The bitter experience with genetically modified crops the world over is a wake-up call for the rest to move away from the potential havoc GM technology could wreak across the plantation sector. Dr Devinder Sharma, a renowned food policy analyst, environmental campaigner, writer and columnist, says GM experiments should not be allowed to be taken out of the lab. In the second and concluding part of the interview, he urges researchers to change their mindset and quit promoting the commercial interests of fertiliser and pesticide companies. The first part appeared in the Feb/March issue
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In India, the introduction of genetically-modified rubber is caught in the crossfire of science and politics. While the government of the rubber-growing state of Kerala is opposed to GM, the federal government has given its official body, the Rubber Board the clearance to conduct field trials. Although the federally-funded Board has received the permission, it is yet to conduct field trials. Parliament has been officially informed that the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee of the Ministry of Environment has allowed it to take up field trials in 0.5 hectares each in the research farms of Rubber Research Institute of India (RRII) in Kerala and Maharashtra. However, it has not conducted any field trials so far.
It shows that the pressure on the government by environmental activists against GM rubber is working. But they are watching how long the government would put on hold field trials. One of the persons on the forefront opposing the introduction of GM rubber is Dr Devinder Sharma, who himself is a trained scientist. Explaining the flaws in GM research, he told Polymers & Tyre Asia about the falsehoods propagated by interested parties.
He recalled that ‘pharming’ was trumpeted in the initial stages, but researchers themselves had realised its futility and dangers. Several pharma crops had been developed but all of them got entangled in controversy. For example, GM banana with a gene for hepatitis-B was attempted to be pushed in India by none other than John Hopkins University, but it was eventually turned down, Dr Sharma explained.
“Even at that time I had questioned the need for GM banana,” he pointed out. At that time the proponents were trying to market the product, which had still not been approved for biosafety in the US. “They were exploiting public emotions whereas in reality they were treating India as a giant field testing laboratory,” Dr Sharma charged.
“I am of the opinion that any GM pharma rubber possibilities should remain confined to the laboratories and should not be allowed to be taken out of the lab,” he cautioned. “The possibility of a pharma gene escaping (knowing the danger it poses by contaminating our food and feed supplies) into the environment, is very likely, and India cannot afford to add onto its human health and environmental problems. The precautionary principle must be adhered to.”
Wrong notions
Rubber researchers have been saying that the GM experiment is not intended to create transgenic tree as it has incorporated the target gene (MnSOD) from rubber itself and not from any other species. But Dr Sharma fiercely says that such statements are untrue. "MnSOD gene is certainly from the rubber plant itself. But it uses virus gene as a promoter and bacteria gene as a marker,” he explained.
Cauliflower Mosaic Virus (CaMV 35S) gene is being used as a promoter and npt II Kanamycin resistance and GUS reporter genes from bacteria (E. coli) as markers.
“We need to know that both CaMV 35S and npt II genes are the same genes that have been used in several field crops as well as edible crops. Notwithstanding the denial by the Rubber Board, there is enough scientific evidence that shows that these genes can cause adverse effects on both human beings and animals,” Dr Sharma asserted.
In any case, the use of the virus and bacteria gene constructs for inserting the MnSOD gene into the rubber plants makes the plant transgenic. “It, therefore, has to follow the biosafety norms that are prescribed for any GM plant,” he demanded. Commenting on a point of view that Gene cDNA or MnSOD can trigger human hazards, he explained that scientists have observed low expression of MnSOD enzyme in different cancer tissues.
Studies conducted by the Department of Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology of the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health has conclusively shown that the MnSOD gene, which works as an antioxidant in human cells to defend against diseases, does modify breast cancer risk among women.
Later, another study in 2008 observed that men with MnSOD gene variant (MnSOD gene is passed from parents to children in three forms) in their body and who also had long-term lycopene (it is not an essential nutrient, but is commonly found in diets rich in tomato) status had more possibility of prostate cancer.
Output increase
Then what is the alternative strategy that India should adopt to increase rubber output in view of the current deficit of 55,000 tonnes of natural rubber? To increase the rubber output, there should be a change in the mindset of RRII scientists, Dr Sharma has argued. “They have so far backed and promoted the commercial interests of fertiliser and pesticide companies. This is true of agricultural scientists elsewhere too,” he explained.
Considering the rising concerns from global warming, soil destruction and stagnating yields, it is time that RRII scientists go in for a complete overhaul of the package of practices that they promote.
Dr Sharma cited two sensible approaches that can bring a turnaround to the rubber plantation sector. He gave an example of a rubber farmer in Kerala. Chandrasekharan Nair, a small rubber farmer near Thiruvanthapuram in Kerala, has abandoned the cultivation practices that the Rubber Board would come up with, and since 2005 had gone into organic cultivation of rubber. "Today he follows the rubber cultivation practices that RRII scientists would not endorse,” Dr Sharma said.
“But the fact is that Chandrasekharan has a higher productivity than the average yield attained in Kerala,” he said. He suggested that doubters should log on to the rubber farmer’s website http://keralafarmeronline.com to learn about his practices.
Another example that Dr Sharma gave was that of Dr Laxmi Thankamma, who had retired as a mycologist from the RRII.
“It is quite obvious that the RRII may not like to acknowledge her achievements. But with the help of an NGO – Integrated Rural Technology Centre – she has demonstrated that the latex productivity can be enhanced by an average of 75%, with the productive lifespan of the trees also doubling thereby bringing more revenue in the hands of the tappers.”
Her technology, based on simple grafting techniques, has been tried in eight districts in Kerala with excellent results. Significantly, no tree goes into tapping panel dryness (TPD) when farmers follow the approach she advocates.
Dr Sharma vows that if the incidence of TP is brought down drastically, and with the available height of the tree for drawing latex also doubling, there is no need to experiment with risky and hazardous technologies like GM rubber. But he is wondering whether the scientific community is willing to listen to saner voices. He is also asking whether the rubber industry is prepared to look beyond its immediate profits.
These are the questions that need to be answered objectively before considering whether India should go for GM rubber, Dr Sharma said.
Hazards of GM crops: An Interview with Polymers & Tyre Asia -- Part I
Trained as an agricultural scientist, Devinder Sharma is an internationally recognised food policy analyst, environmentalist, writer and columnist. He has delivered nearly 100 keynote addresses at international conventions, congresses, summits and seminars in past two decades. The Week magazine profiled him as one of the 25 most valuable Indians. In this first part of the interview, he says the scientific community is simply turning a blind eye to the hazards of genetically modified rubber plants and acting more on behalf of the GM industry to the detriment of farmers.
HAZARDS OF GM CROPS
There is rising opposition to the introduction of genetically modified (GM) rubber trees, which researchers claim would help increase output and allow it to withstand adverse weather conditions.
On the campus of the government-run Rubber Research Institute of India (RRII), GM rubber trees are experimentally being grown, which some plantation owners have welcomed as a precursor to enhancing the rubber economy of Kerala, the southern region where it is generally grown.
But Davinder Sharma, renowned food policy analyst and environmentalist told Polymers & Tyre Asia (Feb-March 2011) that the prospects of GM rubber are dangerous to the environment and the rubber economy.
“Over the past few years, the introduction of GM crops has been shrouded in controversy,” he said in an interview. “In India, the moratorium on Bt brinjal in early 2010 – which if approved for commercialisation would have been the first GM food crop – has created wide awareness about the hazards of GM crops for humans, animals and the environment.”
He said the second-generation environmental impact of the First Green Revolution has led to a terrible agrarian crisis with more than 250,000 farmers committing suicide in the past 15 years. Technology failure is the reason behind mounting indebtedness that drives farmers to end their lives.
GM crops are simply an extension of the same technology approach that has led to the farm crisis in the first place.” This should be kept in mind in any debate on GM rubber, he cautioned.
Rubber is primarily a crop of Kerala and the northeast regions of the country. “Kerala, therefore, has been on the forefront of the opposition to GM crops,” he said primarily because the local government wants to retain the pristine environment in ‘God’s Own Country’ as the state is being promoted among tourists.
Moreover, the Task Force on Application of Biotechnology in Agriculture chaired by well-known agriculture scientist Prof MS Swaminathan has recommended that mega biodiversity hot-spots like the Western Ghats be preserved as a GM-Free Zone.
Kerala has also been demanding a GM-Free status, and the state government’s opposition to GM rubber research trials is therefore expected.
He said: “The tragedy is that with agricultural universities often making false and biased claims, and the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) acting as rubber stamp for the biotech industry, people’s trust and confidence on GM claims has been eroded.”
Available alternatives
Kerala government believes that there are simple and environmentally-sound alternatives available to enhance rubber productivity, and the scientific community is simply turning a blind eye and is acting more on behalf of the GM industry.
RRII has been saying that its BT rubber plant has better drought- resistance and increased environmental stress tolerance. When asked why these good attributes are being opposed, Dr Sharma said these are wild claims.
First of all, let us be very clear that drought- tolerance, salt- resistance, and plants that can bear biotic and abiotic stresses are some of the wild claims that have been made for several years now. Even the claims that GM crops increase productivity have fallen flat. There is no GM crop in the world that actually increases crop yield.”
In fact, according to the US Department of Agriculture, the productivity of GM corn and GM soybean is less than that of its normal variants. GM rubber, therefore, cannot be an exception. These claims are simply made to hoodwink the regulators and justify the need to continue with the GM crop research trials for which there is abundant money available.
Incidentally, rubber is a crop of the tropics and therefore requires continuous rainfall. It is in fact cultivated in those areas that have high rainfall. Drought is a climatic condition created by several factors, and the most important way to address it is through soil and agronomy management, including the application of manganese micro-nutrient that rubber soils are deficient in and conservation of agro-ecological systems.
Moreover, the resulting Tapping Panel Dryness (TPD) is a physiological disorder that is the outcome of wrong tapping methods, over-exploitation and is not linked to stress alone. “What we need is to develop and promote sustainable tapping systems, which fortunately many farmers are following with a great success,” Dr Sharma said.
Unfortunately, it is the unsustainable tapping methods that RRII promotes that have led to the problem. The institute continues to follow the highly damaging and unsustainable tapping technology that was developed way back in 1890-91. “These technologies are still in practice because it brings benefits for the fungicide and pesticides manufacturers, and also help in the marketing of harmful stimulants,” Dr Sharma emphasised.
There are numerous safer options that are available. But unfortunately, agricultural scientists across the globe seem less interested in looking at economically viable and environmentally sustainable alternatives.
When asked to comment about the assurance that BT rubber would be used for commercial cultivation only after final approval, which might take as much as ten years or more, Dr Sharma recalled the policies regarding granting of permission to the Korean steel giant Posco to set up its manufacturing plant in the northern Indian state of Orissa.
Allowing BT rubber based on the assurance of scientists is like permitting Posco set up its steel plant in Jagatsinghpurm with 60 conditionalities. Inquiry committees set up by the Ministry of Environment & Forests have shown that even prior to the launch of the project, Posco is alleged to have concealed, fabricated facts and committed gross irregularities.
Food bowl
“Why I talked about Posco is because the approval for field trails for GM crops too comes with similar monitoring and evaluation conditions. In the past, there have been numerous instances when GM field trials were held without informing the farmers about the dangers and thereby seeking pre-informed consent,” Dr Sharma noted.
Several GM rice trials for instance had been uprooted and burnt by farmers’ organisations in different parts of the country primarily because the companies had not divulged what was being cultivated nor any precautions undertaken. “GM rubber research trials will not be any exception,” he said.
At a meeting called by the Kerala Chief Minister some weeks back, RRII scientists were asked about the possible biosafety, health and environmental concerns. They were also quizzed about the possible impact of the virus and bacteria gene that goes into the construct. The answer: had been: Nothing to worry. It is safe.
When asked about gene flow by honeybees, for instance, the researchers replied that there was a provision for a 50 mts buffer. And when asked whether this was sufficient, they said that they also knew that bees could travel up to 3 kms, but all “precautions” would be taken.
Further, I am appalled by the manner in which approval for field trials is granted. In case of other GM field crops under research, the approval for field studies normally extends to 100,000 acres in multi-location trials, which for all practical purposes is a de facto approval for seed multiplication. It is as good as any approval for commercialisation.”
He reminded that there is no mechanism by which adequate protection measures can be assured in such large-scale trials. In case of GM rubber, field trials are being sought in an area of 0.4 hectares each in Kerala and Maharashtra. The peculiar nature of homestead farming, and gene flow would pose an environmental- threat. GM- Free status of Western Ghats would surely be compromised.
Other reasons for the researchers to favour such experiments are that the GM rubber tree could be adapted for growing in non-traditional areas so that the country’s rubber output could be increased, which is a necessity in view of the high growth in demand for natural rubber. Reacting to this Dr Sharma said that this is indeed an interesting argument.
“Not only rubber, there is a demand for increasing area and production of several other commercial crops, including jatropha,” he said.
While some 13 million hectares is to be brought under jatropha by the end of 2011, the area under cut-flower cultivation is being increased with a lot of subsidies. Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia is inviting Omani firms for farming in India with the output exclusively shipped to foreign markets.
“All this is happening at a time when food inflation hovers in the double-digits and the government promises to increase food production to meet the growing demand,” Dr Sharma regretted.
With farm lands increasingly coming under industry, and being acquired at a rapid pace for non-farm activities, the question that needs to be asked is where will food crops be grown? Why should rubber cultivation be extended to non-traditional areas? If yes, then who will feed India?
Global food prices in 2011 have already touched a historic high, crossing the 2008 food index which led to food riots in 37 countries. Rising food prices have been among the triggers for current protests in Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria.
“Do we want public protests to happen in India? Do we want India to be standing again with a begging bowl?” he asked.
Said Dr Sharma: “I think it makes terrible sense to import rubber, if need be rather than to import food. The country’s food security cannot be sacrificed for the sake of GM rubber,” he argued.
[Continued in Part II]
HAZARDS OF GM CROPS
There is rising opposition to the introduction of genetically modified (GM) rubber trees, which researchers claim would help increase output and allow it to withstand adverse weather conditions.
On the campus of the government-run Rubber Research Institute of India (RRII), GM rubber trees are experimentally being grown, which some plantation owners have welcomed as a precursor to enhancing the rubber economy of Kerala, the southern region where it is generally grown.
But Davinder Sharma, renowned food policy analyst and environmentalist told Polymers & Tyre Asia (Feb-March 2011) that the prospects of GM rubber are dangerous to the environment and the rubber economy.
“Over the past few years, the introduction of GM crops has been shrouded in controversy,” he said in an interview. “In India, the moratorium on Bt brinjal in early 2010 – which if approved for commercialisation would have been the first GM food crop – has created wide awareness about the hazards of GM crops for humans, animals and the environment.”
He said the second-generation environmental impact of the First Green Revolution has led to a terrible agrarian crisis with more than 250,000 farmers committing suicide in the past 15 years. Technology failure is the reason behind mounting indebtedness that drives farmers to end their lives.
GM crops are simply an extension of the same technology approach that has led to the farm crisis in the first place.” This should be kept in mind in any debate on GM rubber, he cautioned.
Rubber is primarily a crop of Kerala and the northeast regions of the country. “Kerala, therefore, has been on the forefront of the opposition to GM crops,” he said primarily because the local government wants to retain the pristine environment in ‘God’s Own Country’ as the state is being promoted among tourists.
Moreover, the Task Force on Application of Biotechnology in Agriculture chaired by well-known agriculture scientist Prof MS Swaminathan has recommended that mega biodiversity hot-spots like the Western Ghats be preserved as a GM-Free Zone.
Kerala has also been demanding a GM-Free status, and the state government’s opposition to GM rubber research trials is therefore expected.
He said: “The tragedy is that with agricultural universities often making false and biased claims, and the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) acting as rubber stamp for the biotech industry, people’s trust and confidence on GM claims has been eroded.”
Available alternatives
Kerala government believes that there are simple and environmentally-sound alternatives available to enhance rubber productivity, and the scientific community is simply turning a blind eye and is acting more on behalf of the GM industry.
RRII has been saying that its BT rubber plant has better drought- resistance and increased environmental stress tolerance. When asked why these good attributes are being opposed, Dr Sharma said these are wild claims.
First of all, let us be very clear that drought- tolerance, salt- resistance, and plants that can bear biotic and abiotic stresses are some of the wild claims that have been made for several years now. Even the claims that GM crops increase productivity have fallen flat. There is no GM crop in the world that actually increases crop yield.”
In fact, according to the US Department of Agriculture, the productivity of GM corn and GM soybean is less than that of its normal variants. GM rubber, therefore, cannot be an exception. These claims are simply made to hoodwink the regulators and justify the need to continue with the GM crop research trials for which there is abundant money available.
Incidentally, rubber is a crop of the tropics and therefore requires continuous rainfall. It is in fact cultivated in those areas that have high rainfall. Drought is a climatic condition created by several factors, and the most important way to address it is through soil and agronomy management, including the application of manganese micro-nutrient that rubber soils are deficient in and conservation of agro-ecological systems.
Moreover, the resulting Tapping Panel Dryness (TPD) is a physiological disorder that is the outcome of wrong tapping methods, over-exploitation and is not linked to stress alone. “What we need is to develop and promote sustainable tapping systems, which fortunately many farmers are following with a great success,” Dr Sharma said.
Unfortunately, it is the unsustainable tapping methods that RRII promotes that have led to the problem. The institute continues to follow the highly damaging and unsustainable tapping technology that was developed way back in 1890-91. “These technologies are still in practice because it brings benefits for the fungicide and pesticides manufacturers, and also help in the marketing of harmful stimulants,” Dr Sharma emphasised.
There are numerous safer options that are available. But unfortunately, agricultural scientists across the globe seem less interested in looking at economically viable and environmentally sustainable alternatives.
When asked to comment about the assurance that BT rubber would be used for commercial cultivation only after final approval, which might take as much as ten years or more, Dr Sharma recalled the policies regarding granting of permission to the Korean steel giant Posco to set up its manufacturing plant in the northern Indian state of Orissa.
Allowing BT rubber based on the assurance of scientists is like permitting Posco set up its steel plant in Jagatsinghpurm with 60 conditionalities. Inquiry committees set up by the Ministry of Environment & Forests have shown that even prior to the launch of the project, Posco is alleged to have concealed, fabricated facts and committed gross irregularities.
Food bowl
“Why I talked about Posco is because the approval for field trails for GM crops too comes with similar monitoring and evaluation conditions. In the past, there have been numerous instances when GM field trials were held without informing the farmers about the dangers and thereby seeking pre-informed consent,” Dr Sharma noted.
Several GM rice trials for instance had been uprooted and burnt by farmers’ organisations in different parts of the country primarily because the companies had not divulged what was being cultivated nor any precautions undertaken. “GM rubber research trials will not be any exception,” he said.
At a meeting called by the Kerala Chief Minister some weeks back, RRII scientists were asked about the possible biosafety, health and environmental concerns. They were also quizzed about the possible impact of the virus and bacteria gene that goes into the construct. The answer: had been: Nothing to worry. It is safe.
When asked about gene flow by honeybees, for instance, the researchers replied that there was a provision for a 50 mts buffer. And when asked whether this was sufficient, they said that they also knew that bees could travel up to 3 kms, but all “precautions” would be taken.
Further, I am appalled by the manner in which approval for field trials is granted. In case of other GM field crops under research, the approval for field studies normally extends to 100,000 acres in multi-location trials, which for all practical purposes is a de facto approval for seed multiplication. It is as good as any approval for commercialisation.”
He reminded that there is no mechanism by which adequate protection measures can be assured in such large-scale trials. In case of GM rubber, field trials are being sought in an area of 0.4 hectares each in Kerala and Maharashtra. The peculiar nature of homestead farming, and gene flow would pose an environmental- threat. GM- Free status of Western Ghats would surely be compromised.
Other reasons for the researchers to favour such experiments are that the GM rubber tree could be adapted for growing in non-traditional areas so that the country’s rubber output could be increased, which is a necessity in view of the high growth in demand for natural rubber. Reacting to this Dr Sharma said that this is indeed an interesting argument.
“Not only rubber, there is a demand for increasing area and production of several other commercial crops, including jatropha,” he said.
While some 13 million hectares is to be brought under jatropha by the end of 2011, the area under cut-flower cultivation is being increased with a lot of subsidies. Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia is inviting Omani firms for farming in India with the output exclusively shipped to foreign markets.
“All this is happening at a time when food inflation hovers in the double-digits and the government promises to increase food production to meet the growing demand,” Dr Sharma regretted.
With farm lands increasingly coming under industry, and being acquired at a rapid pace for non-farm activities, the question that needs to be asked is where will food crops be grown? Why should rubber cultivation be extended to non-traditional areas? If yes, then who will feed India?
Global food prices in 2011 have already touched a historic high, crossing the 2008 food index which led to food riots in 37 countries. Rising food prices have been among the triggers for current protests in Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria.
“Do we want public protests to happen in India? Do we want India to be standing again with a begging bowl?” he asked.
Said Dr Sharma: “I think it makes terrible sense to import rubber, if need be rather than to import food. The country’s food security cannot be sacrificed for the sake of GM rubber,” he argued.
[Continued in Part II]
India Against Corruption: 'We did not think our movement would be so big' -- an interview with Rediff.Com
In the first part of the interview, Devinder Sharma, distinguished food security expert who has been with India Against Corruption since its inception, gave rediff.com’s Sheela Bhatt excusive insights into the making of the Jantar Mantar hunger strike and the people's outbursts that followed.
Part 1: How the Anna Hazare movement was born
In the second and final part, he talks about their future plans and where he hopes the movement will go and what they hope to achieve. [Here is the link: http://bit.ly/foVdrf]
Did you expect this kind of response?
We didn’t. In fact Kiran Bedi said the other day: ‘My God, when we started we never thought our fight will turn this big.’ But today the Lokpal bill has become the nation’s priority number one!
A few things clicked. One, the selection of Anna Hazare to lead us. If anyone of us would have gone on fast it would not have struck a chord with the people like Anna has done. Anna is respected, he is a Gandhian, people have seen his work. In fact, many youngsters did not know about him. A large number of young people went on the internet and found out all about him. That’s my impression.
Anna himself has said that when he left Ralegaon Siddhi to start the fast in New Delhi he never thought he will return as a national hero. Although, he was sure that the IAC will be able to force the government to accept a joint-committee.
Regarding Lok Ayukta, Arvind Kejriwal sometimes back wrote to all chief ministers stating the importance of Lokayuktas and seeking their views/support.
One of the first to react was Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. He invited us for a discussion.We had a breakfast meeting with him in New Delhi where Kiran Bedi, Swami Agnivesh and myself were present.
He supported our demand to have Lokayuktas and said, “Yes, I am with you in whatever you are doing. The Lokayukta should have more teeth and should be made meaningful.”
Didn’t you ask him why they did not have Lokayuktas already?
Yes we did. Modi told us to visit Gujarat. He said we should tell them what needs to be done. He said Lokayuktas should deliver. Then, in March IAC had a meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Anna Hazare led the team. Dr Singh set up a GoM under Pranab Mukherjee, who in turn appointed a sub-committee to deal with Lokpal bill issue. It was headed by Defence Minister A K Antony. It had minister Veerappa Moily, Kapil Sibal and Narayan Swamy. I, Swami Agnivesh, athlete Sunita Godara and Justice D S Tewatia met this sub-committee. That committee was dilly-dallying. They told us a joint-committee is unconstitutional.
The government never had any joint-committee with members of civil society in it, formally. So they were not willing to accept our demand. We asked them to give us a commitment to look into our request. We told them that in the absence of any commitment from the sub-committee, Anna’s fast would proceed as announced.
They put forward the usual argument that the Right to Education bill was prepared with inputs from civil society. Kapil Sibal mentioned the name of educationist Anil Sadgopal who was also invited to give suggestions. We told him that educationist Anil Sadgopal had dissented with the government bill. They ignored his voice and went ahead with the bill. That’s what the government does. They listen to civil society and they do what they want ignoring the people’s voice. The Right to Education is a horrible bill that Sibal prepared.
Antony told us that the Lokpal bill will be a landmark legislation so the government wants our support. We told him that if it’s a landmark legislation then it needs landmark decisions. One of the landmark decisions should be to have a joint-committee with civil society as its members.
We ended the meeting after giving the government enough idea that Anna’s fast would go on. I think the government underestimated the importance of Anna’s fast. They thought it’s just another hunger strike. We also didn’t realise that it will have such impact. We have seen Medha Patkar’s fast and many other worthy causes at Jantar Mantar. Anna’s fast succeeded because it hit the right chord.
Many people saw in it middle-class hypocrisy.
See our nation is by and large a nation of corrupt people. When I say this I am talking of the bulk of the urban class. There is no denying it. But, the fact of the matter is that even those people who are beneficiaries of the corrupt system are getting fed up with it. Everyday, corruption worries people.
Whatever it is, people did stand up for Hazare. I don’t care if you think it was hypocrites who supported us. The response was overwhelming. I am not here to decide the character of the people of this country.
Isn’t your movement slanting towards the sangh parivar?
This is amazing! Why don’t you understand that the Congress is the ruling party. They will surely get the flak. Tomorrow if the Bharatiya Janata Party comes to power, we will fight them if they disrespect the people’s interests.
Please don’t give this movement any political colour. Just because we are on a platform with Baba Ramdev, we get a saffron colour. Even I as an individual am given different colours. But the fact is that I address BJP, Congress, Janata Party, Swadeshi Jagran Manch, Youth for Solidarity which is an offshoot of Jamait-e-Islami. I also speak from platforms provided by CPI (ML) to the other extreme.
But it’s obvious that the BJP is going to benefit from Anna’s agitation.
That’s fate accompli. They are keeping quiet because they think the movement will benefit them. But we are concerned about our movement. How to make it broad-based? From April 29, Anna Hazare is starting his yatra. He wants to reach out to the people.
After May 13, once the assembly election results are out, there would be daily meetings of the draft committee of the Lokpal bill. He would not be able to travel after May 13.
He will begin his travels from Varanasi on April 29, then go to Sultanpur and then to Lucknow. On May 3rd he will be in Guwahati and on May 5-6 at Bangalore and Mysore. See, people should understand that the committee to draft the Jan Lokpal bill is an opportunity. We won’t get such opportunity again.
Looking to the fact that Shanti Bhushan wants high values to prevail in public life, should he have resigned when the Noida land deal issue got published?
That’s the question the nation is asking us. But we feel there is a different connotation. Whatever the charges are, the individual has to take care of it. We feel that this kind of smear campaign is a clear indication that the movement has ruffled feathers.
If you take on Shanti Bhushan today, then, tomorrow it will be Kiran Bedi and then Swami Agnivesh.
Why not? The truth has to prevail. When one knows that the Mayawati government is doing something that’s not done, how can your conscience allow you to buy such huge plots? Government lands are people’s assets.
I am not challenging your question. There are people asking such questions.
The committee will look into it. Give us time. We are looking at the larger picture. (The interview was conducted before the members of India Against Corruption met to discuss Shanti Bhushan’s land deal). We will take a position soon.
Who decided that these five people would sit in the draft committee of the Lokpal bill?
When Arvind Kejriwal took up the task of drafting the Lokpal bill, the major inputs came from Shanti Bhushan, Prashant Bhushan and Justice Santosh Hegde. We know that well.
It was remarkable that they put up the draft on the website. People commented on it and we kept revising the draft. That’s why the latest draft is the 12th draft. They were the people who were actually working on the bill, so they are sitting in the committee.
How can you say you are representing the people?
At no point of time have we said that the IAC represents the ‘people’. We just started work on the Lokpal bill. Please give credit where it’s deserved. Let us accept that these ten-twenty people have the courage to come together and stand up against the prevalent corruption in the system.
Do you know the public FIR we filed against Commonwealth Games corruption consists of 375 pages? Someone had put in a lot of work. These people need to be applauded. The lesson I have learnt from this movement is that if you strongly feel about something, pull up your socks and do something.
I hate those people who sit in their drawing rooms and over a glass of beer or coffee go on discussing corruption or other ills in the country but do nothing. The same people were also telling us that nothing would come out from the campaign against corruption.
Even now there are a many people who go on giving endless advice and some of them have been predicting that Anna's movement will eventually fall. Don't get disheartened. Just ignore these morons and do something. From all over India people are sending messages saying, ‘Please, don’t buckle’. In more that 200 places all over India, people demonstrated against corruption.
Let me tell you, the invisible part of the story would perhaps remain outside the ambit of the television cameras. Before Anna’s fast began, Arvind's office had turned into a war room. I am really amazed by the kind of work that his team of young activists put in. They wrote the Jan Lokpal bill draft, which kept on being revised every now and then.
They entertained visitors (whose numbers multiplied as time went by), answering umpteen phone calls, sms', emails and comments on Facebook. They prepared the banners and placards and organised subsequent meetings. Volunteers joined in and did a remarkable job. It wasn't easy, if you can understand what I mean. But it was all happening because the man who led from the front -- Arvind Kajriwal -- had set the standards.
Do you think you will get similar response again at Jantar Mantar if the debate on the Lokpal bill collapses?
I can’t predict anything. Even on April 5, we did not know we will get such a response. Look, we did something.
Do you think the joint-committee will be able to finalise the draft of the Lokpal bill?
It will happen if the government is honest. There is nothing to stop this joint-committee to set up a precedent for the nation to look up to. People talk about democratic norms. Where were those norms when the Right to Information Act was debated? Few people decided and they imposed their version on the country. There are some civil society leaders who are not happy with the formation of joint drafting committee. It doesn’t matter. Just because you have a hotline with (Congress President) Sonia Gandhi doesn’t mean only you represent civil society. That feeling must go.
Why did your dialogue with National Advisory Committee fail?
Even at the meeting, we got the message that the idea of a joint-committee is unconstitutional. We disagreed completely on the issue. The NAC also said that the draft prepared by the IAC was unacceptable to them. We were ready to discuss it. We were open to making changes. We said that process of drafting must go on. I think there was some ego problem.
If and when it happens will you give credit for it to Anna Hazare?
There is no denying the fact that Anna has played a crucial role. The Antony sub-committee and Sibal said such an idea (having civil society members in a government committee to draft a bill) is unconstitutional. Now, they have agreed to have five members and also give the co-chairman’s post to civil members. Don’t underestimate the power of the people. Anna Hazare has emerged as the national mascot, a national symbol against corruption. People’s will eventually triumph.
Part 1: How the Anna Hazare movement was born
In the second and final part, he talks about their future plans and where he hopes the movement will go and what they hope to achieve. [Here is the link: http://bit.ly/foVdrf]
Did you expect this kind of response?
We didn’t. In fact Kiran Bedi said the other day: ‘My God, when we started we never thought our fight will turn this big.’ But today the Lokpal bill has become the nation’s priority number one!
A few things clicked. One, the selection of Anna Hazare to lead us. If anyone of us would have gone on fast it would not have struck a chord with the people like Anna has done. Anna is respected, he is a Gandhian, people have seen his work. In fact, many youngsters did not know about him. A large number of young people went on the internet and found out all about him. That’s my impression.
Anna himself has said that when he left Ralegaon Siddhi to start the fast in New Delhi he never thought he will return as a national hero. Although, he was sure that the IAC will be able to force the government to accept a joint-committee.
Regarding Lok Ayukta, Arvind Kejriwal sometimes back wrote to all chief ministers stating the importance of Lokayuktas and seeking their views/support.
One of the first to react was Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. He invited us for a discussion.We had a breakfast meeting with him in New Delhi where Kiran Bedi, Swami Agnivesh and myself were present.
He supported our demand to have Lokayuktas and said, “Yes, I am with you in whatever you are doing. The Lokayukta should have more teeth and should be made meaningful.”
Didn’t you ask him why they did not have Lokayuktas already?
Yes we did. Modi told us to visit Gujarat. He said we should tell them what needs to be done. He said Lokayuktas should deliver. Then, in March IAC had a meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Anna Hazare led the team. Dr Singh set up a GoM under Pranab Mukherjee, who in turn appointed a sub-committee to deal with Lokpal bill issue. It was headed by Defence Minister A K Antony. It had minister Veerappa Moily, Kapil Sibal and Narayan Swamy. I, Swami Agnivesh, athlete Sunita Godara and Justice D S Tewatia met this sub-committee. That committee was dilly-dallying. They told us a joint-committee is unconstitutional.
The government never had any joint-committee with members of civil society in it, formally. So they were not willing to accept our demand. We asked them to give us a commitment to look into our request. We told them that in the absence of any commitment from the sub-committee, Anna’s fast would proceed as announced.
They put forward the usual argument that the Right to Education bill was prepared with inputs from civil society. Kapil Sibal mentioned the name of educationist Anil Sadgopal who was also invited to give suggestions. We told him that educationist Anil Sadgopal had dissented with the government bill. They ignored his voice and went ahead with the bill. That’s what the government does. They listen to civil society and they do what they want ignoring the people’s voice. The Right to Education is a horrible bill that Sibal prepared.
Antony told us that the Lokpal bill will be a landmark legislation so the government wants our support. We told him that if it’s a landmark legislation then it needs landmark decisions. One of the landmark decisions should be to have a joint-committee with civil society as its members.
We ended the meeting after giving the government enough idea that Anna’s fast would go on. I think the government underestimated the importance of Anna’s fast. They thought it’s just another hunger strike. We also didn’t realise that it will have such impact. We have seen Medha Patkar’s fast and many other worthy causes at Jantar Mantar. Anna’s fast succeeded because it hit the right chord.
Many people saw in it middle-class hypocrisy.
See our nation is by and large a nation of corrupt people. When I say this I am talking of the bulk of the urban class. There is no denying it. But, the fact of the matter is that even those people who are beneficiaries of the corrupt system are getting fed up with it. Everyday, corruption worries people.
Whatever it is, people did stand up for Hazare. I don’t care if you think it was hypocrites who supported us. The response was overwhelming. I am not here to decide the character of the people of this country.
Isn’t your movement slanting towards the sangh parivar?
This is amazing! Why don’t you understand that the Congress is the ruling party. They will surely get the flak. Tomorrow if the Bharatiya Janata Party comes to power, we will fight them if they disrespect the people’s interests.
Please don’t give this movement any political colour. Just because we are on a platform with Baba Ramdev, we get a saffron colour. Even I as an individual am given different colours. But the fact is that I address BJP, Congress, Janata Party, Swadeshi Jagran Manch, Youth for Solidarity which is an offshoot of Jamait-e-Islami. I also speak from platforms provided by CPI (ML) to the other extreme.
But it’s obvious that the BJP is going to benefit from Anna’s agitation.
That’s fate accompli. They are keeping quiet because they think the movement will benefit them. But we are concerned about our movement. How to make it broad-based? From April 29, Anna Hazare is starting his yatra. He wants to reach out to the people.
After May 13, once the assembly election results are out, there would be daily meetings of the draft committee of the Lokpal bill. He would not be able to travel after May 13.
He will begin his travels from Varanasi on April 29, then go to Sultanpur and then to Lucknow. On May 3rd he will be in Guwahati and on May 5-6 at Bangalore and Mysore. See, people should understand that the committee to draft the Jan Lokpal bill is an opportunity. We won’t get such opportunity again.
Looking to the fact that Shanti Bhushan wants high values to prevail in public life, should he have resigned when the Noida land deal issue got published?
That’s the question the nation is asking us. But we feel there is a different connotation. Whatever the charges are, the individual has to take care of it. We feel that this kind of smear campaign is a clear indication that the movement has ruffled feathers.
If you take on Shanti Bhushan today, then, tomorrow it will be Kiran Bedi and then Swami Agnivesh.
Why not? The truth has to prevail. When one knows that the Mayawati government is doing something that’s not done, how can your conscience allow you to buy such huge plots? Government lands are people’s assets.
I am not challenging your question. There are people asking such questions.
The committee will look into it. Give us time. We are looking at the larger picture. (The interview was conducted before the members of India Against Corruption met to discuss Shanti Bhushan’s land deal). We will take a position soon.
Who decided that these five people would sit in the draft committee of the Lokpal bill?
When Arvind Kejriwal took up the task of drafting the Lokpal bill, the major inputs came from Shanti Bhushan, Prashant Bhushan and Justice Santosh Hegde. We know that well.
It was remarkable that they put up the draft on the website. People commented on it and we kept revising the draft. That’s why the latest draft is the 12th draft. They were the people who were actually working on the bill, so they are sitting in the committee.
How can you say you are representing the people?
At no point of time have we said that the IAC represents the ‘people’. We just started work on the Lokpal bill. Please give credit where it’s deserved. Let us accept that these ten-twenty people have the courage to come together and stand up against the prevalent corruption in the system.
Do you know the public FIR we filed against Commonwealth Games corruption consists of 375 pages? Someone had put in a lot of work. These people need to be applauded. The lesson I have learnt from this movement is that if you strongly feel about something, pull up your socks and do something.
I hate those people who sit in their drawing rooms and over a glass of beer or coffee go on discussing corruption or other ills in the country but do nothing. The same people were also telling us that nothing would come out from the campaign against corruption.
Even now there are a many people who go on giving endless advice and some of them have been predicting that Anna's movement will eventually fall. Don't get disheartened. Just ignore these morons and do something. From all over India people are sending messages saying, ‘Please, don’t buckle’. In more that 200 places all over India, people demonstrated against corruption.
Let me tell you, the invisible part of the story would perhaps remain outside the ambit of the television cameras. Before Anna’s fast began, Arvind's office had turned into a war room. I am really amazed by the kind of work that his team of young activists put in. They wrote the Jan Lokpal bill draft, which kept on being revised every now and then.
They entertained visitors (whose numbers multiplied as time went by), answering umpteen phone calls, sms', emails and comments on Facebook. They prepared the banners and placards and organised subsequent meetings. Volunteers joined in and did a remarkable job. It wasn't easy, if you can understand what I mean. But it was all happening because the man who led from the front -- Arvind Kajriwal -- had set the standards.
Do you think you will get similar response again at Jantar Mantar if the debate on the Lokpal bill collapses?
I can’t predict anything. Even on April 5, we did not know we will get such a response. Look, we did something.
Do you think the joint-committee will be able to finalise the draft of the Lokpal bill?
It will happen if the government is honest. There is nothing to stop this joint-committee to set up a precedent for the nation to look up to. People talk about democratic norms. Where were those norms when the Right to Information Act was debated? Few people decided and they imposed their version on the country. There are some civil society leaders who are not happy with the formation of joint drafting committee. It doesn’t matter. Just because you have a hotline with (Congress President) Sonia Gandhi doesn’t mean only you represent civil society. That feeling must go.
Why did your dialogue with National Advisory Committee fail?
Even at the meeting, we got the message that the idea of a joint-committee is unconstitutional. We disagreed completely on the issue. The NAC also said that the draft prepared by the IAC was unacceptable to them. We were ready to discuss it. We were open to making changes. We said that process of drafting must go on. I think there was some ego problem.
If and when it happens will you give credit for it to Anna Hazare?
There is no denying the fact that Anna has played a crucial role. The Antony sub-committee and Sibal said such an idea (having civil society members in a government committee to draft a bill) is unconstitutional. Now, they have agreed to have five members and also give the co-chairman’s post to civil members. Don’t underestimate the power of the people. Anna Hazare has emerged as the national mascot, a national symbol against corruption. People’s will eventually triumph.
The Untold Story of the Anna Hazare Phenomenon
Anna Hazare begins his fast unto death on April 5 at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi
From April 5 to date, Anna Hazare is the news. He is being discussed, debated, applauded, accused, vilified and is also at times being crucified by the intelligentsia. The formation of the joint drafting committee to frame the Lok Pal bill continues to be the subject of endless debates and has been a victim of a visible smear campaign orchestrated by those whose extra-terrestial powers would be clipped once a tough law against corruption (mostly affecting people in high places) comes into place.
I find myself stranded somewhere in the middle as accusations (and also accolades) fly from almost all directions. Why in the middle because I am a founding member of India Against Corruption and has walked with the small but effective group to bring the fight against corruption onto the national platform. All these days I have maintained a little distance from the glare of the media that has given me enough time to take a deep breath and contemplate. At a time when all efforts (including from some known faces of the civil society) are aimed at digressing the issue of a strong Lok Pal bill, I think it is time to explain how and why the Anna Hazare factor emerged. Let me share with you some of the salient developments in the march against corruption.
I don't remember the date but I can still recall when I received a call from RTI Activist Arvind Kejriwal. He asked me whether I would be willing to be part of the fight against the Commonwealth Games corruption. It was as simple as that. When he explained that his idea was to file a Public FIR against the bigwigs of Commonwealth Games organising committee, I agreed. Arvind and I have shared a mutual admiration for each other's work and he probably knew that I would stand by him. To me it was a good idea, and I am always with those who want to do something rather than sulk and brood over a cup of coffee.
Arvind similarly reached to some of the better known and credible faces from amongst the civil society. He met noted social activist Swami Agnivesh and the former police officer, Kiran Bedi. It was Kiran Bedi who suggested that the group could also seek the support of Swami Ramdev. From what I know, Kiran Bedi called Swami Ramdev and appraised him of the initiative and the need to join the campaign. Swami Ramdev's backing of the campaign against Commonwealth Games corruption was certainly a clincher. His huge following certainly helped in turning the tables.
But that was only the beginning. Meanwhile, we reached out to Sri Sri Ravi Shanker and also the Archbishop of Delhi. Both agreed to extend support. Later, I spoke to Baba Seenchewal in Punjab, and he too extended his support. Well, it was not only the spiritual leaders that we were garnering support from but a cross-section of the civil society also began to join the campaign. The numbers grew. You will find the names of the founding members on the website of http://www.indiagainstcorruption.org/
While all this was going on, Arvind's office was meticulously putting together the contents of the Public FIR. I was amazed at the work that had gone in when I was asked to sign on the 370-page FIR that was publicly filed at the Jantar Mantar Police Station. The turnout at Jantar Mantar had exceeded our expectations. I haven't seen such a huge gathering at Jantar Mantar (in the heart of Delhi where most public rallies are allowed) all these years, and let us not forget to give credit to those who deserve it for making that possible. Swami Ramdev's Bharat Swabhiman had given a call for reaching Delhi, and believe me his followers responded. Archbishop of Delhi too had brought in a large number of his followers.
At the Jantar Mantar rally, Swami Ramdev was the main speaker. Anna Hazare was present on the dais. When Swami Ramdev arrived (his flight was late), we didn't have to go to submit the FIR. The officer-in-charge of the police station came out to receive the FIR from us. Later, I remember Anna Hazare telling Swami Ramdev that he (Anna) has been waging a battle against corruption all these years but now he can hope that it will reach its logical conclusion. Anna spoke in his usual passionate style telling how he had successfully got six Maharashtra ministers and over 400 corrupt officials removed by his relentless campaign against corruption.
A few weeks later, Sri Sri Ravi Shanker addressed a press conference in New Delhi with all of us extending his support.
India Against Corruption had arrived.
This is the visible part of the unprecedented campaign against corruption. The invisible part of the story would perhaps remain outside the ambit and gambit of the TV cameras. Arvind's office had meanwhile turned in a war room. I am really amazed by the kind of work that his team of young activists had put in. They wrote the Jan Lok Pal bill draft, which kept on being revised every now and then. They entertained visitors (whose numbers had multiplied), answering umpteen number of phone calls, sms', emails and comments on facebook. They prepared the banners and placards and organsied subsequent meetings. Volunteers joined in and did a remarkable job. It wasn't easy if you can understand what I mean. But it was all happening because the man who led from front -- Arvind Kajriwal -- had set in standards.
The Jan Lok Pall bill was meanwhile being prepared in continuous consultation with Shanti Bhushan, Prashant Bhushan, Santosh Hegde. People like Kiran Bedi, Swami Agnivesh and at times I and others also gave our suggestions and argued on what was going in, but the laborious part remained confined to the orginal four. That is why when the issue of representation at the joint framing committee came up, India Against Corruption fielded the same people who were involved with the process all these months.
Returning back to the Public FIR that was received at the Jantar Mantar police station, what is little known is that while the FIR was filed, it was never registered by the police. This was probably the first time that an FIR had been lodged on behalf of the public, but the powers-that-be were not amused. We did think about moving the courts to give a directive to the police, but the spate of scams that hit the country -- Adarsh Housing scam in Mumbai and the 2G Spectrum telecom scam -- to name a few, got us more and more involved in the fight against corruption. Two public rallies subsequently in the famous Ram Lila grounds in New Delhi helped build up the fight against corruption. Public sentiment was building up.
It was at one such moments when we were thinking as to what should be the next step to bring the issue to the fore, Anna Hazare expressed the desire to go on a fast unto death. The founding members of India Against Corruption were not for it. He was already in his 73rd year and we knew that we can't afford to risk his life. Corruption is not an issue that can be resolved with a fast, and therefore we tried to convince him to give up the idea. He wrote a letter to Prime Minister who invited him for discussions. Anna went to meet Dr Manmohan Singh who promised to set up a Group of Ministers (GoM) under Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee. But remained non-committal on the central demand of a joint drafting committee for the Lok Pal bill.
Finally after a lot of deliberations, India Against Corruption agreed to Anna's proposal to sit on a fast-unto-death unless the govt accept the proposal to draft the Jan Lok bill jointly with the civil society.
A few weeks after Anna's meeting with PM, he received an invite from the govt for discussions with a sub-committee that was constituted by the GoM headed by Pranab Mukherjee. The sub-committee under the chairmanship of Defence Minister A K Antony, comprised Law Minister Veerappa Moily, HRD Minister Kapil Sibal and the Minister of State for parliamentary Affairs, V Narayanasamy. Four of us representing India Against Corruption -- Swami Agnivesh, Sunita Godhara, former Asian gold medallist in marathon, Justice (Retd) D S Tewati, former chief justice of Calcutta and Punjab High Courts and I -- went to meet the sub-committee.
We had a long discussion with the committee and we offered to convince Anna Hazare not go ahead with the fast if the sub-committee could give us an assurance that the government would consider the proposal to have a joint drafting committee. Kapil Sibal tried to tell us that setting up a joint committee would be unconstitutional and set a bad precedence. He cited the example of what he had done by inviting civil society members for seeking their views when he framed the Right to Education bill. This is what we didn't want knowing the way he had very cleverly brushed aside the suggestions of the civil society members in the final draft of the Right to Education bill. Antony did say that the government needs support from civil society in framing a Lok Pal bill which will be a 'landmark legislation'. I had to remind him that a landmark legislation needs landmark decisions, and the setting up of a joint drafting committee would be one such landmark decisions required. What was clear to us was that the government wanted to buy more time.
Already 42 years had passed since the first effort was made to have a Lok Pal bill.
Before we emerged out of the meeting what came as a surprise was the way the government had in addition invited five more civil society representatives to the meeting. Nothing wrong you would say, but in my thinking it clearly indicated the official way of sabotaging people's movements. In fact, I found Kapil Sibal to be more than keen to give the other invitees chance to take the floor (again this is a usual way of diverting focus from the real issue under discussion). It was therefore clear to us that the government wouldn't let the civil society engagement in the law making process be as smooth as we were asking for.
The build up for Anna Hazare's fast had already begun. We were flooded with response from across the country. Arvind's team was finding it difficult to keep up with the pressures. They were spending sleepless nights in the office. The new media was flooded with requests and support. I remember seeing requests from people offering to hold fasts at some 180 plus cities/towns across the country. Over 5.5 lakh people extended support, and thousands offered to sit on fast in batches. I had not seen such an encouraging response from the masses for quite some time. But let me be honest, none of the founding members of India Against Corruption, and that includes Anna Hazare, had even in our wildest of imagination thought that Anna's fast would galvanise the country, and people across the country would stand up and identify with the cause like they eventually did.
A few days before the fast began, I was among a score of people invited to participate in a discussion on the Jan Lok Pal bill in one of the committees of the National Advisory Council (NAC). It wasn't a worthwhile experience to talk about. The people who organised the discussion appeared to be speaking the same language as that of the sub-committee appointed by the Prime Minister.
Anyway, what pains is to find that once the fast began, some members of the NAC wrote and commented on Anna Hazare's fast calling it undemocratic and the demand of joint drafting committee as unconstitutional. This was unfortunate and was more out of the negative feeling (and outrage among those who think they only represent the civil society) of being left out. The joint draft committee is 'undemocratic' because they are not in it. If they were included, everything would have termed as democratic. I don't known when will civil society leaders discard their unsustainable egos and learn for once from politicians. The Communists fight bitterly against the Congress in general elections. But when the results are declared and they land up with a hung Parliament, they join hands, draw a common minimum programme and run the country for the next five years. If the civil society leaders were to get into Parliament and form the government believe me they will not be able to rule the country for than a month !
Coming back to what made this campaign successful, I must tell you that I have been on the forefront of another successful people's campaign in recent times. The campaign against the commercialisation of what could have been India's first poisonous GM food crop -- Bt brinjal -- was also driven by ordinary people. It had taken us four years to build up that campaign, move on from being an NGO activity to people's campaign. I vividly recall when I sat down with two of my colleagues (Usha and Sridhar from Thanal) in Thiruvanthpuram and discussed the need to launch a campaign against Bt brinjal, we too had not visualised that one day we would succeed in getting a moratorium on Bt Brinjal.
The lesson I have learnt is that if you strongly feel about something, pull up your socks and do something. I hate those people who sit in their drawing rooms and over a glass of beer or coffee go on discussing corruption or other ills in the country but do nothing. The same breed of people were also telling us that nothing would come out from the campaign against corruption. Even now there are a large number of people who go on giving endless advice and some of them have been predicting that Anna's movement will eventually fall. Don't get disheartened. Just ignore these morons and do something. Remember, all changes in history actually began from the vision, dream and perseverance of one (wo)man.
Anna Hazare began his fast at Jantar Mantar on April 5. Along with him, some 150 volunteers also sat on a fast unto death. The rest is history.
David Cameron taking India for a 'free ride'.
British Prime Minister David Cameron is an honourable man. I am aware that he has taken up leadership at a crucial time in British history when his country's economy needs a miracle. Every Head of the State, and that includes all the permanent members of the UN Security Council, are therefore turning towards India and China throwing all kinds of baits to get a finger in the pie. David Cameron is no exception. In fact, he was the first among the unequals (I always consider the UN permanent members of the Security Council as being unequal among the equals) to take a voyage to India.
Speaking at London on Thursday, David Cameron claimed "an Indian organisation which made money out of sending migrants to Britain had put up a billboard in India with a picture of London's red bus and a banner reading: “Get a free ride to London”. He cited this as an example of how “bogus” immigrants were “playing the system” to gain entry by masquerading as students or dependants of British families.
In a hard-hitting speech, Mr. Cameron said his government was determined to stop the “abuse” of the system by taking action “across all routes of immigration”. He said there was widespread abuse of student visas with people using them to come to Britain to find jobs. Many did not return to their countries after the visa expired. The billboard, he suggested, showed how getting to Britain had been reduced to a joke." [See the news report Cameron slams Indian “free ride to London” The Hindu, April 15, 2011 http://bit.ly/hsKSC1]
Well, there is nothing that should get David Cameron so excited. Such billboards are all over the country. In fact, as I drove to the nearest internet cafe in Mohali (in Punjab) to write down this blog, I had come across a number of such billboards which entice prospective customers with similar promises. What David Cameron thinks is a 'free ride to London' is not a free ride. More of than not those who aspire to be immigrating have to sell-off everything they own. They are duped to the core, and often return back deposed and devoid of all they owned.
I can understand David Cameron's fury and angst. At a time when everyone swears in the name of free markets, none of the UN Permanent Members of the Security Council are willing to allow skilled and unskilled workers from the developing countries. The issue of movement of labour, which comes under various categories of Mode 1-4 in the WTO discussions, has not made any headway. Whether we like it or not, the western countries are trying to create the illusion of development and economic growth in a bid to gain a stranglehold of developing country markets. But when it comes to discussing the movement of workers across countries, they simply refuse to talk.
History has shown that migration does help the countries where the poor migrants head to and also the countries from where they come from. If the economists and policy makers (and that includes WTO) are really keen to see that the world grows economically they should focus on how to increase migration across countries.
But the fact remains that no one wants to see a coloured person in his/her neighbourhood.
Coming back to David Cameron's outburst against the free riders, let me put the record straight. Almost a year back when David Cameron had travelled to India he too had lobbied hard (and backed up the efforts by asking every visiting trade and development delegation to continue with the pressure) to push for the entry of supermarket retail chains. He had convinced Prime Minister Manmohan Singh (knowing well that Indian PM does not need to be convinced. All you need is to announce another honorary degree for him) on the urgency to open up for Tesco/Sainsbury and other retail chains into India.
I want to ask David Cameron. I would like know how David cameron's effort are any different from that of a travel agent who is trying to send a worker across by legal/illegal means? Isn't what he has been trying to do akin to 'free ride'? Isn't this a cruel joke on India? You have said that Tesco/Sainsbury will create thousands of jobs in India. If you read recent news reports emanating from London, Tesco/Sainbury have failed to live up to the promise of creating thousands of jobs even in the UK in the past two years. In fact, they have actually laid off more than 700 people in the past two years against the promise of creating some 24000 jobs. Isn't this 'abuse' of the system? What have you done to stem the rot in your own country, Mr Prime Minister?
In many ways I see a similarity. Prime Ministers and Presidents of the rich countries are no different from the 'bogus' immigration companies that are 'playing the system' to gain, masquerading as engines of economic growth. Developing countries are being exploited in the name of economic growth. What the immigration company with the billboard reading 'Get a free ride to London' claims is exactly what honourable people like David Cameron is also indulging in. You too are giving your companies a 'free ride", Mr Prime Minister? They end up doing more damage than the illegal immigrants that you complain about.
The only difference being that the 'bogus' immigration company can't armtwist elected governments of the developing countries like you do. They simply try to circumvent the system that they know they can easily do. The scale is different but the motive is the same.
We must therefore put a stop to all those who are trying to 'playing the system'. Whether it is the Prime Minister or a 'bogus' immigration company, they are equally at harm.
Speaking at London on Thursday, David Cameron claimed "an Indian organisation which made money out of sending migrants to Britain had put up a billboard in India with a picture of London's red bus and a banner reading: “Get a free ride to London”. He cited this as an example of how “bogus” immigrants were “playing the system” to gain entry by masquerading as students or dependants of British families.
In a hard-hitting speech, Mr. Cameron said his government was determined to stop the “abuse” of the system by taking action “across all routes of immigration”. He said there was widespread abuse of student visas with people using them to come to Britain to find jobs. Many did not return to their countries after the visa expired. The billboard, he suggested, showed how getting to Britain had been reduced to a joke." [See the news report Cameron slams Indian “free ride to London” The Hindu, April 15, 2011 http://bit.ly/hsKSC1]
Well, there is nothing that should get David Cameron so excited. Such billboards are all over the country. In fact, as I drove to the nearest internet cafe in Mohali (in Punjab) to write down this blog, I had come across a number of such billboards which entice prospective customers with similar promises. What David Cameron thinks is a 'free ride to London' is not a free ride. More of than not those who aspire to be immigrating have to sell-off everything they own. They are duped to the core, and often return back deposed and devoid of all they owned.
I can understand David Cameron's fury and angst. At a time when everyone swears in the name of free markets, none of the UN Permanent Members of the Security Council are willing to allow skilled and unskilled workers from the developing countries. The issue of movement of labour, which comes under various categories of Mode 1-4 in the WTO discussions, has not made any headway. Whether we like it or not, the western countries are trying to create the illusion of development and economic growth in a bid to gain a stranglehold of developing country markets. But when it comes to discussing the movement of workers across countries, they simply refuse to talk.
History has shown that migration does help the countries where the poor migrants head to and also the countries from where they come from. If the economists and policy makers (and that includes WTO) are really keen to see that the world grows economically they should focus on how to increase migration across countries.
But the fact remains that no one wants to see a coloured person in his/her neighbourhood.
Coming back to David Cameron's outburst against the free riders, let me put the record straight. Almost a year back when David Cameron had travelled to India he too had lobbied hard (and backed up the efforts by asking every visiting trade and development delegation to continue with the pressure) to push for the entry of supermarket retail chains. He had convinced Prime Minister Manmohan Singh (knowing well that Indian PM does not need to be convinced. All you need is to announce another honorary degree for him) on the urgency to open up for Tesco/Sainsbury and other retail chains into India.
I want to ask David Cameron. I would like know how David cameron's effort are any different from that of a travel agent who is trying to send a worker across by legal/illegal means? Isn't what he has been trying to do akin to 'free ride'? Isn't this a cruel joke on India? You have said that Tesco/Sainsbury will create thousands of jobs in India. If you read recent news reports emanating from London, Tesco/Sainbury have failed to live up to the promise of creating thousands of jobs even in the UK in the past two years. In fact, they have actually laid off more than 700 people in the past two years against the promise of creating some 24000 jobs. Isn't this 'abuse' of the system? What have you done to stem the rot in your own country, Mr Prime Minister?
In many ways I see a similarity. Prime Ministers and Presidents of the rich countries are no different from the 'bogus' immigration companies that are 'playing the system' to gain, masquerading as engines of economic growth. Developing countries are being exploited in the name of economic growth. What the immigration company with the billboard reading 'Get a free ride to London' claims is exactly what honourable people like David Cameron is also indulging in. You too are giving your companies a 'free ride", Mr Prime Minister? They end up doing more damage than the illegal immigrants that you complain about.
The only difference being that the 'bogus' immigration company can't armtwist elected governments of the developing countries like you do. They simply try to circumvent the system that they know they can easily do. The scale is different but the motive is the same.
We must therefore put a stop to all those who are trying to 'playing the system'. Whether it is the Prime Minister or a 'bogus' immigration company, they are equally at harm.
Be ready to attract criminal penalties if you take pictures of an animal farm factory
Sometimes back the Ministry of Science & Technology came in for a lot of flak when it was leaked out that the proposed National Biotechnology Regulatory Authority bill contained draconian provisions to strangulate independent voices of those who do not agree with the controversial GM technology. The bill is to still come up for discussions in Parliament.
The specific provisions that drew public anger, stated: "Whoever, without any evidence or scientific record, misleads the public against the safety of the organisms and products specified in Part 1, Part II or Part III of Schedule 1, shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than six months, but which may extend to one year and with fine, which may extend to two lakh rupees, or with both."
Although it was later denied, but the fact of the matter is that the original draft did contain these provisions.
Now if you think such laws are being introduced into India only, you are mistaken. Most draconian laws have actually been force in the country which always swears in the name of liberty and freedom. In the United States, law makers in two provinces -- Florida and Iowa -- have introduced bills that will treat those taking photos or videotape farm animals as criminals. This comes in the wake of several other laws that are being tampered or amended or being freshly introduced to take control over food. If you remember, sometimes back I had posted video of a police raid on an organic store in California.
In another blog post, I had said: "Your right to save seed and replant it the next year will soon be taken away. It has happened in the United States, which officially does not bar farmers from saving seed, but unofficially does nothing to safeguard Farmer's Right over his seed. In fact, in the days to come the US is going to witness a test case that will, if it goes the industry way, take away farmer's right to save seed by indirectly penalising him for not paying the 'technology fee' or royalty".
Industrial animal farms have always drawn criticism and anger. Several "investigations have led to the largest meat recall in U.S. history, misdemeanor and felony cruelty convictions, closure of rogue slaughter plants, and disciplinary actions for government inspectors not doing their jobs." The big farm industry has suffered a lot from public pressure emanating from such reports/studies that also come with pictures that say more than a thousand words. So for quite some time the big Ag industry was looking for ways to stop such exposures.
Contamination of food is fundamental to our requirement of safe and healthy food. This is what worries millions across the globe, and we know that it all begins from the US. Instead of protecting the rights of the people to have access to safe food, all out efforts are being made to protect the commercial interests of the big Ag companies. Florida and Iowa will soon set a precedent that many countries in the northern hemisphere will keenly look forward to adopt. Once the West does it, the Codex Alimentarius will make it obligatory for the rest of the world to follow the same standards.
It is time you woke up to the looming threat ahead. If the lawmakers have their way, your voice has to be stifled at any cost. After all, you can't be allowed to damage the reputation and the commercial interests of big business. It doesn't however matter what the processed food industry does to your health in the bargain. The more you get sick, the more will be growth of the pharma industry. And the more the pharma industry grows, the more will be the growth of the insurance sector. It is therefore a win-win situation for the food, pharma and the insurance companies.
Read the report: Big Ag Wants To Make It a Crime to Expose Animal Abuse at Factory Farms http://bit.ly/dTmbGf
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