FASCIST RAJAPAKSE’S RACIST REGIME

Death for five Indian fishermen

The Colombo High Court has awarded the death sentence to five Tamil Nadu fishermen on 6th November 2014. These fishermen were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy in November 2011 on drug trafficking charges, an allegation which they have strongly denied. Government’s assessment on the basis of due diligence also shows that the fishermen are innocent of drug smuggling charges. Moreover, as per Sri Lankan laws, death sentence is not applicable to drug trafficking crimes. In spite of all these, even after it is proven beyond doubt that the fishermen are falsely framed, death sentence has been awarded against Sri Lanka’s own laws.

* When the Somali pirates were attempting to attack the Indian merchant vessels belonging to corporate giants, government sent Indian Navy to Gulf of Aden to safeguard them. 

* When sons of rich Indian citizens studying in Australia were attacked, the central government was writhing; and Supreme Court was flustering in anxiety. 

* Now! There is only a ghastly silence from Central Government as well as Supreme Court. Hundreds and hundreds of fishermen are being killed by the Sri Lankan army every year. Sri Lankan government is audacious enough to arrest Indian citizens and award death sentence to a crime that they did not commit. Neither the Central Government nor the Supreme Court is ready to utter a word – because those who are killed are ‘worthless’ poor fishermen!

Modi government is acting as a stooge to the imperialist US, which is trying to establish its hegemony in South Asia against China. India also wants to use Sri Lanka for its expanding its capital. In this situation, the primary duty that Modi engaged in is protecting the investments made by Indian comprador bourgeois in Sri Lanka. So, India turns a blind eye to whatever crimes Sri Lanka commits, and shows interest only at expanding its capital and establishing its hegemony. Indian Rajapakse is Modi and Srilankan Modi is Rajapakse: Both Modi and Rajapakse are two sides of the same coin. Both these governments want to serve the interest of large corporations, for which these fishermen are a hindrance. So both these governments are using a number of different ways to evict the fishermen from the seas, which had been their home for thousands of years now. 

More than half of India’s protein requirement is fulfilled by sea food. Fishermen are risking their life almost everyday in order fulfil the needs of our nation and its people. But our government, instead of showing gratitude, is determined to destroy the lives of fishermen for the benefit of their imperialist masters. Fishermen are leading their life in such a grave situations for more than 35 years now. Now this death sentence is another attempt by the government to remove fishermen from the shores.

Why the government want to remove fishermen from the shores? Indian forests belong to tribal people; in the same way the ocean surrounding our nation belongs to the fishermen. Similar to the tribal people, who have been living in forests for thousands of years, fishermen have been living on the shores for thousands of years. There are overwhelming amount of scientific and historic evidences for this. When the imperialists found that our forests hold immeasurable amount of wealth, our government acted with such fervour and commitment to swiftly drive away the sons of forests and hand over the mineral riches to their imperialist masters. Similarly, the 20 lakh sq.km area surrounding 8000km of Indian shores holds immeasurable amount of wealth in terms of marine life and other minerals. Now our Indian government is trying to ‘clear off’ the sons of seas, who are becoming a hindrance to the unrestrained plundering of our oceans by the imperialists.

Indian fishermen depend on ocean and marine life for their survival. They are being torn and thrown away from their homes; lest killed by the guns of our own or the army of neighbouring countries. This displacement of fisher tribe is being done in the name of tourism promotion, coastal area development, and fishing rights to transnational corporations. The ‘ugly’ fishermen are driven away from the beautiful shores, in order to build luxury sea-facing resorts on the shores for ‘beautiful’ people.While they are being attacked from navies from one side, the cunning imperialist have also arranged to send their NGOs on to our shores. There are a number of NGOs operating across our shores who are teaching roti making, brick making etc to the fisher tribe. Fishermen are being attacked by the imperialism and our own government through force as well as NGOs.

Believing in parliamentary parties is of no use. Strong and united struggle against imperialism has to be built up by Peoples Protest is the only way out.

IN MEMORY OF PROF. MSS. PANDIAN

The sudden and untimely death of M.S.S. Pandian a renowned scholar of our times shocks everyone acquainted with him. Mr. Pandian is well known through his article in the EPW in the year 1993, in support of PALA's (Peoples Art and Literary Association) struggle to ‘Enter the sanctum sanctorum of Srirangam Temple’ at Trichy. During those days PALA was a lone voice to put forth the concept of Brahminical fascism. The left in general was attacking hindutva as an intolerant version of Hinduism, while PALA argued that the essence of Hinduism was brahminism, and this ideological core of Hinduism should be exposed. It did not have much takers at that time, and situation has not changed much even today. The target of the struggle was to expose the illusion of ‘Hindu unity’ and highlight the constitutional sanction accorded to the institution of caste and brahminism in matters of Hindu religious faith. His article, while dwelling into the facts around the struggle, highlighted history and politics behind the struggle, especially about the Dravidian movement and EVR Periyar.

The demise of Mr. Pandian also reminisces the early 1990s, and the emergence of Sangh parivar in the Indian political arena, pronouncing hindutva as its agenda. The deep rooted prejudice and hatred of the ‘north Indian mind’ towards Tamilnadu, for its ‘anti-hindi, anti-brahmin, anti-mainstream’ approach towards the national politics has much to do with this. The north Indian intellectuals in general are ignorant of the rich Tamil tradition which is independent of the brahmanic and sanskritic traditions of the north and are unwilling to learn about the Dravidian movement of Tamilnadu. Mr.Pandian’s writings in English gain significance in this context, as they were instrumental in removing north india’s ignorance, or arrogance to be precise.

His support to the Eelam movement was not unequivocal. His approach towards LTTE was critical, and he didn’t endorse Tamil nationalism devoid of anti-Brahminism. His writings expose MGR and Jayalalitha claiming the legacy of the Dravidian movement. He is also critical in his approach towards the brahminisation of intermediary castes. Recently when the Nadar community (previously shaanars) was up in arms against the NCERT text book, which dealt with the historical fact that shaanars, were treated as untouchables during the 19th century , almost all the political parties joined the chorus against NCERT. But Pandian was unsparing in his critique. He wrote that the clamor for a censored caste history has a right-wing Hindu character to it.

It is a rarity in the Indian scenario, for a public intellectual to profess openly against brahminism and to endure with it all through one’s life. It is also exceptional for such a person to be acclaimed a scholar. Mr. Pandian won it.

In 2012, when TNM conducted the Public meeting on ‘The Politics of Food culture –The Holy Cow and Unholy Swine’ Mr. Pandian was a staunch supporter of the issue of beef and pork. He was not able to be a speaker because of some personal problems, yet, as a mark of support of the issue, he made it a point to attend the programme and commented at the time of question answer session. We cannot forget the regard he had towards the the ML movement and his anguish on the emergence of hindu fascist forces and the decline of the democratic forces. A non-egotist public intellectual he was, and it is deeply saddening when one reminisces his congenial dialogue and warm friendship.