From: M C Raj <mcraj.reds@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, Oct 15, 2012 at 9:40 AM
Subject: Bihar and Delhi - The Caravan moving
CERI Makes Inroads into Bihar
This was the first State Conference in Bihar for the Campaign for Electoral Reforms in India. It was organized for elected members. However, it was not possible to keep away civil society actors and leaders from such an important 'first of its kind' event. Against the expected 60 to 70 participants there were a total of about 125 till lunchtime. After lunch the number dwindled to about 40 as most of the elected members left immediately after lunch.
The kingpin of organizing this event was a former MLA, Mr. Sanjay Paswan who is now with BJP. It was easy for him and the CERI Team to bring the Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar for the event. He stayed put for a long time and gave a rousing speech in support of CERI. As it is usual for politicians he also claimed that it was L K Advani who spoke of PR system long ago. The participants were multi-coloured from all parties.
M C Raj set the Conference tone with his customary inspiring Keynote Address. He said that it was Bihar that led the total revolution for democracy under the leadership of Jayaprakash Narayan in the emergency days. It is now time that Bihar led the way also for a second revolution towards democracy by ushering in the PR system. As usual Raj substantiated his appeal with impeccable argumentation. The Deputy CM of Bihar Mr. Sushil Kumar Modi promised his full support to all efforts of the Campaign.
The major highlight of the event is the shorter duration within which it was organized very well. The initial contact was made by CERI's national Spokesperson Leena Dabiru with Sanjay Paswan who is an avid gobbler of Dalitology. That set the ball rolling. He made it a point to invite Raj to another event that he organized in Delhi earlier on the advise of Leena. In that Delhi meeting Nitin Gatkari, the National President of the BJP was Chief Guest. When Sanjay Paswan agreed to organize an event in Patna the CERI team got into serious action. Goldy and Durga Jha pulled all their strings together and diluted the overbearing presence of BJP so that it became a CERI event. While Goldy did this from behind the scene, as he was busy with CERI work in Madhya Pradesh, Durga did it by being present in Patna together with Vivek a few days in advance. But their phone contacts did many wonders. Durga is more a Bihari than a Chattishgari, as her mother is from Bihar. Leena too joined them in advance and the three together with Goldy's invisible hand from MP did wonders.
One of the political strategies that they applied was to invite also eminent intellectuals and office bearers of the Communist Parties who readily agreed to join the effort. The AIPF, All India Progressive Forum of the CPI has officially joined hands with CERI for PR system in India. The BJP cadre did have a problem with such overbearing presence of eminent comrades. Raj assuaged their bad feelings by focusing on inclusiveness within the campaign.
The success of this Conference also can be measured by the apparent tension about possible future leadership of the Campaign in Bihar. At least some civil society leaders and BJP are keen to have the leadership in their hands. But the CERI team did well to defer the formation of any responsible position and have worked out a strategy among themselves. Durga and Leena, together with Goldy have identified a team of 9 members to carry on the mission. Raj will go again in December to Patna to firm up a team for Bihar.
Argumentative Indian in Delhi
And don't think India is open to argumentation. From Patna the CERI team rushed to Delhi. This friend of Goldy's invited us to have discussions but foreclosed all discussions by coming to the table with a rigid position. He is a Harvard graduate and leads a 'Think Tank' for the Congress. We left with a feeling that it is rather a stink tank as there is only a tank and not any think in it. Like many bureaucrats in India they do not allow the party sitting with them to even express their point of view. Went on talking for nearly one hour and allowed only about 15 minutes for our intervention in between but without listening to us. I shall not give you the name of the guy since I do not want you to get a third party impression about him.
He praises the American model of democracy as the best in the world but immediately adds that the Blacks and Native Americans are still discriminated and excluded. The ridiculous subsidiary of his point is 'But then they are only less than 10% of the population in the US.' This is precisely what we went to place before him that the minorities should have inclusion. He argued that South Africa does not have a good democracy as India and he stamped on the wrong foot of Leena. She took him on like a gladiator. Goldy and I were rather subdued as Goldy winked eyes to me to indicate that there was no point in carrying on the death ceremony of the argumentative Indian.
Amartya Sen must be jumping in joy. His argumentative Indian was gloriously resurrected by this muddle headed Harvard graduate who wanted only to subjugate the inclusive argumentation in the name of democracy. The contradictions were evident. Masters of the game, the unending game of ghost burial, the ghost of the poor, the Dalits, the Adivasis, the Muslims etc. "You toe our line of thinking, otherwise you face the consequence…" So goes their argumentation. Get on top of the roof and croak about India being the best democracy in the world, best space for argumentation. The complexes, ineluctable caste complexes compelling them to camouflage and praise their weaknesses! The Argumentative Indian to the fore! The sham and the shame blended together to create a global impression.
The politics of the Campaign for PR system by CERI, now emerging as a major threat to many political outfits! This is evident. Stakeholders of CERI have to be ready to face new political challenges. False but powerful arguments, decorated and adorned with jargons borrowed from the 'best' universities in the world. Condemn anything that comes from Europe and with the same voice praise to the skies anything that comes from the US. Blatantly idiotic! But that thrives in India. He was not even ready to listen to the fact that now PR system is not any more Western European. More than 89 countries have already shifted to it. He cared a hoot about the fact that even in Europe PR was developed by countries that resisted fascism and believed in socialism.
Who cares? India is for some castes and they will not let go of their power to govern. CERI's task is Himalayan in the present political climate. Shall we stand up and face the challenge together, CERI?
Say your Yes not only in words but also in action, continued action.
Raj
Shanthinagar
Tumkur 572102
Karnataka, India
Phone: ++91-816-2277026
Fax: ++91-816-2272515
Mobile: ++9845144893
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