সৰ্বানন্দ সোণোৱাল ডাঙৰীয়া লৈ কেইতামান প্ৰশ্ন..

১) আপোনি ১৯৯২ৰ পৰা ১৯৯৯ লৈ আছুৰ সভাপতি থাকোতে ’অসম চুক্তি’ খনৰ ওপৰত বিশ্বাস আছিল নে? যদি বিশ্বাস আৰু সমৰ্থন আছিল, তেনেহলে কি যুক্তি বা কাৰণত আপোনি মত সলালে?

যদি আপোনি আছুত থাকোতে অসম চুক্তি সমৰ্থন নকৰিছিল, তেনেহলে আপোনি আছুক প্ৰতাৰনা কৰা নুবুজালে জানো?

২) আপোনি IMDT 1983 বিপৰিতে উচ্চতম ন্যায়ালয়ত সুফল পাওঁতে ন্যায়ালয়ে বাংলাদেশৰ পৰা হোৱা ’Infiltration’ ক ‘External Aggression’ বুলি আখ্যা দিছিল৷ আপোনি সেই ৰায় মানি লৈছিল আৰু সেই ৰায়দানৰ ফলতে আপোনি জাতিয় নায়কৰ উপাধি পাইছিল৷

সঁচা অৰ্থত মানি লোৱা নাছিল নেকি বাৰু? মানি লোৱা হলে আপোনি কেতিয়াও ’External Aggresion’ক ১৯৭১ চনৰ পৰা ২০১৪ চনলৈ আগ বঢ়াই নানিলে হেতেন?

৩)লগতে উচ্চতম নিয়ালয়ে কৈছিল যে “Bangladesh nationals who have illegally crossed the border and have trespassed into Assam or are living in other parts of the country have no legal right of any kind to remain in India and they are liable to be deported." ২০১৫ চনত বিজেপি চৰকাৰে Foreigners Order 1948 বদলালে আৰু সকলো বিদেশীক, মুছলমান বিদেশীৰ বাহিৰে, ভাৰত আৰু অসমত থাকিবলৈ সন্মতি দিলে৷

আপোনাৰ কেইবা বছৰৰ কষ্টৰ ফলক আপোনাৰ দল বিজেপিয়ে ভৰিৰে গচকি দিলে৷ আপোনি কিয় একো মাত নেমাতিলে? আপোনাৰ দুখ নেলাগিল নে? নে আপোনি আজিৰ দিনত মত সলালে আৰু IMDT ৰায়ক নেমানে?

৪) আপোনাৰ ৰাজ্য অসমত আজি ১৯ লাখ মানুহ দেশবিহীন৷ আপোনি জানে যে ইয়াৰ মাজতে বহু নিৰীহ, নিৰ্দোষী খিলঞ্জীয়া মানুহো আছে৷ নেজানে জানো? কা বা কেবৰ আগতে এই মানুহখিনিৰ কথা ভৱাটো আপোনাৰ দায়িত্ব আছিল বুলি মই ভাৱো৷ আজিৰ দিন’তো আপোনি তেওঁলোকৰ কথা কিয় নেভাৱিলে? কি হ’ব সেই দু্ৰ্ভগীয়া মানুহ বিলাকৰ?

মই ভাৱো আপোনি যদি এই চাৰিটা প্ৰশ্ন সথিকভাৱে দিব পাৰে, আপোনাক অসমৰ ৰাইজে বুজিব আৰু আকৌ হইটো ভোট দিব৷

#AssamRejectsCAB - How BJP is being blind in its vote consolidation strategy?

In 1984, when BJP was reduced to 4 seats, it was a huge setback and that gave rise to the strategy of Hindu consolidation by hook or by crook. By 1985, the plan was finalised.

Right from the Advani Rath Yatra that killed ordinary citizens in thousands (ably opposed by Lalu Prasad Yadav - https://youtu.be/W7XRvjYQOaI) and destroyed a mosque; the same strategy is in the works regarding citizenship related amendments. All these steps were not to build a nation. It was to consolidate the majority votes for the BJP at any cost. Assam is a negligible cost for the BJP in its overall scheme of things for power in the centre.

BJP started meddling in with citizenship in 2015 when they silently amended the passport act and the foreigners act. Only Tarun Gogoi spoke against it - https://m.economictimes.com/…/mha-…/articleshow/49430646.cms) at that time. The amendments in the passport act of 1950 and Foreigners Order of 1948 said that the same religions that are mentioned in CAB from the same countries as mentioned in CAB would not be considered illegal migrants even if they don’t posses valid documents to enter or stay in India.

Sadly the public didn’t realise the unconstitutionality of the amendments then. The point to note is that if NRC didn’t take place in Assam (thankfully for Assam Accord, AASU and the Congress), which listed the 19 lakhs as alleged foreigners, the real illegal migrants of the six religions would not be illegal at all. Only because of the NRC, the illegal Hindu migrants in Assam are now deemed illegal once again. The 2015 amendments were very powerfully against the constitution, and against Assam and the Northeast.

CAB was therefore brought in to give citizenship which the 2015 amendments couldn’t. We all know that CAB is unconstitutional because it discriminated against Islam, just like the 2015 amendments. It doesn’t matter because it is part of the 1985 strategy to consolidate the Brahmins, upper caste Hindus and Hindus in general primarily in the Hindu belt and if possible the south. The newer agenda is also to woo the Hindu Bengali voters in WB and NE.

Surely, BJP has been successful politically in their strategy of consolidation along with their development - Vikas agenda. However, I think these amendments are short term bigoted thinking. Also quite naive and stupid. When you are bigoted, you simply cannot be rational and long term. For instance, Amit Shah calling for NRC across India simply makes their 2015 amendments useless. One reason perhaps is also that BJP forgot about the 2015 passport and foreigner amendments because they didn’t give the expected political dividend and news coverage. If the latter is true then it is even more dangerous. CAB similarly is useless because there is no way anybody can prove persecution in their application of citizenship.

The conviction of putting an useless bill when India is suffering from hundreds of other serious problems is the most dangerous of all. The agenda of polarisation is making BJP blind and stupid. In terms of an Intelligence bureau report, only around 11000 people may benefit from CAB. How would anyone prove that he was from Bangladesh and that he was persecuted?

Coming back to Assam, and NE the current protests are natural and logical. Assam has seen language agitation, foreigner agitation from over a century. Initially, British imposed Bengali as the official language of the NE and ASSAM because they had brought Bengali working class to Assam to work for their administration of the region, and the railways. After prolonged agitation, we got Assamese back as our language. However the anger against the Bengalis remained in the insides of our psyche.

Then came the foreigner agitation. Cachar district which initially had indigenous population became a Bengali majority district. Muslim immigration also have changed demographic identity of a few districts. Therefore, the foreigner agitation of 1980s were not religious and bidekhi meant all foreigners. Because of the secular nature of the protest and the rationality therefore, the Congress govt signed the Assam Accord of 1985.

Assam Accord was a huge success for Indian federalism and Assamese pride. The NRC process which is done only for Assam is also a huge matter of pride for the indigenous Assamese.

CAB by the BJP has made both the ASSAM Accord and NRC irrelevant. It left Assam no reason to control their emotions anymore. I will also come out in protest. BJP has showed complete disregard for Assamese pride. First, it gave land to Bangladesh when it promised otherwise. Then they took away the 15000 crore NE economic stimulus package. And the carelessness continued. CAB was the nail in the coffin of promises made by the BJP.

Street protests, closure of offices, businesses will now be the norm. Sadly, lives may be lost, anarchy will prevail and the unscrupulous will try to make hey. The poor economy will become poorer. Poverty will increase.

BJP is squarely to be blamed for this chaos. Their strategy of harmless consolidation in 1985 (even Advani didn’t think there will be so many deaths) has become very dangerously bigoted consolidation, and the end is not near. BJP has crossed the fine line of decency and will stoop to any level to keep their political calculations in their favour, and so the end is not near.

I appeal to everyone to protest peacefully and let the Govt understand the power of nonviolent protest taught to us by the Mahatma.

Here is a beautiful protest song that has from the anger and frustrations of the Assamese.
https://youtu.be/8kpU3HrBuTg

Kindly share if you liked the blog.

#Alberuni - Trying to understand people we don't like instinctively, for peace.

#History #HoliThought

Mahmud of Ghazni was good to India!

I am sorry. That was meant to attract your attention. How can I? I mean, he did a Balakot onto India in the 11th century AD.

Jokes apart, I would like to talk about a great Iranian born Arabic scholar #Alberuni, who came to India with Mahmud of Ghazni. Hope you will enjoy knowing him as significant credit goes to him for the foreign perception about India based on his 11th century book - Ta'rikh al-hind (The History of India).

Alberuni mastered Sanskrit and studied Indian texts on mathematics, natural sciences, literature, philosophy and religion. He spoke to as many Indian experts as he could find. It was this compilation of knowledge in the form of his book that stood the test of time as a proof to many Indian intellectual traditions, social customs and more importantly Indian achievements.

Alberuni wrote about Aryabhatta (476 AD) about his explanation of solar and lunar eclipses with methods of measuring shadows. He wrote about #Aryabhatta's courage to oppose religious orthodoxy to reject their views that sun revolves around the earth, in favour of earth's rotation.

Alberuni judged Brahmagupta (7th Century) as the best mathematician and wrote about his theories about the force of gravity to explain why objects are not thrown out as the earth rotates. He translated Brahmagupta's Sanskrit book, Brahmasiddhanta into Arabic. It was through Arab scholars that the decimal system & Indian numerals reached Europe.

Alberuni concludes the book with a profound statement about cultures and civilizations in general. It holds immense importance today when we are fighting widespread hatred. He writes,

'In all manners and usages, the Indians differ from us to such a degree as to frighten their children with us, with our dress, and our ways and customs, and as to declare us to be devil's breed, and our doings as the very opposite of all that is good and proper. BY THE BYE, WE MUST CONFESS, IN ORDER TO BE JUST, THAT A SIMILAR DEPRECIATION OF FOREIGNERS NOT ONLY PREVAIL AMONG US AND THE INDIANS, BUT IS COMMON TO ALL NATIONS TOWARDS EACH OTHER. '

It was in this context, Alberuni wrote about the nastiness & atrocities of the Mahmud in Mathura, Kanauj, and Somnath Temple. He wrote in disgust that 'Mahmud utterly ruined the prosperity of the country, by which Hindus became like atoms of dust scattered in all directions. As a result, he wrote, a section of Hindus cherish the most inveterate aversion towards all Muslims.

Alberuni argued that evil behavior like that of the Mahmud, can arise from a lack of understanding of, and familiarity with other people. He thought it very important for people in one country to know how others elsewhere live, and how progressive or backward they are and what they think. That was the basis of his book and his staying back with the Indians to learn Sanskrit.

From him, I have learnt a very profound wisdom that if we try to know about people who we don't like, we may end up not disliking them. One Muslim plundered. The other gave us an invaluable gift.

We can build an united India that understands each other to not hate each other. Only an atmosphere of peace can usher in progress.

Happy Holi.

#NYAY - Why it is good Keynesian Economics.

Keynesian Economics - Basic Income Guarantee. #AbHogaNyay

If 100 families in a town who were used to having one meal a day, gets to eat three meals a day because of minimum income guarantee; the town will get additional white money, and the local economic income will increase multiple times.

It will stimulate the grocery shop, and all the primary businesses in the town; thereby having a direct impact on the GDP positively.

Secondly, India ranks very low in terms of social security Govt spending. India primarily spends for the rich. We have very poor primary education infra, when our higher education is quite capable. The reason is simply the target segment for higher education - the rich. It was high time for India to have a policy level shift towards spending for the poor. To my mind, basic income guarantee like MGNREGA will be revolutionary for the bottom 20%.

The arguments against it will primarily be the same points that were there for MGNREGA in 2005. 1) Free money will make people lazy. 2) Where will the money come from? These questions are as old as arguments made against making our country a socialist democracy. Today, we are a socialist democracy as per our preamble.

Lastly, nobody wants to be poor. If given an opportunity, every human being will try to become rich. Basic minimum income is the least level of opportunity that any socialist Govt must provide to its poorest of the poor. It will ensure food, clothing and shelter.

Implementation will be tough. Rahul and the Congress must get the best minds across party, and domains to think through its stepwise implementation.

In response to a mob violence in Assam..

বিশ্বনাথ চাৰিআলি,
তই দুখ দিলি।
কিয় নিৰৱে চাই থাকিলি ৰই।

দুজনক নিদিলি কিয় সাহস,
মানৱতাক খঙৰ পৰা কৰিবলৈ উদ্ধাৰ।

অসমীয়া মই, লাজত হলো সেউজীয়া।
মানুহো মই, সাহেৰে খঙৰ ভিৰক বিৰোধ কৰি যাম।

আলি ককাই, মাফ কৰি দিয়া ডেকা তেজক,
সময়ে বুজাব, ডেকা তেজ বুঢ়া হ'ব।
আল্লা খোদা ভগৱানে তোমাক শান্তি দিব।

হে অসমীয়া, বুজিবা আন্তৰিকতাৰে,
আবেগেৰে নলবা হেংদাং,
অসম গৌৰৱ গদাধৰসিংহৰো আছিল প্ৰিয় খাদ্য
এটি দমৰা।

Jet Airways is a strategic failure of Indian Governance

Jet Airways is a victim of poor policy and an insensitive governance.

Last week 22000 educated citizens have lost their jobs. They are pleading with the Government for support and I hope they get it.

Why is the pioneer airline brand of India with years of experience facing BANKRUPTCY? Jet had over 15% market share and still it failed.

Indigo, the largest airline brand had posted a 97% fall in profits in the 1st quarter of FY18-19. In the 2nd quarter, it made a loss of Rs. 652 crores for the first time after it became a listed company in 2015.

Even Spicejet made a loss of Rs. 389.40 crores in the same quarter when it had made a profit of Rs 105.30 crores in the same quarter, previous year.

Go Air is on sale after 13 years of operations! Vistara is also losing money every quarter to the tune of over 400 crores.

Interestingly, top line revenues are growing for all these airlines. Total income is increasing but expenses are increasing without control.

Aviation Turbine Fuel costs comprise 35-40% of the operating costs and fuel prices are increasing uncontrollably. The Govt has reduced excise duty by 300 basis points which is grossly inadequate.

The engine rentals and maintenance costs are paid in dollars and they comprise 30-35% of the expense. Dollar had touched all time high of over 73 plus - a rise of 13%. This affects profitability very critically. Also, airport charges for airline is very high.

Sadly, both these costs are beyond the control of the airline brands. When a brand can't control 2/3rd of its expenses in any meaning way, the risk of business is just too high.

Lastly, with the Indian economy in doldrums, the competition for excess supply, lower personal income, need to maintain the passenger load factor, and aggregators selling tickets bring down the ticket prices. When the strategic need is to increase ticket prices, the prices actually fall. There is limited ability to pass on costs increase by increasing ticket prices.

This typical scenario makes the airline industry in India dependent on the present day Government, its policies, its subsidies and its macro economic policies.

Airlines like public Railways provide critical stimulus to the economy and its growth prospects. It makes the movement of costly intellectual labour faster. Movement of Labour, like Capital directly affects the economy. It makes skills accessible across the country in great speed. It has the potential to remove poverty, cause development, improve implementation in a big country like India.

However, the Government shows a tendency to portray airline as a luxury travel mode. The aviation policy, tax rules, charge slabs therefore are not the talk of the town for policy makers and Government.

How can we make airlines less dependent on foreign exchange fluctuations? Can the Government subsidize economy travel for overall progress? Can the Government create infrastructure to maintain aircraft engines and other such services to the airline industry? How do we tackle the ATF price issue strategically? Can the Government regulate the price for the sake of faster movement of Labour?

It is no joke that all the airlines are making losses, and we hardly know who is the aviation minister. The current minister is Mr. Suresh Prabhu, who is actually the industry minister with additional charges in the aviation ministry. He took charge when TDP had quit NDA. One Mr Ashok Gajapathi Raju was the minister from 2014 to 2018. Did anyone know?

I firmly believe that aviation needs Government focus as a key strategic objective. We need to wake up to that fact and stop considering flying to be an activity of the rich.. It's not.