The story of Khairlanji as a story of the plight of the Scheduled Castes in scores of villages has joined the pantheon of protest literature of the Dalit movement with the staging of Marathi play Tanta Mukta Gaon (Dispute-Free Village). The Maharashtra government in 2010 declared the village of Khairlanji, infamous for the brutal killings of four members of the Bhotmange family, a “Tanta Mukta Gaon” under a government programme which...
More »SEARCH RESULT
Mayawati: why no Dalit on Lokpal panel? by Atiq Khan
Playing the Dalit card, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati on Friday criticised the Centre, the Congress and civil society for not including any SC member in the Jan Lokpal Bill drafting committee. At a hurriedly convened press conference here, Ms. Mayawati invoked Dr. Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar and his contribution to the socio-economic uplift of the downtrodden sections to drive home her point. Even after 63 years of independence, was not a...
More »Belt shops target NREGS workers to rake in moolah by Raghu Paithari
After forming syndicates, the liquor mafia in Nizamabad district is now targeting young workers of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme ( MGNREGS) to rake in more moolah. Towards this end, the powerful mafia succeeded by roping in village development committees (VDCs) to help them open more belt shops in villages. Though it was illegal, a majority of these belt shops are being run in residential colonies, slum areas and...
More »Why tar all politicians with the same brush? by Madhu Purnima Kishwar
We should be grateful to Anna Hazare for dedicating his life to the people and battling for accountability in governance. Millions look to him for inspiration and guidance. We are all sick of mismanagement, venality and the lack of accountability that plague not only governance but also other institutions, including many NGOs that call themselves “civil society” institutions, the term made fashionable by international donor agencies. The support base of this...
More »Not a very civil coup by Mihir S Sharma
Bang on schedule, a few hours before the Chennai Super Kings took on the Kolkata Knight Riders, word leaked out that the UPA would give in to Anna Hazare. Hordes, by which I mean dozens, celebrated at India Gate, by which I mean that they held ice cream in one hand and candles in the other. The Leaders of the Revolution — Hazare, Baba Ramdev and Anupam Kher — could...
More »