Howdy Modi: A Circus for the NRI’s with Dead Souls!

There is a famous Roman saying, ‘If you can’t give them bread, give them circuses” fits more on Modi than any other leader in the democratic world.

Howdy Modi in Houston (USA) was another circus like on going circuses in India since 2014; Ram Mandir, Cow Protection, Namami Gange, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Yoga Day, abolition of Article 370, etc.  by PM Modi to divert attention from the rapidly sinking India; financially, industrially, militarily, morally and ethically.

Modi has become master in the art of organizing multi million dollar extravaganza circuses as a political leader. The 2 year long circus (Presidential style campaign) prior to his becoming PM of India in 2014 costing over Rs. 30,000 crore called “Achey Din Aaney Wale Hai” "Abki Baar Modi Sarkar"  (Good Days are coming because Modi government is coming!) With 185 shows in 295 constituencies; Modi promises “Sabka Saath Sabhka Vikas”  (Collective Efforts, inclusive Growth). In reality under Modi, the share of the wealth of the richest 1% has increased to 73% in 2018, from 49% in 2014 and now they owns 85% of the nation’s wealth. In the name of “Achey Din Aaney Wale Hai” India now stands 103rd from 55th in 2014 on the Global Hunger Index along with Nigeria and has been categorized as a country with ‘serious’ levels of hunger.

Again this Circus was revived prior to 2019 elections under the banner of unfulfilled promises “Sabka Saath Sabhka Vikas” made in 2014 with a very heavy dash of Hindutva because of the massive job losses, hunger, poverty, massive non performing loans with banks & closures of numerous businesses under Modi’s 5 years of rule. All the government machinery, corporate money, massive cash from dubious sources and 95% media were at Modi’s disposal. Modi was instrumental in giving party ticket to known communal, criminals, rapist, bomb makers and terrorist accused. Modi won the elections with a bigger margin than 2014! According to ADR, Modi inducted 22 criminals in his new cabinet of Ministers.

After winning again in 2019; Howdy Modi is Modi’s first circus in a foreign country and 4^th in USA since 2014. Modi the star campaigner for himself & those who support him had a shock of his life when he got a hard slap from US House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer indirectly rejecting his style of functioning and his vision for India. Modi who is used to of bashing rather abusing Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi and first PM Jawahar Lal Nehru in his all political rallies; was forced to learn history of India and how the foreigners look at India.   Steny Hoyer said, “India, like America, is proud of its ancient traditions to secure a future according to Gandhi’s teaching and Nehru’s vision of India as a secular democracy where respect for pluralism and human rights safeguard every individual.” He also recalled that Nehru on the eve of Independence had spoken of Gandhi’s ambition “to wipe every tear from every eye” and that “as long as there are tears and suffering, so long our work will not be over.” "In that sense, the work of our countries is not over."

A shameless and self praising Modi after that spoke in 8-10 Indian languages, “All is well in India”. He is Promoting Transparency, Public Participation & anti corruption by Gutting the Right To Information, turning the CBI & ED into agencies that gives Free Ride to the politicians & corporates that are on his side of the political divide!

As per the Periodic Labor Force Survey (PLFS) of the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO). The Worker Population Ratio in India from 49.9% in 2014 stands at a record low of  46.8%. Employment Rate of 50.80% in 2012 and is now at a record low of 46.80% in 2018. The unemployment is 6.1% with 31 million unemployed is highest in  45 years.

Recent Gallup survey revealed a big decline in the percentage of Indians who rate their lives positively enough to rate it as "thriving" since Modi assumed office. “Beginning in 2015, rural Indians began reporting increased difficulty paying for food.” More than one in four rural Indians (28%) reported not having enough money to pay for food at some point that year (compared with 18% of urban Indians who reported the same hardship).”

India Tops the Global Charts in;  Malnourishment, Blindness, Diabetes, Leprosy, Environmental Pollution, Traffic Accidents and Suicides by Farmers. Lags behind; Bangladesh in Human Development Index, Nigeria in Global Hunger Index, Sudan in Human Capital Score, & Pakistan in GDP Growth Rate.

GDP from over 8% in 2014 has fallen to below 5% in real terms. According to RBI, GNPAs of banks (bad loans) have gone up from Rs 2.63 lakh crore  in March 31, 2014 to Rs 10.39 lakh crore as of March 31, 2018. A nearly four-fold increase under Modi regime.

According to Modi, Still “All is well in India”!

Modi all these years as PM of 1.35 Billion Indians has miserably failed to understand that “Leaders are defined by what they do, not how much they talk and how well they dress up”. After the euphoria, showmanship, theatrics and symbolism at Howdy Modi; when Modi landed in New York for country’s business, despite calling Trump his close buddy and acting like his campaign manager with Indian’s money at Howdy Modi failed to get the Indo-US bilateral Trade deal signed. India had been expecting reinstatement to the Generalized System of Preferences, under which it gets better access to the US market, which was revoked in June this year. This also never materialized, This means that nearly 2,000 products, including auto products and textiles, and up to $5.6 billion in Indian exports can no longer enter the United States duty-free. As a consolation prize; Trump crowned Modi as Elvis Presley and Father of India knowing it too well that Mahatama Gandhi is the Father of the Indian Nation since its birth. Pathetically Modi accepted both the Titles awarded to him by his close buddy Trump without raising any objections.

The worst is Modi failed to get Trump’s statement that “Kashmir is India’s internal matter”. Rather Trump made a statement that India and Pakistan should sought out Kashmir issue amicably. Also he again retreated his past statement that if both leaders of India and Pakistan agrees, “he is willing to mediate on the issue of Kashmir.” That makes “Kashmir” bilateral issue rather than internal issue of India. Saudi Arabia that was supporting India till Feb. 2019 on Kashmir, supported the resolution of OIC that represent 57 states on 9-25-19 calling on India to “rescind” its actions revoking Article 370 in criticizing the government’s actions there. In 2017 Saudi’s conferred the highest Civilian Award to Modi during his Riyadh visit. In early 2019 Saudi Prince MSB called Modi his elder brother during his visit to India!   It’s the biggest Diplomatic failure for Modi in the international arena.  

Modi must stop doing circuses in foreign countries; a new rather vulgar trend he started in 2014 is hurting India & NRI’s image in the world. Many Indian PM have visited USA many times in the history, yet they keep expenditures in mind. After all the Indians pay taxes for their expenditures. PM Nehru’s visit to the US in Nov. 1949: without any special PR campaign, NRI crowd management or hyped-up media publicity a large crowd of Americans not Indians  only gathers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison to listen to his speech. Now, 50,000 Indian / Indian origin dead souls gathered to hear Narendra Modi’s blatant lies in a multi million dollar circus  sponsored by Modi’s Indian corporate friends & NRI rich supporters and Indian taxpayers in Houston. Entire mainstream Indian media & blind followers of Modi are calling it as a huge success and Modi’s greatest accomplishment. Modi & his supporters can not change the history that Jawaharlal Nehru remains the only Indian Prime Minister to be greeted on arrival at the airport by a US President —and it happened twice: President Harry S Truman in 1949 & President John F Kennedy in 1961 both received him off the plane.

Howdy Modi rather “Rowdy Modi” was not even Howdy India. Modi has impaired vision of secular democracy where respect for pluralism and human rights for every individual is safe guarded by the state. He has failed miserably on this account. Even his vision of Hinduism is impaired because Religious texts and History can not be read and understood in dreams.  By hosting Modi in Houston; the Indian-American organizers have insulted Houston; an inclusive city where every 4th person is an immigrant, with 145 languages, 70 countries menus & people from more than 100 countries are living in peace and harmony. Majority of these financially successful NRI’s still feel as they are 2^nd grade citizens of America. The only way they can have lime light to boost their ego is by posing with corrupt leaders of India in USA and getting garbage civilian awards from India. The same type of politicians in the first place forced them to leave India because of their impaired vision of Democracy, Freedom and corruption free governance.

Dave Makkar

Social & Political Activist

davemakkar@yahoo.com

THE INDIAN PANORAMA NEWS

Sep. 27, 2019

New York, USA

Modi is lucky to get an “F” in managing India and its Economy

If there can be a grade below “F” in economy management and general administration Modi deserves to be awarded that grade for ruining Indian economy, general administration and above all peace and harmony among different sections of the society. Modi inherited the economy when it was on a upswing and oil prices were sliding down.  His predecessor PM Singh steered the economy through the difficult Great Recession that practically bankrupted the world economy in 2008.  Under him India made a commendable comeback averaging a GDP growth rate of 8.2 per cent (2004-014) despite steeply rising crude oil prices. Modi is still below this at 7.2 % average with few months left of his 5 years term. That too after changing the base year for GDP calculation to 2010-11 from 2004-05 -- the benchmark used under PM Singh. If previous bench mark is used for Modi than GDP growth rate will come down to below 5% and if Modi benchmark is used for Singh; than growth rate will be 10.4% under PM Singh!

India has become a laughing stock around the world because Modi is in perpetual election mode blurring rhetoric’s and no actions along with promoting Savarkar/Golwalkar’s understanding of religion to divide India. Truth, facts, reality, data, problems, challenges, genuine issues have become meaningless for Modi. Some of the world renowned economist has ranked his government probably the worst ever in governance standards for his mindless  demonetization to rob the poor, ill planned GST implementation with over 213 amendments in its first year, negligible to no recoveries by banks under NPA aka Bad Loans that has gone up to USD 135.6 Billion under Modi from USD 27 Billion in 2014, Aadhaar execution and foreign policy etc.  

Foreign portfolio investors have withdrawn over USD 7.1 Billion in the first quarter of 2018-19.  Under Modi Rupee that was 63.38 to a 1 USD in 2014 as of Oct 31, 2018 was trading at 74.02 to 1 USD; a whopping 16% devaluation. 52 per cent of India’s Foreign Exchange reserves are short-term foreign currency debt maturing this fiscal year which makes India highly vulnerable, especially when US Fed is raising interest rates to cool down the US economy from over heating and inflation.

Modi with his mismanagement of economy and administration has brought the biggest insult and miseries to Indians with India now ranking 103rd out of 119 countries on the Global Hunger Index 2018. In 2014 India used to rank 55th on GHI. India stood 103rd on the Global Hunger Index along with Nigeria and has been categorized as a country with ‘serious’ levels of hunger.

The World Bank released its first report on Human Capital Index (HCI) on Oct. 18, 2018, which placed India at the 115th position, lower than Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Bangladesh.  The report ranked 157 economies on parameters like child mortality, health and education. Singapore topped the list after it was highly rated for its universal healthcare system, education exams results and life expectancy figures, followed by South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong and Finland. 

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Recent Oxfam survey showed that that the share of the wealth of the richest 1% persons had increased to 73% this year. According to the survey, India’s poorest saw their wealth rising by one percent during the same period. This monstrous income inequality has attained and even exceeded levels prevailing during the British Raj is the tragedy of an India under Billionaire Raj.     In 2014 when Modi came to power the share of the 1% richest persons was 49%.  A 25% gain for the wealthy in 4 years of Viceroy Modi of Billionaire’s Raj!

On the other hand under Singh, India lifted a miraculous 271 million out of poverty establishing irrevocably that “inclusive growth model”, is the most suitable option for India. Under Modi rule only his Crony Capitalist and Religious Gurus turned Crony Capitalist friends; their net worth  has grown from 100% to 200%. None of these industrialist or Religious Gurus have ever invented any thing; they have become rich by getting free access to PSU Banks aka public money, natural resources like oil, gas, minerals including land belonging to Indians and by exploiting or getting changed the trade & commerce policies to their advantage by bribing the politicians across the aisle.

 

According to a report by Centre for Sustainable Employment of the Azim Premji University; "The current  rate of unemployment is the highest seen in India in the last 20 years." This shortage of jobs is compounded by depressed wages, with 82% of men and 92% of women earning less than Rs 10,000 per month. The report also notes that the growth in GDP hasn't resulted in a commensurate increase in employment.

A 10% increase in GDP now results in less than 1% increase in employment," says the study. "Nationally, 67% of households reported monthly earnings of up to Rs 10,000 in 2015. In comparison, the minimum salary recommended by the Seventh Central Pay Commission (CPC) is Rs 18,000 per month. This suggests that a large majority of Indians are not being paid what may be termed a living wage, and it explains the intense hunger for government jobs," the report observes. Worryingly, it adds that 90% of industries even in the organized manufacturing sector "pay wages below the CPC minimum. The situation is worse in the unorganized sector".

 According to  Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), there are currently nearly 31 million unemployed Indians looking for jobs. CMIE is a board that tracks business and economic data .. of the country. 

5 states with highest unemployment rates in descending order are; Tripura 39.1%, Chattisgarh 22.2%, Haryana 17.6%, Chandigarh 15%, Himachal 14% and all 5 are ruled by BJP.

5 states with lowest unemployment rates in ascending order are; Telangana 0.4%, Karnataka 0.8%, Tamilnadu 1.9%, Uttrakhand 2.4%, Puduchery 3.5%, except Uttrakhand that is ruled by BJP, rest 4 are ruled by opposition parties.

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According to mathematician Anand Kumar, founder of Super 30 educational programme for the underprivileged; "In India, there is a huge craving for education, but quality education is not accessible to all of them. There is no dearth of talent in India, but equal opportunities in terms of quality education and modern-day requirements often eluded a large number of students.” But for Modi with dubious educational record of his own, hardly educated ministers and the states ruled by his party BJP; “Education is not on their priority list.” Only Kerala ruled by left front and Delhi ruled by AAP in India had made “Education” a priority under their governance. Modi can spend almost a USD 1 Billion on 2 statues of Sardar Patel & Shivaji but not on Education!  

In the name of education he can grant $135 Million, subsidized land and “Institute of Eminence” status to yet to be born Jio Institute of his friend Mukesh Amabani a crony Capitalist that has grown from $19 billion to $43 Billion in net worth under Modi. Funniest part is Ambani group companies have no experience or expertise in the field of Education. Their experience is in how to get easy money/funding and natural wealth like oil wells, spectrum, land, mining rights etc. and defense contracts at terms favoring to them not to the owners the “Indian Public”. 

While inaugurating Sardar Patel' 182 met. high statue in Oct 2018 Modi claimed; he is the one who initiated this project of highest statue in the world as CM of Gujarat! There was a time in India the height of Bhakra Dam 226 met inaugurated by first PM Jawaharlal Nehru became the symbol of prosperity, progress and better future for Indians. Shame on Modi & other mentally deranged BJP leaders that thinks statues are the sign of prosperity, progress and better future for Indians that are majority poor.  

Patel’s statue has become a symbol of apathy and neglect towards the poor of India in the entire world because of Modi’s wrong priorities. A British MP made a statement if India has money for Statues than they should not be given any aid! ‘According to UK Mail, in the 56 months it took to build Patel’s statue, India received £1.17 Billion in financial aid for social programs from UK Taxpayers. Tory MP Peter Bone said: ‘To take £1.17 billion in aid from us and then at the same time spend £330million on a statue is a total nonsense and it is the sort of thing that drives people mad. ‘What it proves is that we should not be giving money to India. It is up to them how they spend their money but if they can afford this statue, then it is clearly a country we should not need to be giving aid to.’

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Team Modi is spreading lies and misinformation for last 41/2 years by using peoples money through ads in India’s morbid media: They have been shouting from the roof tops in India and the world arena that “India has superseded China as the world’s fastest growing economy. The fact is in 2017 India’s GDP was $2.59 Trillion and China’s $12.24 Trillion that is almost 5 times the Indian GDP. Per Capita GDP for China is $8,827.00 and for India it is $1,940.00 that is almost 1/5 of China. India’s Military spending was $63.9 billion and China spent $228 billion almost 4 times than India. For India to take over China’s per capita GDP, the Indian economy needs to grow more than 30 percent annually. At the present rate of 6.1% at which Indian economy is growing it will take more than 125 years for India to match China’s success story. (Ashok Swain  professor of Peace & Conflict Research at Uppsala University, Sweden)  

India Under Modi is heading for the biggest humanitarian crisis: Modi’s moral police is more concerned with the length of a prominent celebrity women’s skirt or cleavage exposure or cows being transported or beef being consumed or love-Jihad or anti-Romeo squads than the lack of healthcare for the poor, modern education and employment opportunities for the youth or the unabated farmer suicides or rampant unemployment. The worst is cow transporters and beef eaters can be lynched to death by cow vigilantes with impunity from the government. The people’s courts dispensing instant justice without a trial and lynch mobs carry out the execution. Modi  was described by Katrina Lantos-Swett, vice-chair of the influential US Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) as the "poster child for India's failure to punish the violent".  Cow protection has taken higher precedence over the right to life of humans. More precious resources are being directed for unproductive cow sheds, money to feed them, hospitals and ambulances than for the basic health care facilities for poor human beings. They don’t even get transportation for their dead loved ones from the hospitals.

Earlier, India was compared with modernizing countries like China, but today India is being bracketed with regressive Islamic fundamentalist regimes. India’s international image on being democratic, secular and scientific has been seriously dented. Modi himself gave examples of Karan and Ganesh to support the claim that cosmetic surgery and genetic science existed in India thousands of years ago. The first head transplant that of Lord Ganesh was done in India! An analysis of 198 countries by the Pew Research Center finds India is the fourth-worst country in the world for religious intolerance and violence. Only three countries - Syria, Nigeria and Iraq - are before India in this name-and-shame list, and even Pakistan fares much better than India on this front, being in the tenth position.

According to a very prominent economist, former High Commissioner to UK, journalist, author, human rights activist  and former BJP Federal Minister Arun Shorie; current problems in India reflects “The Gujarat Model.” No Cabinet functions there and no cabinet functions here. The state legislature was reduced to impotence and irrelevance. The Parliament has been reduced to impotence and irrelevance. The judiciary was subordinated there and judiciary has been subordinated here. The Agencies and Police forces were made into Private Forces and Private Armies. That has been done here. It is exactly “The Gujarat Model.”

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He further added that Modi invoke God and says it is God who has willed in whatever he is doing citing “Higher Purpose”. If any body gets hurt, if any institution suffered upon or country is being torn apart; it is done for “Higher Purpose”. Modi has become the Agent of God!.

All the above points to that Indian’s have been let down again by its morbid media, economist, intellectuals, religious, business & political leaders across the aisle. Whatever little integrity was left of them under Congress; that has been reduced to Zero rather negative under Modi. Barring a few dozen journalist, intellectuals, economist, religious & political leaders; the millions from the privileged class that could have spoken against the Modi’s atrocious regime either have been bribed to keep quiet rather to praise Modi government and some have chosen to keep quite under the extreme fear created by Modi supporters that any criticism of Modi regime is anti-national.      

Modi regime is propagating, encouraging and protecting misguided Hindus to impose their personal Hindutva beliefs on other Hindus as well as on non-Hindus. Some of their beliefs are indefensibly hateful and  insulting, and do not concur with Hinduism.                                                     

It is a lesson for Indian voters as well as other voters around the world that  they can not vote for development only if it does not include tolerance,  human rights, healthy debates on important issues like education, healthcare, employment, inclusive economics and progressive politics. Unfortunately Indians voted for Modi for his exclusive promise of development in 2014 that even after his 41/2 years of rule is no where to be seen rather country is facing a grim reality of biggest humanitarian crisis in the near future because of extreme poverty, massive unemployment, lack of healthcare, intolerance, fewer economic & education opportunities for majority of the population.

Compiled by

Devendra Makkar

From the writing of eminent scholars, historians & journalist   

Why Should NRI’s Invest in India?

New York based businessman Harssh Madhok speaking  at a press conference in Manhattan on Sept. 6, 2018. In a strongly worded warning to the prospective NRI investors; he told about the corrupt bureaucracy, political and legal system in India. He further urged NRI’s  take a united stand against it to change the way India is being run with no protection for NRI investors. (Photo Credit: Paresh Gandhi)

Why Should NRI’s Invest in India?

New York NRI Evicted From His own Business Without Any Due Process or Court orders, with Maharashtra Government Officials conniving

Harssh Madhok a very well known and  well established businessman based in Manhattan for last 30 years has embarked on a new journey to fight bureaucratic, political and legal corruption in India. His new journey began after he made a big investments in Mumbai, Maharashtra for his first state of the art dealership of Volkswagen under the banner of Novaa Motors Pvt. Ltd in a 70,000 SQ. Ft. facility on a leased property from Akshar Automobiles aka Patel Bros. on Aug. 14, 2017. His goal was for setting up 25 state of the art Volkswagen dealerships all over India in the first phase and gradually moving to 100 dealerships. All his plans turned sour because of the alleged concealment of important material facts by Landlord, bureaucratic and political meddling in the very first dealership that was providing jobs to 200 local residents.

On 30th October 2017, Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) sealed the entire 70,000 Sq. Ft. facility for non-payment of past Taxes and some unauthorized construction.  TMC was told that this matter was between the landlord and TMC and at the relevant time. The new owner that has invested crores of rupees must be given time to rectify the problems while running their day to day operations. More over this was never disclosed by the Landlord Patel bros that there is any unauthorized construction and they owe back taxes to TMC at the time of signing the lease. The facility remained closed for about 2 months because TMC refused to cooperate. Rather, it put a condition to pay all the back taxes with interest & penalty and correct the construction irregularities.

Volkswagen Company app Madhok that  since the sales/service were shut down and customers faced inconvenience; let the facility be taken over by Modi Auto Corp Pvt. Ltd aka Nihar Modi an experienced Dealer with multiple dealership in India, including one in Mumbai. Attorneys for Madhok, Modi & Patel bros. exchanged e-mails, draft documents and held meetings and finalized financial numbers for the takeover by Modi with the consent of Patel bros. Patel Bros. assured Madhok that they will settle the issue of all types of financial losses sustained by him due to the closure of the facility by TMC separately. They also assured/agreed that there will be no rent until the takeover is complete by Nihar Modi. The Security Deposit of Madhok will be held by them and they will not go to the court to disposes/evict  Madhok.

All of a sudden around mid April Patel Bros. changed their mind when the takeover by Modi was near completion. Akshar Automobiles Agencies Pvt. Ltd. aka Patel Bros. executed a new/separate Lease and License Agreement with M/s Tejpal Motors Ltd. of Mr. Pawan Kumar Kamal Alsinghani on May 3, 2018. Same day Patel bros approached Madhok to vacate the premises and said, otherwise “there could be deadly consequences.” On June 6 , 2018 their attorney sent a notice to vacate the premises which Madhok’s attorneys replied on June 14, 2018 explaining their legal rights of possession of the premises as per the lease agreement dated Aug. 14, 2017.

On June 19, 2018, Showroom and workshop locks were broken without any due process and Court orders. On the same day Madhok lodged a complaint with Kapurbawdi Police Station (KPS), Thane. On June 21, 2018 all the relevant documents were submitted with KPS and an FIR was registered vide CR No. I-177/2018 for the offence punishable U/s. 420, 448, 506, 34 of IPC.  Patel Brothers and Directors of M/s. Tejal Motors Ltd. filed Anticipatory Bail. Upon inspection with police Madhok found Tejpal Gp’s contractor was doing renovation work with the while some of his belongings were kept aside and large number of articles were missing.

Initially the KPS was sympathetic to Madhok  but on July 7, 2018, his guards were picked up by the KPS and threatened by an Officer and told not to enter the premises and let the Tejpal group contractor to work there. According to Madhok that police stopped taking interest in his case after a call by a bureaucrat from the chief minister’s office.

At the press conference, Madhok claimed that he had tried to contact the chief minister’s office and other higher officials including PMO & 20 Central Ministries/Departments for a quick resolution of the issue. He also said that “I had waited for more than two months for a resolution of the issue despite stating financial, physical and emotional losses I suffer due to the abrupt closing of my business, but never got any response from any one. Without naming any specific person Madhok claimed that he had received threats to his life if he does not leave Mumbai and go back to America. He was moving in Mumbai with private armed body guards. He was literally forced to leave Maharashtra to come back to the U.S.

He said that visiting Indian politicians, irrespective of their party affiliations or the state they come from, should be confronted with the question of corruption, bribery, political and bureaucratic interference that frustrate NRI investors like him and generally discourage them from giving back to their motherland.

Madhok appealed to all the NRI’s around the world to share if they have similar experience on his website https://www.justiceformadhok.com He further requested every one should write to the Indian Consulate or Embassy to demand justice for him and protection for future NRI investments in India. He repeatedly called for ending bureaucratic and political interference saying that police were not able to help him due to “pressures from higher authorities” and urged the NRI community to take a united stand against corruption and injustice to him.

Dave Makkar

Social Activist based in New Jersey, USA

davemakkar@yahoo.com

973 416 1600

Hinduism & Other Religions are the Two Wings of the Same Bird Called India

I am a Hindu & living in America since 1996 and I always say I am proud to be an American first than Hindu. When I look at the statistics I find 72% of Americans are proud to be an American and in India only 18% are proud to be an Indian. In America people understand, respect and honor that America quote unquote is a Christian nation, but at the same time it is a Muslim Nation, a Jewish nation, a Hindu nation, a Buddhist nation, a Sikh nation, a Mormon nation and a nation of non-believers also.” 

No one including the state or federal government has forced me or other Americans to be proud of being an American than why after 70 years of Independence majority Indians are not nationalist and are not proud to be Indians? Why they are Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhist etc.

Unfortunately India lacks an identity that supersedes caste, ethnicity, religion and region, which can unify all its citizens as equal members of a shared Nation with a shared destiny reached through common goals. The multi-fractured nature of Indian society goes beyond the healthy human disagreement and debate inherent to a healthy democracy, instead prompting the question whether India’s 1.33 billion citizens; Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain and Christian further sub-divided into more factions Punjabi, Gujratis, Maratha, Jat, Ahir, Shia, Suni, Tamil, Kannad, Bhapey, Lubhaney, Digambari, Shevetambari are actually want to be “Indians’.

Most pathetic are Hindu’s with 72% of the population; they are Bengali, Gujarati, Punjabi, Tamil, Kannad, Bihari, Maratha, Haryanvi, Himachali etc. Than they are Arya Samaji’s, Vaishnavs, Brahmins, Kshatriya, Vaishya, Dravidians, Jats, Ahirs, Yadavs, Khasi, Dhogra, Kurmi, Dalits etc. None of them wants to stand on one platform or have one identity “Hindu” and prior to calling themselves Hindu’s that they are Indians first. Dalit Hindu’s that is almost 20% of the total Indian population do not want to be associated with upper caste Hindus or Hinduism as defined by them because for centuries Dalits have been treated inhumanly by upper caste Hindus. Even a great majority of the upper caste Hindus are not with the Hindus that wants to redefine Hinduism and its history.

If one combine Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikhs & Buddhist Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes together they are 25% of the India’s population. On the other hand upper cast Hindus that believes in Hindutva invented by the likes of Savarkar’s and Golwalkar’s are less than 30%. Their numerous religious organizations like RSS, VHP, Hindu Mahasabha, Bajrang Dal, Ram Sena etc. and political wings mainly BJP & Shiv Sena; all believe that they can tolerate Sikhs, Buddhist & Jains because India is the birth place of these religions. But they are not willing to accept followers of especially Islam and Christianity as Indians because these religions were born out side India. How these misguided less than 30% Hindus can dictate that India should be governed under their Hindutva when more than 70% Indians do not agree with them?

The largest minority “Muslims” with 18% of the population; are Shia, Sunni, Wahabi etc and none of them wants to stand on one platform or are Indian’s first. The worst is they believe in the interpretation of Islam as being done by Muslim feudal lords and dictators of Middle East & other Islamic countries. Than the Savarkar/Golvalkar types Hindus and their religious & political organizations have alienated them more by destroying a disputed Ram Bhumi Babri Masjid in 1992 and by killing Muslims in Gujarat under CM Modi in 2002. Now Modi is PM of India and has never shown any remorse for the organized killing of Muslims. The worst is those that did the organized killing were let go free or are on bail and have not been punished even 16 years after the reprehensible crime.

Christians the 2^nd minority with 6% population are also divided in different sects and hardly feels that they are Indians first. The reason being the believers of Hindutva not Hinduism  and their leaders keeps on reminding them that they don’t belong here, they are foreigners.

The 3^rd  minority; Sikhs with 2% population are constantly reminded by Hindutvawadi’s that they can tolerate them because Hindus and Sikhs share some common ancestry and for Sikhism being born in India. Despite caste system is forbidden in Sikh Holy Text “Sri Gurugranth Sahib Ji”, Sikhs are known as Sainis (Kshatriyas), Rajputs, Ramgarhiyas (artisans), Ahluwalias (formerly brewers), Kambojs (rural caste), Labana (merchants), Kumhars and the 2 Dalit castes; Majhabis (chuhras) and Ravidasias (chamars). Sikhs numbering about 27 million worldwide, approximately 83 percent live in India. Majority of the Sikhs living out side India and a substantial population living in India; do not consider themselves as Indians and wants their own country Khalistan to be carved out of India. The blame for this squarely lies with the preachers of Savarkar or Golwalkar’s Hindutva that instigated Sikh genocide in 1984 when Indian PM Indra Gandhi was shot dead by her Sikh bodyguards. Till to-date  even after 34 years the people responsible for this genocide has not been punished and Sikhs are still waiting for Justice.  

It is very unfortunate misguided, dishonest, corrupt, half or not educated at all Hindus,  Muslims, Christians and Sikhs that do not understand Hinduism or Islam or Christianity or Sikhism or humanity at all; have become top political & religious Leaders and pushing India towards a civil war in the name of religious supremacy.

The current ruling party BJP; the followers of Savarkar/Golvalkar should be aptly named ”Bharat Jalao Party” (Break India by inciting ethnic violence) for spreading misinformation, fabricating history, inciting hate for minorities including Dalit Hindus. The Hindutva they want to impose has nothing to do with Hindu religion. Its top leaders mostly uneducated are telling especially Hindu women what to eat, what to wear, how many children to produce, they can not marry a non-Hindu  and a marriage for them is a contract of slavery with her husband controlling her life. For vote politics they are inciting violence in the name of Cow in majority of the states of India; killing people or instigating mob lynching for suspected of eating or carrying beef. In north eastern states & Goa they are assuring the residents cheap and steady supply of beef! They are also denying the fact that to-day India is the number one beef exporter in the world and 95% of the slaughter houses for export are owned by upper caste Hindu’s.They are also insulting their own idol Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, a great legend with an extraordinary aura that said, "If India is not secular, then India is not India at all." 

Hindu, Muslim, Christian and Sikh leadership representing the largest, second largest, third & 4^th largest sections of the society; must understands that all the religions of India are the two wings of the same bird called “Indian Public” made up of practically every religion of the world. Why don’t they stop killing this bird in the name of Ram or Allah or Christ or Wahe Guru whatever they believe in? Why they want to impose ill-defined radical Hinduism or Islam or Christianity or Sikhism on India when majority of the Indians do not want that? None of them has ever thought about integrating all individuals of different religions, regions and factions of Indian origin on one Indian Platform as “Nationalist Indians”?

Indians can learn from America. It is an open and diverse society; all of its members are equal with the right to identify themselves with America’s “Founding Fathers and Freedom Fight Hero’s”. An African-American Barack Obama son of a Kenyan Muslim immigrant and native white American mother; can speak with pride of George Washington the father of the nation and Hero of the American Revolution War of Independence against the British Rulers. Obama a Democrat also has the right to speak with pride about Republican Abraham Lincoln who enacted the Emancipation of Declaration ending Slavery which later paved the way for Equal Rights for Blacks in America. The people of America elected Obama as its first African-American President by ignoring the race factor. This is the definition of a Democratic nation; multi cultural and multi racial here a person joins it by acquiring citizenship by birth or naturalization and from that moment on is the heir to all its cultural and social history. May be Indians can learn some thing from American experience. 

Every Indian Leader Religious, Political and Business and the intelligentsia must unite to put an end to the human sufferings of the millions of Indians rather than spreading hatred in the name of religion invented or misinterpreted by them. They must pay attention to the vast majority of Indians whose voice they are ignoring. In the Parliamentary Elections their voices are barely heard because all the Indian Politicians are promoting their 18^th- 19th century policies based on caste, religion, region  and backwardness not nationalism the “Indian Identity”. They are the sane and rational India with their hopes for better future, looking for progress, prosperity along with peace and harmony among all citizens.

The Pathetic & dangerous transformation of India to Crony Capitalism in last 70 years

India never had a good ruler since independence except for a very brief period Lal Bahadur Shastri and Morarji Desai. All of them including the current PM/Ruler Modi has proved to be the facilitators of crony capitalism. Modi has gone one step further by becoming the first & the last PM of India that put his hand in the mouth of poor to take out what they were eating and took away their professions and openly allowing mob lynching of people. They all have lived/living to the apprehensions of Mahatama Gandhi that he feared India will have English Rule without the Englishmen! India is in the top ten nations with the widest socio-economic gap. It is an economically, socially and politically failed state for majority of its 1.3 billion citizens; who can not solve its socio-economic, religious and political problems including its Land dispute with Pakistan since 1948 over Kashmir. 

India’s elite world famous Billionaires part of the 56 million filthy rich Indians are living side by side with almost a billion poor and treat them as sub humans who are burden for the country. It looks like Indian Leadership political, religious and business rather than being ashamed of this, are proud to have more than 800 million Indians living under extreme poverty & inhuman conditions. They have the insanity to say “India is shining”. A  former diplomat, politician, author and thinker Pavan Varma wrote in his book “Being Indian” that in the Indian elite “there is a remarkable tolerance for inequality, filth and human suffering”. He adds that “concern for the deprived and the suffering is not a prominent feature of the Indian personality. The rich in India have always lived a life quite oblivious to the ocean of poverty around them”. Less than 10-15 minutes from every slum in any major city of India there are very expansive heavily guarded residential areas with houses rather mini palaces costing few million dollars to $1 Billion Mukesh Ambani’s Palace. One city: two universes.

Out of the total budget, 74% is used to run the system/government and 38% in debt servicing after adding new borrowing. In real terms the cost to run the system is 115% and 60% in debt servicing. The non-plan expenditure i.e. just to run the “System” or the government that includes Police, Military, Judiciary, Postal Services, President, Vice President, Prime Minister, 30 Governors (political appointees of the ruling party), 53 Ministries with numerous departments, 1 Department of Atomic Energy, various Commissions/ Committees to accommodate failed politicians, friends & relatives, 543 MP’s, millions of government employees as well as so called Z category security services for rulers, their families & friends practically at all levels.  The new additions under Modi very soon will be Cow Ministry, Ministry to advise people what to eat, what to wear, whom they can marry & how many kids Hindu couples should produce and Ministry of Nationalism; what is national & what is anti national !

If Modi had even an iota of Nationalism/Patriotism towards India and love for the less fortunate Indians; he would have cut down the cost of governance of India. He could have announced some measures to at least re-structure the 53 Ministries to cut down their excessive numbers & massive size, Complete ban on Official Functions in 5 Star Hotels & Resorts, Abolish Pension for MP’s, Ban on allocation of properties for Political Party Offices, end to VVIP & VIP culture of providing security & subsidized housing, cap on telephone bills, air travel, foreign trips, rail travel of elected & appointed officials and un-necessary appointment of officials under Ministers and various departments, commissions and committees. Can Modi explain how come a law maker is entitled to Pension and princely perks after winning one election only even if he never get elected again; where as a government servant is entitled to a pension only after 20-25 years of service. Modi could have proposed a road map to cut down the non-plan expenditure from present 74% to at least 60% in next 4 years.

Modi in his political carrier as Gujarat CM has been a known destroyer of any opposition in his own party as well as leaders of other political parties. He is also known to have least respect for democratic norms and judiciary. Since 2014 Modi is ruling India with the same undemocratic philosophy and destroying all the democratic institutions, judiciary as well as any opposition all over India to make India, “Opposition Free”.

Congress also tried to destroy opposition parties  to make it one party rather one family rule in India and they succeeded to a certain extent only. Recently a writer Apoorvanand wrote about the reaction of Munshi Premchand  that “Elimination of Opposition is a Threat to Democracy.”

Premchand recorded this apprehension in a brief commentary titled ‘Germany Ka Bhavishya’ (The Future of Germany) right after the victory of the Nazi Party in Germany in 1933. “After the landslide victory of the Nazi Party in Germany, the question that arises is will Germany really turn into a fascist regime and will the Nazis be able to hold and consolidate power for at least five years? If it happens and the Nazis get an opportunity to establish themselves, they will suck the democratic life and vision out of Germany through its political and military strength in such a way that not a single opponent of the Nazi Party would be left in Germany for 25 years.”

It is not necessary to view Premchand’s observation in the context of the present times but the focus of his comment is the forced elimination of opposition before the victory of the Nazi Party. He does not censure the German opposition parties for their inability to protect themselves. He clearly states that the crime was Hitler’s who was phasing out the opposition through undemocratic means. The Nazis had a private army which none of the other political parties in Germany possessed. Premchand unequivocally states that the elimination of opposition should be a cause for worry and one who carries it out must be held responsible for it and must be questioned.

The process of selling India to Corporate houses started by Congress has been expedited under Modi aka BJP. Modi regime is ignoring the extreme poverty, illiteracy, unemployment and inequality due to the fact that 56 families own 75% of India! Modi was created and installed in a Rs 32,000 crore marketing scam by these very corrupt business houses of India and marketed by Washington based APCO that is PR company of practically all the dictators around the world including all the Muslim Dictators of Middle East. Modi is catering to the elite, establishment & his handlers only with no emotions and responsibility towards the general public especially the farmers and extreme poor of India. Modi is presiding over the half burnt Funeral Pyre of Indian Democracy started by Congress. BJP’s Modi is making sure that it is fully burnt and ashes are immersed in Holy Ganga by sacrificing the left over Democratic norms in this ongoing burning Funeral Pyre of Indian Democracy.  

Even being 3rd gen RSS/Jansangh/BJP supporter and victim of Indra’s emergency I can not support the present leaders like Modi, Jaitley, Shah, Samriti, Uma, Adityanath working as facilitators for the New East India Company owned by Adani, Ambani, Tata, Jindal, Ruia’s etc.

All these corporations unlike East India Company do not have their private army but soon will be making all kinds of war heads, missiles, helicopters, air planes, ammunition and other sophisticated military gadgets because Jaitley has increased the FDI limit to 49% from 26% for this Industry. Just few days before the 2015 budget Middleman/Lobbyist has been legalized in India for deals with the government including defense deals. Now there won’t be any shortage of Radia’s openly operating in the corridors of power to influence law makers for favors for their corporate clients.

Dave Makkar

davemakkar@yahoo.com

THE INDIAN PANORAMA NEWS, Friday August 18, 2017