Malnutrition deaths in Karnataka and 'Governance of BJP'

Over 2,600 children under the age of 6 years have died of malnutrition in Raichur district of Karnataka during the past two years, as per data provided by women and child welfare department.

Ironically, Raichur is home to India's only active gold mine - Hutti mines - situated in the Lingasugur taluk of the district.

"As many as 4,531 malnourished children are on their deathbed. Malnutrition has hit epidemic proportions in villages of Deodurg and Manvi taluks in the Raichur district. We are fed up of raising the issue with the authorities concerned. For them, it is a joke," rued Y. Mariswamy of Samajika Parivarthana Andholana (SPJ), a movement for people's rights.

Acute poverty, unemployment, poor income and lack of health services coupled with government's apathy and nonimplementation of NREGA has turned Raichur into a mini Somalia. Raichur district is one of the hottest and arid regions in Karnataka. Landless people from the district often migrate to Hyderabad and Bangalore in search of livelihood.

Though there are number of schemes for the malnourished none of them has benefited the people in the district.

"The entire system has collapsed. It has now become a sociopolitical and economic issue. Karnataka claims to be a progressive state but look at what is happening in these villages," Dr Akhila Vasan, a child healthcare expert and worker, said.

The Data also shows that 78,366 children are malnourished in the district, of which 639 are severely malnourished (grade III and grade IV). "People in Deodurg and Manvi talukas are agricultural labourers. Their combined family income is not more than Rs 100 per day. Their staple diet is jowar. Neighbouring Bagalkote, Gulbarga, and Bidar districts have similar issues," Ambanna Arolikar of the SPJ said.

Karnataka has a poor track record in implementing child welfare schemes.

The infant mortality rate in the North Karnataka districts is higher than the state average of 55. As of now, there are 8,620 children belonging to grade III and 643 children belonging to grade IV levels of malnutrition in the state. Of this, Raichur district alone accounts for the bulk of it.

"It is shameful that such a serious issue is being neglected by the government. The Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) has completely failed. There are enough complaints that the packaged food given to children (below 6 years) at the Anganwadi centres is sub-standard. Hot cooked meals containing cereals, pulses, and egg have to be given to malnourished kids. But in remote villages, the Anganwadi centres do not even exist," pointed out Clifton Rosario, state adviser, Office of the Supreme Court Commissioner on Food Rights.

Arvind Gowda in India Today. Here

If Yeddy could smash laptop what Modi would do?

Minutes after being relegated to the status of caretaker chief minister of Karnataka, B S Yeddyurappa (BSY) vented his anger at senior central BJP leader M Venkaiah Naidu, who was trying to pacify him. Yeddy flew into a rage and grabbed Naidu's laptop and smashed it on the floor on Sunday, according to party sources.

The incident took place in a suite at Hotel Lalit Ashok where the BJP central observers, including Naidu, a past president of BJP, had called the chief minister to demand his resignation, the sources said. Such was the 68-year-old Lingayat leader's anger that when a minister close to him woke him up at his Race Course Road residence, he slapped the minister's face.

Yeddy was already miffed at the central leadership's decision to ask him to step down and its reluctance to heed his choice of a pliable successor. The trigger for his violent behaviour appeared to be Naidu's refusal to sign a letter supporting Yeddy's cause. Sources said Naidu, who had so far always supported Yeddy's cause, toed the central line in removing Yeddy as CM.

A report in Times of India. Here

B.S. Yediyurappa is communal, castestic and corrupt to the core

(Gowri Lankesh, is a distinct social and political voice in Karnataka. Journalist by profession and passion she is engaged in various social, democratic and progressive movements in Karnataka. Be it Karnataka Komu Souharda Vedike (Karnataka Forum for Communal Harmony) or any other reformative movement in Karnataka, Gowri has the role to play.  Gowri is committed to the principles and policies set by her father the Late Shri.Lankesh, a journalist, visionary and thinker of the state. Following are the excerpts of her views expressed to newzfirst correspondent in an exclusive interview on present socio political situation of Karnataka.)

How do you view present socio-political scenario of Karnataka?
It’s touching height of immorality because Karnataka has Chief Minister who is communal, castestic and corrupt to the core. Karnataka has never ever seen such unfortunate CM. The present socio political developments of Karnataka are evident to immoral designs of Yedyurappa and his party. At this juncture of time, while we look back at former chief ministers like late Virendra Patil, late Nijalingappa and late Ramakrishna Hegade or Bangarappa, they look alike angels in the comparison to these Yeddy & Reddys.

As most of the stories and facts we have been covering in Lankesh Patrike regularly in last six years, may it be mining, land scams or funding trusts run by his own people, the findings of Lokayukta report is very much expected one for us and public, and there is no surprise. Lokayukta has done the great job of officially compiling it and documenting.

The very first so called achievement of the Government is Operation Lotus, which itself is anti-constitutional and anti-democratic move based on the money power. What else can be expected from such man, his party and its government?

Where, according to you, the history of Karnataka has gone wrong?

Stupid politics of Congress and Janata Dal are the main facilitators for Birth of BJP and its acceptability in the state, and in the national level. Or else there were no other favorable conditions for the BJP’s emergence in the state. Congress always designed and practiced soft Hindutva and soft castism throughout the history. Unfortunately, even after the consequences, Congress has not learnt any lesson from the history. And, Mr. Devegowda has made Janata Dal as Okkaliga’s party.

India is secular democracy, all the efforts to color the castism and communalism to the education, society and politics is nothing but the destabilization of the constitution and hence the whole nation. This is what BJP is doing in these years.

Sayed Isthiyakh in Newsfirst. Here

Lessons from the rise and fall of B.S. Yediyurappa

This is the typewritten press release that was sent by the media advisor to the Karnataka chief minister, R.P. Jagadeesh, around midnight last night, announcing B.S. Yediyurappa‘s stand after the BJP parliamentary board directed him to “resign immediately” following the strictures of the Lok Ayukta, Justice Santosh Hegde, in the Rs 16,000 crore illegal mining scam. (Courtesy: Churumuri.)

Nothing is permanent in this world. Even the most invincible bite the dust one day.
Remember they used to say that ‘The sun never sets in the British empire’. What is the case now? The great British Empire has been reduced to one and half islands and its famous Prime Minister was once ridiculed by the British newspapers as the poodle of George Bush. Nothing is permanent in this world. Even the most invincible bite the dust one day.

They used to say that Brittania rules the waves. Now it has to waive the rules. Nothing is permanent in this world. Even the most invincible bite the dust one day.

In our land we witnessed the Rs 420 Crore driven campaign with the catchy slogan “India Shining”. They ended up crying remoarse. Even L K Advani – the Iron man and the second sardar was reduced to rubble when he made those comments in the grave yard of Jinnah! He remains the sole politician and perpetual prime minister in waiting! Nothing is permanent in this world. Even the most invincible bite the dust one day.

They used to loudly proclaim that India is Indhra and Indhra is India. And now that mighty Congress I is content with playing second in many prominent states. Nothing is permanent in this world. Even the most invincible bite the dust one day.

Once upon a time it was thought- nay believed - that Israel is undefeatable. But the 33 day battle with the Sheikh Nasrullah led Hizbullah blew away the myth. Israel could not raise again till this day. Nothing is permanent in this world. Even the most invincible bite the dust one day.

Nasser of Egypt was perceived as well entrenched in his country. Who would have thought that his downfall would begin with a 5 minute speech of a young girl called Asmaa Mahfouz! Now he is not sure of his own future.Nothing is permanent in this world. Even the most invincible bite the dust one day.

Our own Kalainjar Karunanidhi appeared to be in the safer side with successfully concealing the 2G scam with a number of welfare schemes. Now he has lost everything. With both his sons in loggerheads the party is in disarray. His own daughter is vanguishing in Tihar jail. Tihar is such a place that when you keep a flower it withers away in minutes. And the mighty MK with all his powerful connections, political clout is helpless. He could not gain a bail for his own daughter. Nothing is permanent in this world. Even the most invincible bite the dust one day.

Now it is the turn of Yeddy to taste this divine reality. Let us hope that his Gujarati counterpart too realises this lesson one day. Insha Allah! God willing.

Pramod Mutalik and his Shri Ram Sena exposed

Bangaru Lakshman a senior most leader of BJP famously asked the tehelka team, 'Give me in dollors..!'. Another stalwart quipped in camera, 'Paisa khuda nahin..! par khuda ki qasam, khuda se kam nahin..!' (Money is not God. But, by God, money is not lesser than God). And when the petrol bunk scam hit the headlines, The Hindu, the national newspaper of India, described the benefeciaries of the scam as 'it looks like the laundry list of the Sangh Parivar'. We could understand the majboori - nirbandam - compulsion of Bangarus and others. Atleast they didn't intend to harm others.

But what Pramod Mutalik, the Shri Ram Sena chief and veteran leader of Hindutva had done in Karnataka is simply mind baffling. One could say it as the mother of all the crimes of the Hindutva brigade. It is shocking to note that for a few thousand rupees one could indulge in arson, looting etc. We heard that people indulged in murder, looting etc for a five hundred rupee note and a bottle of beer in Gujarat during the notorious Gujarat Genocide 2002. One could pity on them, as they were downtrodden and desperate lot. But, Muthalik looks like a well fed, well bred, well dressed, well educated - a no nonsense man.

It seems that you have a price for everything in this country. And the sadder fact is that there is no value for anything in this land. Inspite of their nuisance value, the Hindutva brigade had certain values closer to their chest. They were perceived to be the party with a difference. But, power has corrupted them. What they really want is money..!Given below are the excerpts from the Tehelka expose:

There are 133 videos that show up on YouTube when you search for “Mangalore pub attack”. Over 300,000 people have viewed the first video. Put in the same query on Google and 69,000 websites show up in a fraction of a second. On 24 January 2009, a group of 35-40 men barged into a pub in Mangalore and attacked young women as they enjoyed an afternoon drink. Amongst the attackers were members of Sri Ram Sene — a right-wing organisation that was relatively unknown at the time. The Sene cadres considered women drinking publicly as “indecent behaviour” and more importantly “an insult to Hindu culture and tradition”. Two days after the attack, as India marked 60 years of the Constitution coming into force, national television channels looped footage of women being slapped, beaten and chased out of the pub. (In a telling detail, the footage of the assault was available only because the Sene had informed journalists and photographers in Mangalore of their intended attack 30 minutes before they entered the pub.) The footage sparked outrage. News producers from French, Russian, German television channels despatched correspondents to ground zero. Even producers from The Oprah Winfrey Show called in asking for the footage. The Sene had burst onto the scene.

As an organisation, the Sene has always claimed for itself a radical Hindu identity. Its leaders position themselves as zealous custodians of “Hindu religion” and “culture”, its cadres as valiant foot soldiers. In their own words, they will not hesitate to assault people, vandalise property, destroy artistic expressions, separate mixed religion couples — in general, interfere violently — to implement their hardline Hindutva agenda. Their professional calling card is violence justified by a puritanical, spitfire morality.

A six-week undercover investigation by TEHELKA, however, reveals that even this violent, spitfire morality can be a hypocritical sham. Sri Ram Sene members are not just committed ideologues who are spontaneously willing to become violent law-breakers for a “cause”. That’s just one of their criminal and negative faces. They are also cynical lumpen that can be bought for a price. “Contract rioting” — thugs being handed out contracts or money to create riots — no longer needs to be a matter of mere speculation. TEHELKA’s investigation shows it is an alarming reality. Vandalism can be purchased; ‘cultural nationalism’ can go on sale. It’s all kosher in the “business” of outrage. More:

Tehelka: I’ll take leave sir, what I want is to gain popularity and if I get popularity my business will improve. If you say then I…just tell me a time limit… these many boys will be there…this much for advo…meaning that of lawyers…we will not even complain… because that is our understanding… but sir, it is that whatever you say that amount of advance I will leave with you, then I say to you that now it has all come to you, and sir now do the job…
Pramod Mutalik: Can do it in Mangalore, Bangalore…
Tehelka: I can get more popularity in the Shivaji Nagar area of Bangalore… because that whole area is theirs…the Muslims. If you give one statement in the press and 10 of your workers reach there…we will shut it down…what is it to us? But at least we will get popularity.
Pramod Mutalik: Yes, that can be done…
Tehelka: So sir, just tell me straight up…or tell me to come after two or four days…. tell me for certain that ‘This is my expense… you do this much…’ so sir, I’ll complete it and plan it all out…
Pramod Mutalik: What I’m telling you, our president there…
Tehelka: …of Bangalore?
Pramod Mutalik: Of Bangalore…he is also very strong…on speaking to him…all three of us—you, me and him—will sit and plan out what is to be done…then we will do it…definitely do it.”

From An expose by Push Sharma written by Sanjana additional reporting by K Ashish in Tehelka

To read the full article click here

Cartoon : courtesy Prasad Radhakrishnan/ Mail Today