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Journalism of Courage
In Gholap’s footsteps
Former MP Murlidhar Mane, who is the president of the city unit of the Congress party, recently celebrated his birthday and the birthday boy was presented with a brand new Opel Corsa by his wellwishers. The difference is that Gholap was a cabinet minister when he received the expensive gift, while Mane is not. But, Mane happens to be a close friend of Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, which makes him influential enough.
Though local Congressmen have been saying that they had themselves contributed for the car, the fact remains that the very same people (builders, developers, hoteliers and traders) who were present at Gholap’s birthday bash, attended Mane’s party.
Donations the name of the game
A meeting of office bearers of educational institutions was recently addressed by D Y Patil, who runs a chain of institutions in the State. At the meeting several persons expressed their grievances, which included the delay in getting adequate and timely grants from the government. Patil told them that the easy way out was to accept donations. He said that he never faced a cash crunch in running educational institutions as the donations accepted were utilised for running the institutions. Patil’s confessions come at a time when the government has already prohibited educational institutions from accepting donations while admitting students. His statement clearly indicates that donations are a rule not an exception and that the government ban is only on paper.
Money power
The headmaster of an ashram school in Khambale (Igatpuri tehsil) recently demonstrated the power of money.
The sarpanch of the village and other local dignitories had assembled for the function but when the time came to hoist the flag, the headmaster called upon the local moneylender to do the honours. The local community was clearly unhappy with the choice of the candidate. Nobody uttered a word but after the money lender left the venue, the local politicians demanded an explanation from the headmaster. The headmaster said that he had asked the money lender to unfurl the flag because the latter had promised financial aid to buy computers for the school.
Snakes and ladders
The leaders of the almost defunct Shetkari Sanghatana, are looking greener pastures. The Sanghatana had supported the NCP in the last assembly polls but a breakaway faction went on to form "Kisan Bharati" earlier this year. Now, former Sanghatana chief Vijay Javandia and Narendra Ahire have formed a Kisan Manch to establish a parallel forum. The state chief of the Sanghatana Mohan Gunjal has attributed motives to the formation of the Manch, stating that its leaders had used the Sanghatana as a ladder and were now misleading farmers. However what Gunjal is not telling the farmers is that even the founder of the Sanghatana, Sharad Joshi, is no better. After supporting the NCP, and deliberating on whether the Sanghatana be merged with the NCP, Joshi backtracked and accepted the offer from Prime minister A B Vajpayee of heading a task force on agriculture. So, climbing ladders is a rule, not exception.
The politics of conversion
The Sangh Parivar has been raising a hue and cry about incentives to tribals by Christian missionaries, but, ironically, it is doing the same , to wean away tribals, apparently for religious and political reasons.
The modus operandi goes something like this- after a thorough counselling, Christian tribals are taken for a holy bath in a hot spring at Unnai in Gujarat to convert them with the blessings of Hindu missionary Swami Aseemanandji. The tribals who want to return to the Hindu fold are promised better healthcare and other facilities, earlier offered by Christian missionaries. For the tribals, it is a transition from one blind faith to other.
— Rakshit Sonawane
