरू गरेपछि त्यो अभियानको अर्को फेर अहिले फोरमका अध्यक्ष यादवले समात्न पुगेका हुन् । व्यवस् थापिका-संसद्को पुस ३ गतेको बैठकमा विशेष समय लिएर गृहमन्त्रीको हैसियतमा सिटौलाले मधेश आन्दोलनका क्रममा आफूबाट भएका कमी-कमजोरीप्रति जनतासमक्ष क्षमा मागे । ....... ५७ वषर्ीय सिटौला भने 'आगामी जेठसम्ममा संविधानसभाको निर्वाचन गराएरै छाड्ने अठोट गिरजिाबाबुले गरसिकेको र त्यो अठोट पूरा गर्न उहा“लाई कसैले पनि रोक्न नसक्ने' बताउ“छन् । ....... उनको राजीनामापछि आफू गृहमन्त्री हुने दाउमा नेपाली काङ्ग्रेसकै गोविन्दराज जोशी र खुमबहादुर खड्का ..... मैले राजीनामा दिनु उडाउ“दै गरेको जहाजबाट हामफाल्नु हो’ ...... अहिलेको अवस्थामा मैले राजीनामा दिनु भनेको उडाउ“दै गरेको जहाज छोडेर आफू हामफाल्नु हो । न त्यो जहाज ब“च्छ, न त आफू नै बा“चिन्छ, न यात्रु नै बा“च्छन् । .... प्रधानमन्त्री र गृहमन्त्रीबीच निरन्तर संवाद र अन्तरक्रिया हुन्छ । जुन ढङ्गले म अगाडि बढेको छु, त्यसमा उहा“को पर्ूण्ा साथ, र्समर्थन र सहयोग छ ।

Bill to amend constitution registered at the parliament NepalNews will now be amended to state that Nepal will head towards federal democratic structure through the Constituent Assembly (CA)...... The existing constituencies in hills and mountains won't be reduced but the number of those in Terai where population has increased will be increased proportionally. .... proportional representation-based elections to be held simultaneously by treating the whole country as a single constituency. ..... a high-level five-member Electoral Constituency Fixation Commission will be formed to be led by a former judge of Supreme Court (SC) and including geographic, demographic and social experts as members. ..... calls for providing proportional representation of Madhesis, women, Janjatis, Dalits, disabled people and other minorities in all structure of the state. ..... The bill, however, does not have any provision regarding the election of Prime Minister. There were calls to insert provision whereby two-third of MPs should elect and/or remove the PM. ...... the issue of whether to provide temporary voters with the opportunity to cast their votes in the CA elections
No disintegration in the name of federalism, says Deuba

The janajatis are trying to replicate the tarai uprising, but can they? Nepali Times indigenous groups have now taken to the streets..... They also want ethnic-based federal units and a new national flag. ..... The Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities (NEFIN) held a fake-khukuri procession in Kathmandu this week, shut down the Valley on Thursday, and has announced a series of crippling shutdowns across the country in the coming month. ..... Activist S S Thapa says although the number of seats for the madhesi people has increased, the legislature will still be dominated by high castes. ..... The first seed of dissent was planted when there was obvious hesitation in appointing janajati members to the interim constitution drafting committee. “Is the government waiting for us to take up arms to take us seriously?” asked rights activist Padma Ratna Tuladhar. ..... Just as a tarai faction of the Maoists broke away from the Maoists to undertake a militant movement, similar splits are already appearing among hill ethnic groups. ..... a lack of strong central leadership among various janajati groups even though there is an effort to unite 12 janajati organisations under a political party called the Sanghiya Loktantrik Rastriya Manch...... The credibility of the Maoists has also been waning rapidly among the janajati groups. In fact the Maoists dissolved their ethnic autonomous regions, launched amidst great fanfare after entry into parliament and now stress “democratic centralism”. Some Rai and Limbu groups have launched a splinter group in the name of Khambuwan. Pushpa Kamal Dahal has summoned Kirati leaders to convince them to stay on board, but dissent is growing at the grassroots.

मधेशी, जनजातीहरूको आन्दोलन-17.02.07 BBC News

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