Issue 31

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Seized turtles stuck in limbo Volume 15 Issue 31

TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2016

Plastic ban leaves workers jobless

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WEEKLY OBSERVER

THE

Unrequited Twitter love: RaGa 121, NaMo 2 Tanay Sukumar

EXCLUSIVE One in ten tweets by Rahul Gandhi mention Prime Minister Modi, whereas Modi himself has mentioned the Congress vice-president only twice. The only two times Modi mentioned Gandhi involved birthday wishes of the two leaders.

Rahul Gandhi’s office joined Twitter in May 2015, and has tweeted 1,276 times until the cut-off date for the analysis, March 15, 2016.

In comparison, the Prime Minister tweeted 2,492 times during the same period.

These numbers do not include retweets.

While 121 tweets by @officeofRG refer to Modi, there are another 39 that mention the NDA government, BJP or RSS in some manner.

The tweets about Modi include both English and Hindi tweets that refer to him by his name or as the Prime Minister or Pradhanmantri.

Out of the 39 tweets about the ruling party and government, only one had a positive tone to it. That tweet was posted after finance minister Arun Jaitley announced tax rebate on Braille paper in the

latest union budget. Gandhi said that the decision was made on his request.

Another topic used by Gandhi frequently in his tweets is him meeting marginalized groups or demonstrators. The number of such tweets about Gandhi meeting farmers, students, protesters and other such groups was 77 – about one in 20 tweets.

A recent analysis by researchers in University of Michigan had shown trends of topics referred to by Modi in his tweets. The analysis from the period February 2009 to February 2015 showed that while Modi mentioned “Hindutva” 140

times leading up to 2012 Gujarat assembly elections, he used the word only 12 times in the phase leading up to 2014 general elections. In the latter period however, he talked about “development” 63 times. The analysis was published by Economic and Political Weekly earlier this month.

The University of Michigan analysis had also shown that as Prime Minister, from May 2014 to February 2015, Modi mentioned “development” in 57 tweets. In the analysis of Gandhi’s tweets, however, done by Team Observer, Rahul Gandhi referred to development only 15 times since he joined

Twitter in May 2015.

In other data we collected, Gandhi made references to women or women empowerment, ten times, and he mentioned farmers in 41 tweets.

Tweets show a spike in the weeks during Bihar elections and results last year. While Rahul Gandhi posted just 97 tweets in September, the number grew to 181 in November, including 80 in the first nine days of the month.

The election results were declared on November 9.

Tweets during October were often announcements of election rallies in Bihar.

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TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2016

OUTLOOK: Is the RSS growing up?

RSS in throes of sea change Oindrila Sarkar

There’s no such thing as moderate Fascism Maqsood Maniyar

When Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh(RSS) General Secretary Suresh Bhaiyyaji Joshi announced the change in pracharak’s uniforms on Facebook, it indicated the arrival of a new moment in the long history of the RSS or the National Volunteer Organization.

The issue of change in uniform was taken up as far back as 2010 at a meeting of the Akhil Bhartiya Pratinidhi Sabha(ABPS) but was only deferred owing to lack of consensus.

To bring about its resonance with the youth the khaki knickers are being replaced with brown trousers. Bhayyaji Joshi announced on facebook that, “Trousers are more common in normal life. We are the people who move with the times. So we had no hesitation to change the dress code.”

The ABPS, where the RSS’ highest decision making body gathered in Nagaur, Rajasthan, in 2016 is replete with ground breaking announcements and decisions. Many ideas that have been voiced have taken people by surprise. They spoke against the common assumptions people had about the RSS, it being regressive about women and the RSS trying to woo all sections of Hindus. It

RSS (Rashtriya Smayamsewak Sangh) general secretary, Suresh Bhaiyyaji Joshi got the media buzzing when he made a number of progressive statements at the sangh’s annual ‘Akhila Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha’ held at Nagaur in Rajasthan.

It was declared that the RSS uniform was going to be changed from khaki shorts to brown pants to show that they could change with the times. In keeping with the theme of change, Joshi backed women’s entry into temples and caste based reservation for the deserving. He also spoke about disallowing reservation for the ‘affluent section’. The saffron organization had made similar demands in the past, where they pushed for entry of dalits into temples.

The sad truth is that the RSS hasn’t changed. Their disingenuous overtures co-exist with their intolerance. They still hold on to all of their core ‘Hindutva’ beliefs – establishment of a Hindu rashtra, banning of cow slaughter, construction of the Ram mandir, a hatred towards the country’s religious minorities and other such nutty schemes. This is demonstrated in their actions and words.

Let’s start with their hypocrisy on reservation. In the past year,

A lacklustre training programme devoid of contemporary relevance will not pull today’s youth towards the RSS. The RSS is well aware of this that it needs a genuine reinvention in thoughts, words and deeds. proved these assumptions wrong.

It proved that like always, it was evolving and growing to keep up with the times.

The RSS slammed the well off people and groups demanding reservation. It was a direct reference to the Jats, Gujjars and Patels. By speaking against their demand for reservations the RSS has ruffled a lot of feathers but that did not deter them from taking a stand and speaking its mind.

To all those who believed that the RSS will never bat for women’s rights, were surprised when women’s equal entry into the

Here’s what RSS chief, Mohan Bhagwat had to say about it, “They went away to another religion because of some allurement and thus there is nothing wrong in bringing them back to original fold. It is like a thief who steals our valuables.

The thief is caught and we will get our valuables back.” just before the Bihar assembly elections RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat called for a ‘review’ of the quota system. BJP leaders from Bihar admitted that Bhagwat’s statement had a negative impact on their poll results. One also needs to bear in mind that RSS is an umbrella organization and that the ‘sangh parivar’ includes many groups such as the BJP (its virtual political wing), Akhila Bharatiya Vidhyarthi Parishad

temple’s sanctum was declared to be a just demand.

The RSS had long diversified and spread its wings beyond the national boundaries targeting the non resident and overseas Indians in style. The Hindu Swayam Sewak Sangh operates shakhas in 39 countries with 5 in the Middle East as well. The uniforms abroad comprises of black pants and white shirts. In 2016, the Sangh is celebrating 50 years in the UK. It is definitely not some archaic mideaval era organization which is refusing to grow. One may not agree to the Sangh’s ideas but that does not imply that its stagnant.

It is always growing and that explains the popularity of the shakhas among the youth in the cities today.

From IT Milans, to new media to youth outreach campaigns the Sangh is organizing all. Ram Madhav the Sangh’s public relations incharge in his plush office in Jangpura works on his ipad, iphone and Macbook. His claims that the RSS is reinventing itself to connect with the new generation makes sense today when the younger generation who normally participate in the shakhas and undergo the training are increasingly burdened with work and studies. A lacklustre training

programme devoid of contemporary relevance will not pull today’s youth towards the RSS. The RSS is well aware of this that it needs a genuine reinvention in thoughts, words and deeds.

Shakhas which were held at 6am every morning have been shifted to 10.30am on weekends to suit the timings of IT professionals. IT Milans are being organized in IT hubs like Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Faridabad and Gurgaon.

Not just the format of the shakhas but the medium and manner in which the messages are being imparted has changed.

From using social media like Facebook and Twitter, to having an app on Google Playstore, to power point presentations and documentaries the RSS has embraced it all.

To those like Ghulam Nabi Azad, who feels that he can talk about organizations like the ISIS and the RSS in the same breath have only proven their intellectual bankruptcy. The ISIS is nothing more than a synonym for death, cruelty, conflict, torture, migration and every other deadly cancerous ailment that is plaguing the world. Such respectability to the ISIS is undue.

(student body), Bajrang Dal, Vishwa Hindu Parishad etc.

The umbrella has come to include organizations associated with non Hindu faiths like Muslim Rashtriya Manch, Rashtriya Sikh Sangatan and the Rashtriya Isai Manch. The latter is yet to be set up. These attempts are dishonest. The Rashtriya Mulsim Manch (RMM), for instance cares more for lives of cows than those of Muslims. They have called for a total ban on cow slaughter but refuse to condemn the mass murder of Muslims at the hands of the sangh and its affiliates, ludicrously claiming that it has nothing to do with religion which is a rather poor excuse.

The truth is that thousands of Muslims and other religious minorities have been killed in cold blood by mobs associated with the sangh parivar. RMM also supports Indresh Kumar, an accused in the 2007 Mecca Masjid bombing which killed 18 innocent worshippers.Members of the RSS umbrella were also heavily involved in violence against Christians in Orissa, especially in Kandhmal district.

History professor Bryan Mark Rigg claimsthat as many as 150,000 Jewish soldiers served in the Nazi regime’s military. This didn’t exactly make Nazis Jewish

friendly.

To make things worse, they have been ‘reconverting’ Christians and Muslims to Hinduism.

Here’s what RSS chief, Mohan Bhagwat had to say about it, “They went away to another religion because of some allurement and thus there is nothing wrong in bringing them back to original fold. It is like a thief who steals our valuables. The thief is caught and we will get our valuables back.”

RSS remains unchanged. It drew its inspiration from western fascist movements. Their leaders have openly glorified Mussolini and Hitler. Prominent RSS leader M.S. Golwalkar once infamously remarked “The non-Hindu people of Hindustan must either adopt Hindu culture and language, must learn and respect and hold in reverence the Hindu religion, must entertain no idea but of those of glorification of the Hindu race and culture ... In a word they must cease to be foreigners, or may stay in the country, wholly subordinated to the Hindu nation, claiming nothing, deserving no privileges, far less any preferential treatment—not even citizens’ rights.”

Clearly, they haven’t changed much.

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TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2016

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Fraud website dupes victims across cities Payal Gangishetty Victims of an alleged fraudster marketing company said that they were “hypnotised” using “materials like rings” and lured into paying money.

Six men were arrested by the Central Crime Branch on Tuesday for cheating people within and outside Karnataka using a pyramid scheme business model.

“They used materials like rings to hypnotise us. They also influenced us by motivational speeches,” said Geetha, a victim who works in Wipro.

The company qnetindia.com is a marketing firm which sells various products. It allegedly offers vouchers and travelling packages to trick people to join the company on false pretext.

According to victims, the customers are then asked to deposit money into the company’s bank accounts. The money often amounts to lakhs of rupees.

Geetha said: “My ex-colleague from Infosys, who was already a member of this company, asked me to be a member of it by investing Rs.2.5 lakh, so that in return I would get a good amount as commission.”

She added: “I was cheated by my own friend. The people who run this company are too clever. They don’t reveal the name of the company until you deposit the amount in their accounts and

later on, they ask you to meet in places like McDonald’s and CCD where they force you to expand this network by referring to other people as well.”

The firm operates all over India with people from cities like Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi, Bangalore and Hyderabad under various company names: Qnet, QI Group, Vihaan India, Quest and Gold quest.

“I invested Rs.3.5 lakh in the company to start my own business but I lost everything.

When I approached the police they referred me to other police stations but nothing worked out in my favour as nobody took up my complaint” - Pankaj Arora, a victim from Bangalore Nath, a victim from Delhi, said: “I invested in this company last year by taking a bank loan of Rs.2 lakhs. Within a few days I was asked to involve my family members and relatives. They gave us

The screenshot of Qnet’s website training on weekends on how to talk and motivate people to join the firm which is mostly scripted and manipulative.”

He added, “They train you for months and when you ask them about the commission or profit, they say that it was used in travel trips that they conduct.

“I registered a complaint against them in Economy of Offence Wing (EOW) where they are looking into the matter. I am worried about repaying my loan.”

Pankaj Arora, a victim from Bangalore who works in the IT sector, said that he was approached by his friend to invest in this company.

He was convinced that out of the returns they make, they would start a company of their own.

He said: “The company never revealed that it was based on networking and, not on e-commerce website. In the first meeting they briefed me on how the entire process works and then, I was asked to attend meetings conducted at some clients’ houses and other auditoriums in the city.”

“I invested Rs.3.5 lakh in the company to start my own business but I lost everything. When I approached the police they referred me to other police stations but nothing worked out in my favour as nobody took up my complaint,” Arora added.

“Many innocent people are trapped in this fake deal. Two years back when I invested, I did not know anything about this company. Back thenI just want-

ed to earn money until I realised I was duped,” said Suman, a Central government victim from Hyderabad who invested in the company.

He added, “I am trying to make contacts with people from other cities as well who were duped so that we can file a strong complaint and fight it collectively.”

The case has been registered with Byappanahalli Police station.

Ramchandra, a head constable at Byappanahalli Police Station said, “The investigation is on, we need to get more details about the company as they have a big network and we are sending the matter to the court.”

Several attempts were made to contact the company but the calls went unanswered.

Seized turtles stuck in limbo Maqsood Maniyar Spotted pond turtles that were rescued from smugglers over half a year ago haven’t been rehabilitated yet because of due bureaucratic process.

On August 13, 2015 two men were arrested at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) in Bangalore whilst trying to smuggle 59 star tortoises and 20 spotted pond turtles to Malaysia for their shells and meat. The men

Wildlife hospital, Bangalore

were charged under wildlife protection act of 1972 for possession and attempt to smuggle wildlife.

They were also booked under IPC (Indian Penal Code) 379 for theft. The turtles were then handed over to an NGO that deals with animal rescue and rehabilitation called PFA (People For Animals).

Both star tortoises and spotted pond turtles otherwise known as Hamilton turtles are classified as protected species under the aforementioned law.

Under the legislation, spotted pond turtles are a schedule 1 species and attempting to smuggle them will elicit a tougher sen-

tence. On the other hand, star tortoises are a schedule 4 species and as such getting caught whilst

“We made sure that the tortoises were given the right kind of food. We also made sure that when the tortoises were released; they could survive on their own and could get plenty of the diet that they usually depend upon. They were released under the supervision of officials from the forest department.”

- Naveen Kumar trying to traffic them will mean a lighter sentence.

Rescue manger of PFA, Naveen Kumar said that they finally got the clearance from the competent authorities to rehabilitate the star tortoises last month. “We made sure that the tortoises were given

Star tortoise- Representational image the right kind of food. We also made sure that when the tortoises were released. They could survive on their own and could get plenty of the diet that they usually depend upon. They were released under the supervision of officials from the forest department,” he said.

He said that they were not allowed to disclose the location of the rehabilitated tortoises. “All I can say is that they were released into a suitable habitat.”

The difference between the star tortoises and the spotted pond turtles is that the latter are not native to Karnataka. “These

Hamilton turtles are native to the forests of Uttar Pradesh. To rehabilitate them, one has to get clearance from both state departments (Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh).

The process is still ongoing.” Kumar said.

Airport authorities have noticed an increase in attempts to smuggle animals and animal parts in recent times. Kumar said: “I don’t think that there has been an increase, rather I feel that smuggling has come done when compared to earlier times. We (PFA) rarely get smuggled animals to care of. We mostly rescue hurt animals from urban areas.”

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theweeklyobserver.in

TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2016

Plastic ban leaves workers jobless

An employee at the disposal unit in Jolly Mohalla segregating plastic waste

Raina Paul Workers losing jobs due to plastic ban are not aware of the government’s promise of alternative jobs.

A ban on non-essential plastic items came into effect on March 14 in Karnataka.

The state government had promised jobs in alternative manufacturing units like paper, jute and cloth for the people who would be rendered jobless by the plastic ban.

This was to be done with immediate effect but the workers are all ignorant of any offer like this.

Rita, an employee in a plastic factory in Nayandahalli that is about to shut down has not received or heard of any alternative employment offer.

She earns Rs.250 per day and has two children.

She said, “I do not trust the government at all. I will have to find some other job if the situation does not improve.”

Aslam, an employee of a plastic depot, said, “I am not aware any job promises by the government.

I earn Rs.500 a day.

“If plastic is banned my income will go.

“I have no option but to look for other jobs which are very difficult

since there are very few jobs and the rate of unemployment is very high.”

His employer, Faisal Sheikh, said, “What can we do? We will keep running the shop as long as we can until they are shut down.

“I have five labourers who are completely dependent on me.

All of them have families who will come on the streets if I shut down.”

Jolly Mohalla in Nayandahalli, one of the biggest plastic production and recycling localities in Bangalore has been deserted.

The shutters are down due to fear of the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB), the regulating authority.

The citywide plastic ban is not enforceable, say shopkeepers and workers in plastic manufacturing units in the city.

This comes a day after a ban on non-essential plastic items came into effect in Karnataka.

Asif Ali Khan has been selling milk covers for the past two years.

He said, “There are hundreds of people who are into this business in Bangalore.

“Even if the ban is practical from government’s viewpoint, there will be social and economic repercussions. We are going to call for a bandh,” He further added, “I have three children and my entire family is dependent on this business. If this

is banned what will we eat?”

Asif was unaware of the previous notifications and said that the order was sudden, without any notice.

He has four employees under him. He said, “It’s like a circle with a large number of people involved in collecting, recycling and then disposing. Everyone will be affected by this ban.

“In Jolly Mohalla alone there are around 56 owners and hun-

dreds of labourers under them.”

The spokesperson at Dipika Plastic Industries in Cubonpet said, “We sell plastic sheets, cups, plates, mugs and other plastic items of daily use.”

When asked why they were still selling products that have been banned and when the manufacturing units are pulling their shutters down she refused to comment.

With fruits covered in plastic

A day after the ban on plastic in the city came into effect, the plastic chairs and covers are found at the headquarters of the ban enforcing authority.

and thermocol, the owner at Nilgiris, a fruit shop on Brigade Road, said, “We cannot do anything, paper bags are five to seven rupees each which is very expensive. Nobody is ready to buy them.”

He added, “M.G Road has a lot of people from middle income families who are reluctant to pay money for carry paper bags.

“Moreover I cannot pack fruits in paper bags as they will tear away and get wet.”

Aslam, works in a plastic disposal unit in Jolly Mohalla.

Team Observer Editor: Payal Gangishetty | News Editor: Reema Mukherjee| Chief Sub-Editor: Regina Gurung | Sub-Editors: Tanay Sukumar | Picture Editor: Sanskriti Talwar | Reporters: Raina Paul, Laxmi Narayani