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www.theasianindependent.co.uk<br />
A Hindi reporter of a brahmanical<br />
channel yesterday tweeted about former<br />
Bihar Chief Minister Rabari Devi<br />
whether she knows the spelling of<br />
'tweet' ? We all know well the background<br />
of Mrs Rabari Devi who was<br />
the chief minister of Bihar for two<br />
terms. A few days back, another channel<br />
termed Mr Lalu Prasad Yadav as<br />
'Lalua' in a public meeting. Those<br />
who knows about Bihar's caste prejudices<br />
know well that the anchor<br />
speaking 'Lalua' was deliberate to hurt<br />
the OBCs and Dalits in Bihar. The<br />
CBI in the Supreme Court speak<br />
against Lalu Yadav that he is indulged<br />
in politics and must be prohibited<br />
from doing so. Yes, the same CBI has<br />
now provided clean chit to all the<br />
criminals of Gujarat accused for 2002<br />
massacre and other related cases. It is<br />
the same CBI, which is unable to pursue<br />
against Pragya Thakur who is<br />
allowed to contest from Bhopal.<br />
Indian media's caste identities are<br />
well known. The Janue that they wear<br />
even while claiming to be a 'progressive'<br />
has been exposed very well. This<br />
is an age of information and nobody is<br />
depending on these paid trolls of<br />
Sangh Parivar masquerading as journalists.<br />
Media these days speak deliberately<br />
the language of the contempt<br />
towards those who challenged the status<br />
quo and assertive, who did not surrender<br />
to brahmanical hierarchical<br />
order. Lalu Yadav is one of the biggest<br />
political leader in our political history<br />
since independence who challenged<br />
this order in Bihar and gave people a<br />
voice but the brahmanical narrative of<br />
Lalu Yadav is as being 'most corrupt'.<br />
They dont see corruption in Modi who<br />
even if you give full<br />
proof, they will just<br />
start engaging in<br />
absolutely below the<br />
belt discussion.<br />
Remember how this<br />
media legitimised those<br />
who abused Ms<br />
<strong>May</strong>awati and spoke<br />
about her in absolutely<br />
filthy language. Even<br />
today, read the comment<br />
section of any<br />
news item related to Ms<br />
<strong>May</strong>awati and you will<br />
find the hidden hatred<br />
of the Janeudharis<br />
towards her. Phoolan<br />
was humiliated in the<br />
very similar way for<br />
long but all those who<br />
demolished Babari<br />
Mosque are heroes. The same media<br />
people are unable to remind BJP its<br />
absolutely filthy role in defending the<br />
rape accused of Unnao, Kuldeep Singh<br />
Sengar. The Kathua story of the brahmanical<br />
lies and crookedness is well<br />
known to be said here. The Savarna<br />
media is prostrating before the<br />
Maharajas of Hindutva. They cant do<br />
anything wrong. They are now the<br />
'greatest' of our leaders. A leader who<br />
was despised by the media several<br />
years ago as criminal is today the<br />
hero of media, its chanakya and<br />
ASIA<br />
Shameless arrogance<br />
those fighting against his politics of<br />
hatred and divisiveness are being<br />
abused.<br />
Why has media become a party in<br />
propaganda of hatred and contempt.<br />
Yes, they have lost their credibility.<br />
Frankly, they never had and can only<br />
be said to be destroying the lives of<br />
millions. You watch<br />
these channels and<br />
By Vidya Bhushan Rawat<br />
social and human rights activist<br />
pop-up the few tablets to<br />
reduce your blood pressure.<br />
Indian media lack diversity<br />
in its newsrooms. Its<br />
blatantly casteist and racist<br />
in nature particularly the<br />
electronic media. Its<br />
Hindustan is twice born. Its<br />
nationalism is nothing but<br />
brahmanical nationalism. It<br />
caters to these twice born,<br />
build up narrative as per<br />
their thinking. Today, the<br />
entire media is building up<br />
narrative to suit the interest<br />
of BJP and Hindutva and<br />
for that it is going extramiles.<br />
It is most afraid of<br />
the rise of the<br />
Ambedkarites and Dalits<br />
who have challenged the<br />
savarna narratives and<br />
building up their own. It hates them.<br />
Ms <strong>May</strong>awati, Lalu Yadav, Rabari<br />
Devi, Phoolan Devi, Akhilesh Yadav<br />
are the target because they challenge<br />
the monopoly of the savarnas, contested<br />
it and break their ego which<br />
feel deeply hurt. More than 30 years<br />
after Mandal Commission report was<br />
accepted, the Savarnas still hate V P<br />
Singh the most which explain their<br />
mindset and fear of losing power.<br />
Fact is that you can not hold to this<br />
power for long. Whether bring Rama<br />
or Hindutva, the political power will<br />
<strong>May</strong> <strong>2019</strong><br />
7<br />
have to be shared with India's<br />
Bahujans and remember they will not<br />
be self servient but equal partners in<br />
India's decision making bodies. In the<br />
21st century, your contempt and misuse<br />
of privileges will not work in long<br />
term. The Dubeys, Jhas, Chaubes,<br />
Tripathis, Chaturvedis, Guptas,<br />
Chawals, Aggarwals will have to<br />
respect people's mandate as well as<br />
constitution to treat people in equality<br />
and must be made to feel that casteism<br />
is as dangerous as racism. In any other<br />
country, these party propandists<br />
would have been thrown out of the<br />
orgasnisations to protect the credibility<br />
of the institution but in Indian<br />
media houses are 'bania kee dukan'<br />
run by the brahmins so they remain<br />
without any action being taken<br />
against their mischief and caste prejudices.<br />
No issue Mr Dubey. Just write a<br />
few words about the merit of Sharma<br />
ji whose 'more' i.e. peacock get<br />
impregnated with her tears' or wisdom<br />
of those claiming to have first plastic<br />
surgery in the form of Ganesha and<br />
many more. India's media houses and<br />
their anchors will stoop low and use<br />
all the caste filth to humiliate them<br />
further as they know well that their<br />
time is now gone but they are fighting<br />
this war on behalf of the ruling establishment<br />
and protecting their caste<br />
privileges.<br />
We hope the people will give them<br />
a good answer.<br />
Vidya Bhushan Rawat is a social<br />
and human rights activist. He blogs<br />
at www.manukhsi.blogspot.com<br />
twitter @freetohumanity<br />
Email: vbrawat@gmail.com<br />
Gujarat potato growers want<br />
compensation from PepsiCo<br />
Ahmedabad : Even though PepsiCo<br />
India has announced it is withdrawing lawsuits<br />
against Gujarat's potato growers, the<br />
affected farmers on Friday demanded compensation<br />
for the harassment they were<br />
subjected to, while a newly-formed entity<br />
Bij Adhikar Manch (forum for rights over<br />
seeds) called for boycott of PepsiCo products.<br />
Simultaneously, the farmers<br />
also demanded that the withdrawal<br />
of cases against them by the food<br />
and beverages giant should be<br />
unconditional since the statement<br />
issued by the company did not<br />
speak about ensuring non-infringement<br />
of the rights of the potato<br />
growers over what they produced.<br />
PepsiCo had filed suits against<br />
nine farmers -- four cases this year<br />
and five last year -- from the potato-growing<br />
belt in north Gujarat,<br />
claiming they had grown the<br />
FL2027 or FC5 variety of potatoes, which<br />
were the company's intellectual property<br />
under the Indian law. PepsiCo uses the<br />
potatoes to manufacture chips under its<br />
popular brand Lay's. Demanding compensation,<br />
Bipin Patel, one of the farmers<br />
against whom the company had filed legal<br />
suits, told reporters: "Its (PepsiCo) real<br />
intention might have been to wipe out competitors<br />
from the market but it chose to<br />
harass the farmers. The company has to<br />
pay us compensation for all the harassment<br />
we were put through."<br />
The farmers also asked the state government,<br />
which has agreed to support them in<br />
the issue, not to get influenced by "corporate<br />
interests" and pressurise the company<br />
to agree to their demand for compensation.<br />
Besides this, the farmers and leaders of<br />
the organisations for farmers want a clear<br />
proposal from the company while withdrawing<br />
the cases. "It is high time that<br />
PepsiCo should come out with a clear proposal<br />
so that we can read between the lines<br />
too," Maganbhai Patel of RSS-affiliated<br />
Bharatiya Kisan Sangh said.<br />
"If you look at the statement issued by<br />
PepsiCo on Thursday, it talks of finding<br />
long-term amicable solution for seed protection.<br />
What does it mean by that? The<br />
issue is now not just about withdrawal of<br />
cases but to firmly establish rights of farmers<br />
over the seeds and no one in the future<br />
should even think of challenging this<br />
right," Kapil Shah, coordinator, Bij<br />
Adhikar Manch, asserted. "We would<br />
request the government to intervene and<br />
clearly state this fact," he added.<br />
These statements come amidst a meeting<br />
of a PepsiCo India delegation with<br />
Chief Secretary of Gujarat and Additional<br />
Chief Secretary, Agriculture, in the state<br />
capital Gandhinagar on Friday. "We had<br />
just come to update the state government<br />
about the decision we<br />
announced on Thursday. It<br />
was a good meeting and talks<br />
veered around finding an<br />
amicable solution for everyone<br />
going forward," Jagrut<br />
Kotecha, Vice President -<br />
Foods, PepsiCo India, told<br />
reporters. Kotecha said<br />
PepsiCo India would withdraw<br />
the cases as and when<br />
they come up for hearings<br />
before the courts, which in<br />
case of four farmers is on<br />
June 12.<br />
When asked why they have called for<br />
boycott of PepsiCo products since the issue<br />
was limited to the immediate dispute<br />
between the company and the potato farmers,<br />
Kapil Shah said though PepsiCo had<br />
issued public statements, it was yet to withdraw<br />
the cases.<br />
"It is a private case and none of the<br />
farmers has been informed. In fact, we<br />
would ask the government to ensure that<br />
PepsiCo gives it to us in writing that it is<br />
withdrawing the cases unconditionally and<br />
they also apologise to the farmers," Shah<br />
said.<br />
WhatsApp tells SC: Will<br />
comply with RBI norms<br />
New Delhi : The WhatsApp on Friday told the Supreme<br />
Court that it would<br />
comply with all the<br />
RBI norms when it<br />
would formally<br />
launch its payment<br />
services and for now<br />
it was having a trial<br />
run of the same that<br />
would complete by<br />
July.<br />
"We can't launch<br />
the product without<br />
compliances", senior<br />
counsel Kapil Sibal<br />
told the bench of<br />
Justice Rohinton Fali<br />
Nariman and Justice<br />
Vineet Saran, pointing out that at present WhatsApp was running<br />
payment service on its one million users on a trial basis.<br />
However, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the court that<br />
WhatsApp was not complying with data localisation norms on<br />
its payment services being carried out on trial basis and has also<br />
not appointed the grievance officer in India. Referring to the<br />
response filed by the Reserve Bank of India, Solicitor General<br />
Mehta told the bench that WhatsApp was not complying with<br />
data localization norms as is clear from the affidavit filed by<br />
RBI. Appearing for the Centre, Mehta also pointed to the nonappointment<br />
of grievance officer by WhatsApp in India.<br />
Appearing for the petitioner NGO Centre for Accountability<br />
and Systemic Change (CASC), counsel Virag Gupta told the<br />
court that the trial data too cannot be kept outside India and this<br />
may be violative of permission granted by National Payment<br />
Corporation of India (NPCI). Gupta referred to the provisions of<br />
the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007 and sought<br />
action against WhatsApp for violation of data localization<br />
norms during the trial period. The petitioner NGO CASC has in<br />
its petition said that WhatsApp having over 20 crore active<br />
users was the largest messaging platform, yet it had no grievance<br />
officer and was largely unregulated as laws were not being<br />
complied with. The court directed the further hearing of the<br />
matter in the third week of July.
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