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04 Opinion Saturday, September 9, 2017 This political bout is repeat face-off The impending 2017 Assembly elections in the hill state of Himachal Pradesh (HP) are being keenly watched. Despite the variability ofpolitical landscape across India, the politics of the HP is characterized by relative stability owing largely to the bipolarity of the contest between two dominant parties - the Indian National Congress (INC) and the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP). The outcomes of the 2017 elections however, will be rather significant and is likely to shape the political future of the state. With the incumbent Chief Minister (CM) Virbhadra Singh staking claim for a record seventh time and the former CM Prem Kumar Dhumal attempting to remain politically relevant, the elections will certainly define the political destiny of only one among them. The HP Pradesh Congress Committee (HPPCC) has been marred with factionalismin in the recent times. The ongoing tussle between Virbhadra Singh and the PCC chief Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has reverberated till the INC headquarters in New Delhi. With Sushil Kumar Shinde, the general-secretary in-charge of party affairs in HP, announcing that elections in HP would be fought under collective leadership without a CM face, the struggle within the HP- INC has only reiterated. Singh, in contrast, firstly, added that elections would be fought under his leadershipand later,asserted that he would neither contest the elections nor lead the party in them. Given Singh’s stature in HP politics, the probability of him being sidelined is rather bleak. Clearly then, the power politics being played within the HPINC will impact, if not the outcomes, but certainly the organizational prowess of the INC in HP. The BJP in HP, on the other hand, has certain advantages. Firstly, the HP, on the whole, is witnessing what is sociologically termed as ‘social change’. Due to rampant urbanization and imitation of lifestyles unknown to the region fueled by substantial increase in disposable incomes, the state is undergoing changes, which are fundamental and structural in nature party and its Hindutva philosophy is finding wide acceptance across India. Secondly, the charisma of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the organizational abilities of its President, Amit Shah will indeed be exploited by the party. Thirdly, in comparison to the INC, decision-making is democratically centralized within the BJP, and finally, given that anti-incumbency has always been a deciding factor in the state elections, the BJP will definitely contest with an edge. Two possible scenarios therefore, are emerging. One, in which there is a downturn of political fortunes for the INC and two, in which the BJP Morning Essentials Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose) Bhujangasana where the upper trunk of the body raises just like as a Hood of Cobra or snake, that’s why, it is known as Cobra pose yoga. Bhujangasana is one of the few yogasanas, which gives benefits to the entire body from Toes to head. • Stretches muscles in the shoulders, chest and abdominals • Decreases stiffness of the lower back • Strengthens the arms and shoulders • Increases flexibility • Improves menstrual irregularities • Elevates mood • Firms and tones the buttocks • Invigorates the heart • Stimulates organs in the abdomen, like the kidneys • Relieves stress and fatigue • Opens chest and helps to clear the passages of heart and lungs fares as a majority party. The first eventuality is likely to engender a vertical split within the HPINC with multiple stakeholders claiming for control of the party and its leadership. Also, with the party lacking age dividend and leaders with mass appeal – questioning Singh’s six-decade long domination in HP politics will create issues of legitimacy. In the second scenario, one must consider that BJP, as a policy measure, has not declared its CM candidate in any of the elections it has fought recently. Odds are that this policy will be extended to HP as well. Adding to the complexity for leadership claim would be the Nadda factor. Jagat Prakash Nadda, regarded as being close to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), and presently the Union Minister for Health can be projected as the face of BJP in HP in the eventuality of the party winning. That would certainly not bode well for Dhumal and his faction. For both Singh and Dhumal, the issue is merely not of power, but of its perpetuity and concentration within their families. Either one in the eventuality of being voted back will try to entrench their dynastic ambitions by locating their political heirs to power positions. The question is who would succeed and whose political career will subsequently be dependent upon political exigencies. Additionally, and perhaps for the first time in HP, several sociopolitical and ideological issues are converging with the elections. The alleged rape and murder of ‘Gudiya’, a sixteen-year-old school-going girl, whose mutilated body was discovered in Kotkhai on July 6, 2017 resulted in a huge public outcry. The matter is simply not of a heinous crime being committed in a so-called peaceful state, but of a breakdown in the moral consciousness and the subsequent apathy in the manner in which the issue was handled by the state. The issue of ‘Gudiya’ is emphatically linked with the notion of values, ethics and access to justice and is likely to have political implications. Additionally, there is an issue of communalization of politics, which was hitherto unknown in HP. Baring its tentacles in yet another case of alleged rape in Tissa area of Chamba district. Since the affected person and the suspected perpetrator of crime belong to two different religious identities, the incident flared up as a communal incident and created social fissures. HP, on the whole, is witnessing what is sociologically termed as ‘social change’. Due to rampant urbanization and imitation of lifestyles unknown to the region fueled by substantial increase in disposable incomes, the state is undergoing changes, which are fundamental and structural in nature. Coupled with such changes are assertions in the form of political mobilizations, which will impinge on the 2017 elections. The results will certainly be interesting. Prashant Negi is Joint Director, Centre for Distance and Open Learning and Assistant Professor, Dr. K. R. Narayanan Centre for Dalit and Minorities Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. • Improves circulation of blood and oxygen, especially throughout the spinal and pelvic regions • Improves digestion • Strengthens the spine • Soothes sciatica • Helps to ease symptoms of asthma Precautions 1) This Yoga asana should not be attempted by pregnant women at all cost 2) A person suffering from Hernia should not practice this pose. 3) If you have injured your back please, avoid this posture.
Saturday, September 9, 2017 People & voices 05 VIGILANTISM: RIDICULE TO THE CORE! Tikender Panwar Delhi The toilet vigilantism practiced by some of the villages in different parts of the country has made the already vulnerable social divide starker. The government under the Swach Bharat mission (SBM), has kept a goal of construction of toilets in the country to make open defecation free (ODF) villages and cities. Just recently a Bollywood movie too was released that showed about the importance of the construction of toilets in the villages. There is nothing wrong in it and, in fact, there is a dire need to have toilets in all the households. But the desperation shown and the method of ‘toilet vigilantism’ practiced in various part of the country, in fact, is a draconian move which has even widened the social gap in the countryside. Whether this will be able to solve the problems is a big question mark. We all are a witness to the murder of Zafar Hussein in Pratapgarh, Rajasthan, on June 16 which has exposed the ugly face of SBM. He was lynched for objecting to municipal employees clicking pictures of women defecating in the open. In several such instances, there are reports pouring in from Rajasthan where the women have been kept on vigil to face men defecating in the open thus exposing them for more vulnerability in the early hours of the day. In a newspaper report from Rajasthan it came to light that school teachers especially women are coerced to work on this vigilantism model where they are forced to mark their attendance in the ‘shit fields’ instead of the classrooms. Accordingly, as stated in the newspaper, quote “Anita (name changed) , a government school teacher from Karauli district in Rajasthan; every morning she has the unenviable task of visiting fields near her village to stop people, most of whom are men, from defecating in the open” Unquote. Interestingly, if she fails to mark her attendance by clicking selfies in the fields, surrounded by the villagers who go out to relieve themselves then she will face disciplinary action from her department. Another funny feature of the episode is that though such women are supposed to stop women from defecating in the open, it’s not necessary that they will only encounter women. Every day they find men and definitely find themselves in an awkward position. Such drives initiated by the district administration involves teachers, anganwari workers, auxiliary nurses, midwifes and other stakeholders to promote SBM. Such photographs taken in the fields are then sent the principal of the schools who will then forward it to the respective sub divisional magistrates. Another teacher from the same district reported that she is on the verge of retirement and it becomes difficult for her to take photographs of the people especially men defecating in the open. It is ridiculous she lamented. In another write up some interesting facts came to light like the present one :- quote “In the zeal to be open defecation-free (ODF) for cash rewards, several towns and villages have gone into an overdrive. An elderly man with an upset stomach was slapped and forced to clean up with his dhoti after relieving himself in Ujjain, while another was forced to do sit-ups, pants down. Villagers in Rajasthan are being stripped off government benefits, including subsidised ration supply, while a panchayat in Tamil Nadu denied work under the MGNREGA to those not having a toilet at home” Unquote. Such violent means further deepen the existing social divides because the victims tend to be mostly poor and lower caste, not having enough means to build a toilet or a proper water supply at home. Zafar Hussein had complained many a times to the government departments about nonrelease of funds for toilets and lack of a water source in his habitation. Much is stated about the construction of toilets but how this waste is treated is not the concern of the state. The central pollution control board (CPCB) has carried out an inventorization of Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) located in India in the year 2014-15. There are 816 STPs having capacity of 23277MLD in 28 States/ UTs of India. The data from the government website reveals that of the 816 municipal sewage treatment plants, only 64 per cent were functional. What happens to the waste is anbybody’s guess. The total sewage generated from Indian cities was 62 thousand MLD, but only 30 per cent was getting treated which means the waste untreated goes back into the human cycle and contaminates water which leads to large number of water borne diseases. According to CPCB the domestic sewage is the biggest polluter of our water sources. The incidents of contamination happening due to leakage Zafar Hussein in Pratapgarh, Rajasthan, was lynched for objecting to municipal employees clicking pictures of women defecating in the open Zafar’s family in condolence from the sewerage network to water supply lines are also not uncommon. Shimla happens to be a classic case of contamination of water sources where the untreated STP flow into the water source in Ashwini Khad leading to epidemic of Hepatitis and death of over 20 people and infection of over 2000. What is required a syncretic planning and integration of various forms both conventional and modern for the development of these toilets. For example, several villages in the cold desert regions of Kinnaur, Lahaul & Spiti and Ladakh still use the dry latrines and use the excreta in their farms. This way the soil nutrients we get through food return to the soil and help grow more food. Using water in toilets breaks this cycle as decomposition takes longer and promotes diseases, including superbugs. Apparently, the best apples produced in the country from the two villages called Nako and Chango in Kinnaur use this method of manure. A new buzz word now that is being spread is about human waste as the biggest source, but how it is to be used there are no guidelines and ambiguity exists widely. This is not to say that toilets are not needed. The problem is with the way toilets are being thrust upon people. This coercion of forcing toilet vigilantism not only makes the life of the women more miserable but also is a harassment to such individuals who are not keen to do this exercise of policing. This coercion at the behest of the state is another form of vigilantism akin to cow policing. Where specific groups are being targeted. It’s not easy for people living in cities to manage their waste, but for the time being we can regulate instead of criminalising open defecation in villages. This has to ensure that no Zafar Hussein die because of governments desperation for open defection free status.
Page 1 and 2: News Weekly • Pages 8 Shimla •
Page 3: IT matters Saturday, September 9, 2
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