TEHELKA SPECIAL: HOW A GROUNDSWELL OF SUPPORT KEPT THE PROTESTING FARMERS GOING 26

DECEMBER 31, 2021

Ground Zero Report

ANTI-AFSPA VOICES
BECOME LOUDER
IN NORTHEAST
Unprovoked firing by the Army upon a pick-up
vehicle resulting in the death of 15 civilians in
Nagaland’s Mon district has caused widespread
anger and outrage. 10

PROBE ON TO UNRAVEL THE DESERTIONS CONTINUE TO

MYSTERY BEHIND CRASH PLAGUE CONG AS PARTY’S 12
THAT KILLED GEN RAWAT 20 MLAs JOIN TMC IN MEGHALAYA 30

TEHELKA / 31 DEC 2021 00

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TEHELKA / 31 DEC 2021 00
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Editor’s Note
Nagaland Civilian killings: Need
to end impunity for justice
THE FORTNIGHT BEFORE the year end has been
very tumultuous. India lost its first Chief of De-
fence Staff, Gen Bipin Rawat along with 12 others
in a helicopter crash near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu.
It was during this fortnight that the farmers called
off their year-long agitation at Delhi borders after
Prime Minister Narendra Modi unexpectedly con-
ceded their main demands. It was also during this
fortnight that the death of 15 civilians in firing by se-
curity forces in Nagaland sparked outrage not only
in the Northeast but all across the country.
Tehelka in the current issue has extensively cov-
ered all these events. Our cover story this time is
the Ground Zero Report from Nagaland. It is clear
now that the tip-off about the likely movement of
insurgents was half-baked, if not downright mis-
leading. In no case, bad intelligence gathering can
be a justification for killing of innocents.
The Army has ordered a Court of Inquiry, while
the Nagaland government has set up a Special In-
vestigation Team to unravel the truth. There is a
need to conclude the investigation rapidly to pro-
vide healing touch to the hurt feelings. However,
it is a sad reminder that past inquiries have not
inspired much confidence because no security per-
sonnel under the AFSPA has till date been charged
for killing civilians. Jammu and Kashmir is an ex-
ample where during the past over two decades, the
Centre has not given prosecution sanction under
AFSPA in cases recommended by the State govern-
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Vikram Nongmaithem
EDITOR Charanjit Ahuja*
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Uma Shankar Tiwari (9818009833),
Rakesh Rocky (SHIMLA) Suraj Singh
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VOLUME 18, ISSUE NO. 24, 16-31 DECEMBER
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ment against security forces.
Notwithstanding the logic provided by the gov-
ernment and the Armed forces, the unfortunate in-
cident obviously is the result of complete impunity
provided to the armed forces under the AFSPA. The
Act currently remains in force in Assam, Nagaland,
Manipur, three districts of Arunachal Pradesh, and
areas falling within the jurisdiction of eight police
stations of the State bordering Assam. The Naga-
land Chief Minister, Neiphiu Rio and Meghalaya
Chief Minister Conrad Sangma have immediately
demanded repeal of this Act. There is a need to un-
derstand that AFSPA must be brought to a halt and
the long-pending demand for its repeal acceded to
before the Act breeds political anger.
Priority should be to ensure that the tragedy
does not escalate into any further violence and in-
stability in Nagaland. The incident has the potential
to spoil the bonhomie and the fragile Naga peace
talks between the Government and the National So-
cialist Council of Nagalim. A high-level political in-
tervention is required at this juncture. Prime Min-
ister Narendra Modi may want to consider a visit to
Nagaland, with a message of regret about what hap-
pened and reassurance that it won’t happen again
to restore civilians’ faith in security forces. This will
strengthen political credibility and show genuine
remorse.
CHARANJIT AHUJA
PRINTER & PUBLISHER
Swinder Bajwa
Printed & Published by Swinder Bajwa on behalf of
Tehelka.com Pvt. Ltd.
Published from
Tehelka.com Pvt Ltd,
Building No 23, Nehru Place,
New Delhi-110019
PRINTED AT M.P. Printers,
B-220, Phase-II, Noida, UP
tehelkaletters@gmail.com
DECEMBER 2021, NUMBER OF PAGES INCLUDING COVER 52
Congress turns the job scam heat on Khattar govt
Haryana’s main opposition party decides to corner the govt over recently exposed job scam in the HPSC
18

7/ POLITICS/OPPOSITION 39/ INFRASTRUCTURE/ENERGY

Didi’s outburst against Cong Ladakh’s power woes

WB Chief Minister Mamata A demonstration project on
Banerjee may have jumped the gun space heating using geothermal
in questioning the existence of UPA energy kindles Ladakhis’ hope

22/ ART/INITIATIVE 42/ POLITICS/OPINION

Rescuing the Dhokra art Double standards galore
Bastar admn takes steps to help Why Muslims can’t react despite
Dhokra artisans command right being more than aware of the
price for their products prevailing realities

24/ CORPORATE/HIERARCHY 50 /VANITY FAIR/GLAMORATI

Nair joins the bandwagon Kriti shoots for ‘Shehzada’

With Leena Nair named Global After wrapping up the shoot for her
CEO of Chanel, more Indians movie Ganapath, the actor has now
climb to the top kickstarted her next project

COVER DESIGN VIKRAM NONGMAITHEM TEHELKA / 31 DEC 2021 00

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Letters
HYDERPORA ENCOUNTER: J-K GOVT’S POLICY TO NOT RETURN DEAD BODIES DRAWS FIRE 20
Prime Minister’s gesture
DECEMBER 15, 2021
needs to be commended
With reference to the report “Climbdown on
Farm Laws” by Mudit Mathur (December 15)
The PM’s announcement to
repeal the three agriculture
laws is a welcome move. I will
CLIMBDOWN not devalue the strength of the
ON FARM LAWS unity of the farmers by saying
PM’s surprise move to spike three that the government made the
contentious farm laws fails to end the
logjam between protesting farmers decision with an eye on gaining
and the government 8
political dividends in the forth-
coming Assembly elections. It
goes to the credit of the farmers
that they kept the agitation
peaceful largely.
The farmers have also dem-
PROPOSED
CRYPTOCURRENCY
BILL KEEPS onstrated to other people on
INVESTORS ON
TENTERHOOKS 22
how to protest in the Gandhian
way to achieve their rightful
TEHELKA / 15 DEC 2021 00
1 WWW.TEHELKA.COM
demands.
But it must be said that it is
GOVT CLIMBDOWN IS
a rare gesture for any govern-
ment which has a full majority
VICTORY OF FARMERS in Parliament to eat humble pie
and repeal its own laws, more
With reference to the report “Climbdown on Farm Laws” by
Mudit Mathur (December 15) so from a leader who is not
known to backtrack. The Prime
The farmers deserve to be Minister must be commended
commended for running a for his gesture.
prolonged agitation unitedly. VIJAY SHANKAR
They did it despite all kinds of Scrapping of 3 farm laws
provocations and unsuccessful nothing short of historic
The scrapping of the three farm
attempts to communalise the laws is historic and a result of
agitation by a certain section of sustained and largely peace-
ful agitation by the farmers.
the media.
Their success has once again
It is the victory of farmers reaffirmed the power of using
who protested patiently while Gandhian methods to wage a
protest against repressive laws.
confronting scorching heat The farmers deserve to be
and bitter cold and rain. The commended for running a
prolonged agitation unitedly,
expectation of the government
despite all kinds of provoca-
that the farmers’ agitation would tions and unsuccessful attempts
fizzle out with the passage of to scuttle the agitation. The
success of the agitation marks
time went for a toss as they stuck another glorious chapter in
to their just demands. They did the world’s largest democracy,
wherein the will of the people
not bow down to the violence
prevailed over the arrogance of
unleashed by the government the ruling elite.
It also reaffirms the need to
consult all stakeholders before
GANGA NARAYAN RATH
TEHELKA / 31 DEC 2021 00
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tehelkaletters@gmail.com
a law is passed in Parliament
It also reaffirms the need to
consult all stakeholders before a
law is passed in Parliament.
ASHA MEHTA
PM’s retreat proves politics
is all about polls after all
With reference to the report “Electoral compul-
sions behind Modi’s retreat” by Anil Singh
(December 15)
The PM’s announcement of the
repeal of the contentious farm
laws is a victory for the agitat-
ing farmers. However the fact
remains that politics is all about
polls and can’t be overlooked.
As elections in Punjab and UP
near, the BJP needed a course
correction.
And with the SC staying the
implementation, the three farm
laws were as good as dead. The
ordinance route and rushed
passage to parliament was poor
optics.
The greater political threat for
the BJP stemmed from western
UP where BKU leader Rakesh
Tikait was threatening to spread
the stir wider. This revolution will
remain etched in pages of history
of Indian politics.
B.S. SODHI
BJP will reap ‘roll back’
dividends in state polls
There were speculations that
before the elections in Punjab
and Uttar Pradesh, some con-
crete declaration may appear
regarding the three contentious
agriculture laws.
The Government’s decision
is a smart move to reap po-
litical benefits in the upcoming
Assembly elections and after
sensing the mood of electorate
following some setbacks in recent
by-elections.
Wisdom should have pre-
vailed much earlier, which could
have avoided embarrassment
for the Government and distress
and suffering for thousands of
protesting farmers.
VARUN GUPTA

Opposition should take a
cue from farmers’ agitation
With reference to report “An apology vs an Elec-
tion” by Kumkum Chadha (December 15)
The Modi government’s U-turn
on farm laws, dictated by cold
poll calculation, is just another
instance of how shallow our
leaders are. We saw a year of
farmers braving the cold, rain
and heat with 700 of them losing
their lives, but not a single state-
ment by the PM.
The lesson is that laws en-
acted by brute majority cannot
be implemented without the
involvement and the coopera-
tion of the people.
The Opposition must follow
the farmers’ strategy in fight-
ing against wrong policies. The
astonishing unity among the
farmers in carrying out their
protests braving the sun, rain,
violence and deaths is what
made an authoritarian dispen-
sation bow down.
Govt should avoid rushing
Cryptocurrency Bill
With reference to the report “Proposed crypto-
currency bill keeps investors on edge” by Anil
Manocha (December 15)
While the Bill on cryptocur-
rency is a good move on the part
of government, the fly in the
ointment is the govt’s intention
to prohibit all private cryptocur-
KEY CENTRES TO GET TEHELKA MAGAZINES
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rencies in India.
The RBI is right to advise
caution, but it should recon-
sider its move to outrightly ban
private cryptocurrencies. It is
expected that around Rs 40K
crore is invested by Indians in
these private digital curren-
cies. Considering the nature of
cryptocurrency, restrictions on
such transactions may end up
having the opposite effect, push-
ing them beyond the realm of
scrutiny and making it harder to
enforce the law in case of felony.
The government should not
make the mistake of ramming
this legislation through without
detailed discussions like it did in
the case of the three farm laws.
HEMRAJ GOYAL
The Bill on cryptocurrency is
expected to clear the decks for
ushering in a framework for the
introduction of digital currency
that is to be issued by the RBI.
M JEYARAM
The move was preceded by RBI
Governor rightly raising his
concern.
It is a good step as these
currencies are not backed by
any sovereign regulatory bank.
If the same money was routed
through a sovereign bank, such
huge amount of money could be
used in enhancing the GDP of
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the country.
Some legal digital currency
backed by the RBI should be
launched. Accumulated money
can also be used for illegal
activities
D SETHURAMAN
Biden-Jinping meeting a step
in the right direction
With reference to the report “Biden, Jinping script
a new power game in contemporary world” by
Gopal Misra (December 15)
The Biden-Xi meeting yielded little
concrete results, but it is still an
important step in stabilizing rela-
tions between the two countries.
US-China relations came to a near
total breakdown during the final
year of Prez Donald Trump’s term.
And though Monday’s virtual
summit between the two leaders
saw no substantive policy on key
issues such as climate, trade, the
pandemic, or arms control, it did
establish a dialogue that can be
built on, potentially easing ten-
sions -- and allowing for a return
to a more constructive, stable
relationship.
US-China ties have been rocky
in the past few years, with both
sides clashing on issues ranging
from policies on trade to the origin
of the Covid-19 pandemic. It’s good
that the two leaders met. Things
can only get better from here.
SATISH KUKREJA
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 COLUMN

Did Mamata overstep

the line in sounding
SPOTLIGHT UPA’s death knell?
KUMKUM CHADHA The Congress is the only opposition party that has a national footprint
and whatever the TMC’s feats may be, it still has a distance to cover. A

Kumkum is a political
journalist known for her
no holds barred writings.
An author of several books,
her latest “The Marigold
Story: Indira Gandhi and
Others”won critical
acclaim. Conferred several
awards for fearless writings,
Kumkum also served on
the National Committee on
Jail Reforms
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee
with NCP chief Sharad Pawar
W
giant leap ahead of time may not be prudent for Banerjee
ith West Bengal Chief
Minister Mamata Baner-
jee dishing out a shocker
announcing the demise
of the Congress-led
United Progressive Alliance or the UPA as
it is better known, a section of the Opposi-
tion is in a tizzy. The UPA, Banerjee had
said, was virtually non-existent.
The Congress’ coalition partners in Ma-
harashtra, namely the Shiv Sena and the
NCP, who Banerjee met during her recent
visit to Mumbai, were in a bind because of
this outburst.
For the uninitiated, after a meeting
with Nationalist Congress Party’s Chief
Sharad Pawar, Banerjee had said: “What is
UPA? There is no UPA?”.
Earlier during her visit to the national
Capital, New Delhi, Banerjee had skipped
meeting Congress chief Mrs. Sonia Gan-
dhi: “It is not constitutionally mandated”
she had said when asked why she did
not meet the Congress President. Even if
the battle lines were, then, a bit hazy, her
sounding UPA’s death knell has deepened
the political divide.
Banerjee, it may be recalled, was a
constituent of the UPA when it was in
power between 2004 and 2014. She even
served as Union Railways Minister during
Dr Manmohan Singh’s tenure as Prime
Minister.
Till 1998, she was part of the Congress
before she broke away to form the Trina-
mool Congress. At heart, she remained in-
grained in the Congress ideology. She also
enjoyed a special rapport with Congress
chief Mrs Sonia Gandhi.
However, of late the relation-
ship between the Congress and
the TMC has hit an all-time low.
The TMC has unabashedly wel-
comed well- known Congress
faces into its fold, particularly
Rahul Gandhi’s loyalists.
The Congress is crying foul
alleging large scale poach-
ing by the TMC that has not
confined itself to the home state.
If anything, it has extended its
footprint even in the north. This
is because Banerjee is now look-
ing beyond Bengal and there-
fore the need to rope in leaders
from states like Uttar Pradesh,
Goa, Haryana, Bihar and still
counting.
Apart from Sushmita Dev,
Mukul Sangma, both from the

TEHELKA / 31 DEC 2021 00

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 Sushmita Dev and Mukul Sangma
with TMC leader Derek O’Brien
north east, the most notable induc-
tions are from Uttar Pradesh wherein
the Tripathis have joined Banerjee’s
bandwagon.
It is pertinent to point out that Dev
was considered as part of Rahul Gan-
dhi’s “inner circle”. The Tripathis, on the
other hand, have had a long associa-
tion with the Gandhi family.
The erstwhile Railway Minister,
Kamlapati Tripathi, was Mrs In-
dira Gandhi’s closest advisers and his
daughter-in-law Chandra Tripathi, too,
bonded well with her. The relationship
continued till Rajeshpati and his son
Laliteshpati, quit to join the TMC.
Earlier Jyotiraditya Scindia had quit
the Congress. It is another matter that
he chose to join the BJP instead of the
TMC. But when Scindia broke away,
the TMC was not in the reckoning.
Today, Scindia is a Union Minister, with
the coveted Civil Aviation portfolio.
Apart from recording a mere
sequence of events, it is important to
underline the fact that the Gandhis
have given a short-shrift to people who
have stood by them through thick and
thin. In fact, if Scindia could leave then
anyone can.
Apart from the association going
back to Jyotiraditya’s father Mad-
havrao, the Scindia scion and the
Minister’s post to his bete noire Ashok
Gehlot.
Internal politics apart, this time
around, the Congress is pitched against
an ally turned foe: the diminutive
street fighter Mamata Banerjee who
is in a tearing hurry to unite anti-BJP
forces.
Immediately after her win, she
had signaled the need for Opposition
parties to come together to take on the
BJP. And she had made it clear that the
Time starts now.
In August this year, a few weeks
into the TMC’s spectacular win in her
home state West Bengal, Banerjee had
said: “Nothing can be done by a doctor
who comes after the patient has died.
The patient can be saved if treatment is
given on time. Now is your Time”.
Even while she sounded the Op-
position unity bugle, Banerjee was
unwilling to wait and watch. It is her
DNA to act and once she makes up
her mind then she pursues the course
Apart from irrespective whether others join in or
not. In this sense, she is kind of an akela
Sushmita Dev, cholo or a solo politician. She can seek
Mukul Sangma, camaraderie but if it does not come
her way, so be it.
both from the Nothing demonstrates this better
north east, the than what she said recently: “What
do we do if one is not fighting? ...If
most notable somebody is afraid, if they cannot take
inductions a decision, they just waste time and al-
low the BJP to become more and more
are from Uttar powerful… we will not allow that. We
are watching for the last six to eight
Pradesh wherein years, but if somebody is not coming
the Tripathis have out openly, then somebody (else) has
to bell the cat,” Banerjee said. Even
joined Banerjee’s though she did not name the Congress,
bandwagon. the inference was clear.
Equally, when she referred to “holi-
days abroad” she did not name Rahul
Gandhi but it was clear that she was
Gandhi siblings were also personally referring to Gandhi’s sudden, secret
close. and mysterious holidays at the drop
This perhaps is the reason why Jy- of a hat.
otiraditya Scindia did not raise a ban- The Gandhi scion is known to be
ner of revolt when he was upstaged abroad during crucial times including
by Kamalnath for the office of Madhya the farmers protests and the Congress’
Pradesh Chief Minister. This was quite 136thFoundation Day celebrations:
unlike Sachin Pilot who extracted a “You can’t be abroad most of the time.
pound of flesh and bagged the post of Continuous endeavor is necessary in
a Deputy while conceding the Chief politics,” Banerjee said during an in-
TEHELKA / 31 DEC 2021 00
8 WWW.TEHELKA.COM

teraction with civil society during her
controversial Mumbai visit.
One cannot fault Banerjee for being
enraged at the Congress’ inertia. What
others can clearly decipher, the leader-
ship seems ill-equipped to decode.
There is a large-scale exodus from
the grand old Party, which is not so
grand anymore. Those who chose to
stay back are also restless because the
Party is doing little to assuage feelings
or address concerns. At the macro
level, it has failed to comprehend the
challenge posed by the BJP.
This is Banerjee’s angst and hence
her outburst because she is unwill-
ing, and rightly so, to stake her or her
Party’s future at the whim and fancy
of the Congress. Her political upbring-
ing and fiery spirit has taught her to
seize the moment and this being the
opportune time she is raring to go. Not
the one to mince words, Banerjee has,
therefore, made her stance and obser-
vations about the Congress and its heir
explicitly clear.
Enter Shiv Sena’s trouble-shooter
Sanjay Raut dangling a dramatically
changed script: from No UPA to there
cannot be any Opposition without the
Congress.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata
Banerjee with Shiv Sena leaders
Aditya Thackeray and Sanjay Raut
In an editorial in its mouthpiece
Saamana, the Shiv Sena said that
strengthening the UPA is the only
option before the Opposition parties.
The editorial came a few days after
Banerjee’s No UPA remark.
Technically, Raut is right. The Con-
gress is the only Opposition Party that
has a national footprint and whatever
Banerjee or the TMC’s feats may be,
they still have a distance to cover.
Banerjee may be in a hurry to do so
but a giant leap ahead of Time may be
imprudent.
In a Party to Party comparison, the
Congress is way ahead and despite the
TMC trying to enlarge its footprint, it
still has a long way to go.
For starters, it would have to shed
its Bengali Party tag and pitch itself as
one which is sensitive to the aspira-
tions of the non-Bengali people who
live outside Banerjee’s home state. For
this it would have to adjust its mental
geography.
Those who are familiar with Ba-
nerjee’s style of functioning are also
aware that even as Union Minister her
national boundaries started and ended
with West Bengal.
Of course the recent win, and that
TEHELKA / 31 DEC 2021 00
9 WWW.TEHELKA.COM
POLITICS
too a spectacular one has given her
bigger dreams and there is no reason
why she should let anyone trample
over them, least of all the Congress.
Hence the need to reinvent her Party
and go beyond the Bengal-boundary
as it were.
To be fair to Banerjee, she is not
suggesting that the united Opposition
should be Congress-less. If anything
she is advocating a strong alternative
force: “We want everyone to join the
fight,” she is reported to have said. This
was reiterated by Sharad Pawar who
said that the intention is to have a plat-
form of “collective leadership”.
Unlike Pawar, Banerjee’s problem is
that the Congress does not appear to be
in the fight. Irrespective of the ground
reality, perception is a crucial factor in
Indian politics and on that count, the
Congress is on a weak footing.
Raut’s other salvo was to declare that
he had asked Rahul Gandhi to take the
lead in discussing the strategy for the
2024 national elections.
Even if this is not about leadership,
pitching the Gandhi scion against Ba-
nerjee is bad politics. They would never
be on the same page. They think differ-
ently and their working styles are poles
apart: Rahul elite and suave while
Banerjee rustic and ordinary: actu-
ally a common person’s version of
what an Indian politician should
be.
Add to this, her street fight-
ing instincts and she can easily
be shaped into a mould which is
perfect to take on Prime Minister
Narendra Modi: the recent West
Bengal elections being a curtain
raiser to the final drama waiting to
pan out in 2024. In this battle of the
giants, Rahul has little place.
It may be too early to project
Banerjee as a national alternative
to BJP’s Modi. But then the elec-
tions are not tomorrow. On the
other hand, Banerjee needs to take
one step at a time rather than pre-
cariously positioning herself at the
edge, from where a premature leap
can prove fatal.
tehelkaletters@gmail.com
TEHELKA / 31 DEC 2021 00
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 ELECTION 2018

CoverStory

Ground Zero Report

ANTI-AFSPA
VOICES BECOME
LOUDER IN
NORTHEAST
Unprovoked firing by the Army upon a pick-up vehicle
resulting in the death of 15 civilians in Nagaland’s Mon
district has caused widespread anger and outrage ,
reports NAVA THAKURIA

TEHELKA / 31 DEC 2021 00

11 WWW.TEHELKA.COM
CoverStory

V
oices against the brutal Armed Forces
Special Powers Act 1958 (AFSPA) were
never thin in northeast India. Years
back, Manipur witnessed massive
uprising against the draconian law
that empowers the security personnel,
engaged in counter insurgency
operations, to act according to their conveniences in
disturbed areas with all impunity from the civilian
courts. T Manorama Devi and Sharmila Irom Channu
emerged as almost deities in the Meitei society during
the uproarious anti-AFSPA situation in the region.
Lately the issue became alive and flashier with
the incident of Oting village in Nagaland, where 14
civilians lost their lives under the complicity of AFSPA.
From local villages to State level organizations, north-
eastern to national and international institutions
have now come forward raising voices against the
six decade old Act urging its urgent repeal and some
putting a unique challenge to the Union government
in New Delhi for implementing the law in terror-
stricken central Indian provinces.
Disturbing news broke from Nagaland’s Mon
district on 4 December 2021, where the security forces
opened fire on a vehicle carrying a group of village
youths from daily work at Tiru valley coal mine. The 21
para-commandos of Indian Army, following an input
about the movement of some armed insurgents in
Tiru-Oting rural area, laid an ambush. Soon the vehicle
of youths arrived there and the security personnel
ordered it to stop. But the vehicle reportedly did not
slow down and so they fired at it suspecting that
insurgents were travelling in it.
Six passengers inside the vehicle died on the spot
and two were seriously injured. Soon after realizing
the mistake that no passenger was carrying any
arms or ammunition, the security personnel took the
injured villagers to a nearby hospital. But the incident
created massive uproars among the villagers and they
even targeted the security forces in different places.
Within two days, eight other villagers were killed in
the protest demonstrations whereas one Assam Rifles
soldier also lost his life. Residents of Oting, which
lost 12 villagers in the series of incidents, came out
under the apex body of tribes (Konyak Union) with
the strong demand to revoke AFSPA immediately.
Joining the chorus of civil society groups, human
rights organizations, political party leaders of the
region besides Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio
and his Meghalaya counterpart (Conrad K Sangma)
also demanded its repeal.
Paying tributes to the victims, Rio made a strong
statement against the AFSPA. Rio termed the Oting
killings as a clear example of misuse and abuse of
AFSPA. Condoling the demise of 14 Konyak villagers,
he urged the people to remain restrained and said that

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TEHELKA / 31 DEC 2021 00

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CoverStory
it was the time to defeat ferocity with non-violence.
Meghalaya CM Sangma, even though the AFSPA
is not enforced in his State, also called its repeal and
stated that he would personally take up the issue with
the Union ministry. Sangma said in a clear voice that
the Mon incident proves that there is no place for
AFSPA in today’s society.
The issue reached the Parliament, where Union
home minister Amit Shah made a statement admitting
that it was a case of mistaken identity. Shah also stated
that the situation in Nagaland remains critical but fully
under control. He added that the Centre expresses
regrets over the incident and offers condolences to
the victim families. A special investigation team was
formed to investigate the matter, which was asked to
submit its report within one month, he informed.
However, the Konyak Union vehemently opposed
the statement of Shah and even demanded an
TEHELKA / 31 DEC 2021
apology from him alleging that the Union home
minister misinformed the Parliament about the
Oting massacre. Shah has to clarify, apologise and
ask for forgiveness from the Konyak people and the
residents of Nagaland, it stated in a media release. It
went ahead urging Shah to understand the meaning
of an ambush first. The forum of Konyak people also
expressed anger that some media outlets including
the satellite news channels based in mainland India
tried to present it as a frontal confrontation between
the security forces and NSCN rebels.
Earlier, the Army authority expressed its regret
over the incident. It also constituted a probe into the
incident that could spread a negative message to the
peace initiatives taken up by New Delhi. Nagaland
police lodged an FIR against the security forces over
the incident and the government in Kohima declared
ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh to each victim’s family. Even
00
14 WWW.TEHELKA.COM

the Governor of Nagaland (also Assam) Prof Jagdish
Mukhi also officially condemned the incident.
Now the Governor is expected to summon a
special session of Nagaland legislative assembly on
December 20 to discuss the AFSPA with the backdrop
of Mon civilians’ killings. The special session, for
which demands were raised by various Naga
groups including Naga Mother’s Association, Naga
Students Federation, etc, may pass a resolution for
repealing the AFSPA. Earlier an emergency cabinet
meeting of the Rio government on December 7 took
The Governor is
expected to summon
a special session of
Nagaland legislative
assembly on Dec 20 to
discuss the AFSPA in
the backdrop of Mon
killings. The session may
pass a resolution for
repealing the AFSPA.
a unanimous decision for repealing AFSPA from
Nagaland immediately. “AFSPA has brought only pain
and suffering to our people. No reason can justify
the killing of civilians,” said Nagaland’s former chief
minister TR Zeliang, adding that when the Naga
people were waiting for a final breakthrough in the
ongoing peace process over Naga political issues, the
Mon incident came only as a negative shocker.
Even the Nagaland BJP chief Temjen Imma Along,
also a minister in Rio’s cabinet, termed the incident
as a genocide. Konyak Union Kohima president H
Angnyei Konyak called for revocation of the AFSPA.
Meanwhile, a Naga Hoho delegation led by president
HK Zhimomi visited the Oting village to extend its
solidarity to the villagers. They were unanimous in
their demand to repeal the draconian law.
Insurgent outfit National Socialist Council of
Nagaland (NSCN-IM) promptly commented that the
ongoing peace talks would not be fruitful under the
TEHELKA / 31 DEC 2021
UNREST
shadow of AFSPA. The notorious act gives the security
personnel (even a non-commissioned officer) the
license to arrest, shoot and even kill any individual
on mere suspicion, stated the armed outfit adding
that Nagas had the bitter taste of AFSPA on numerous
occasions till date and for any reason ‘blood and
political talks cannot go together’.
Quoting a survivor of the fateful incident, Morung
Express newspaper from Nagaland, reported that the
justice asked by the victims would be the revocation
of AFSPA, so that no such incident can take place in
future (neither in Nagaland nor anywhere in the
country). Mr Manlei, who is still undergoing medical
treatment for injuries, claimed that he was shot by a
security person for just questioning about the dead
bodies. He was soon taken to a Mon hospital by fellow
villagers. Manlei revealed that his younger brother
Shomaang was one of the eight youths returning
home after work in a pickup vehicle who faced the
bullets of security forces. Shomaang along with five
others died on the spot. Manlei arrived at the location
later and found that the vehicle was splattered with
blood. Initially he along with a few others could not
find any dead body, but later those were recovered
from a military truck.
Northeast Students’ Organization (NESO) along
with its affiliated State units including All Assam
Students’ Union, All Manipur Students’ Union, All
Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union, Khasi Students’
Union, Garo Students’ Union, Mizo Zirlai Pawl,
00
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CoverStory
Unbridled powers enjoyed
by security forces under
AFSPA have always been a
source of unease in N-E
Twipra Student Federation, etc recently organized
demonstrations against the ruthless acts of security
forces taking advantage of AFSPA provisions. Some
of their slogans included “Repeal AFSPA, Punish
Guilty Security Personnel, Stop Neglecting Northeast
and We Want Peace in Northeast.” Participating
in a television debate, anchored by journalist
Manas Pratim Deka of ND24 news channel, the
AASU general secretary Shankarjyoti Barua
made a critical comment that New Delhi still believes
‘there is no India after Kolkata’. He declared that the
indigenous people of Northeast stand in solidarity
with the residents of Oting who have every right to
live with dignity. The student leader even questioned
the Centre, why the AFSPA is not enforced in terror
affected regions of mainland India.
Another panelist Palash Changmai of Asom
Jatiyatabadi Yuva Chatra Parishad warned that the
people of Northeast would not tolerate atrocities
anymore. He urged all the north-eastern chief
ministers to come together to seek repeal of AFSPA.
TEHELKA / 31 DEC 2021
Political analyst Adip
Phukan also asked the Centre about the validity of
AFSPA, which is now 63 years old. How long it will be
enforced in Northeast to terrorise and kill innocent
people with full impunity to the security personnel,
Phukan raised the pertinent question in the show.
“The 21 Para Commandos carried out the genocide
was not because of a mistaken identity, but it was an
intentional act, reasons best known to the security
forces. When the first batch of victims were returning
home from their work, the security personnel, who laid
the ambush, did not ask to stop their vehicle, but started
firing indiscriminately,” said a Kohima-based journalist,
who wanted anonymity.
Speaking to this writer, he even alleged that initially
the security personnel tried to cover up the dead bodies
with camouflage dresses, but the villagers who had
already arrived at the location immediately identified
the victims. They also engaged in verbal confrontation
with the security personnel. It led to the unfortunate
killings of seven more persons and injuring a few others.
00
16 WWW.TEHELKA.COM

“21 Para Commandos were not familiar with the
localities and its residents. But they probably did not
inform the Nagaland police and even the Assam Rifles
(which is engaged in security duty in those areas)
about the ambush. In haste, they fired at the vehicle
following their inputs (which was seemingly not
accurate). But later the Assam Rifles’ camp had to face
the villagers’ anger. All these facts should be out in the
The tragic incident of
Mon killings triggered
several other events of
arson, rioting and attack
on soldiers and Assam
Rifles camp, resulting
in more injuries and
deaths, including that of
a soldier, said an NHRC
statement.
probe,” he asserted.
National Human Rights Commission (NHRC,
New Delhi) issued notices seeking a detailed report
from the defence secretary & Union home secretary
and Nagaland chief secretary & police chief over
the killings of civilians in the Mon army operation.
The incident triggered several other events of arson,
rioting and attack on soldiers and Assam Rifles camp,
resulting in more injuries and deaths, including that
of one soldier, said a NHRC statement. Later the Hong
Kong-based Asian Human Rights Commission (ACHR)
also issued a statement over the Nagaland incident,
where it meant that the special unit (of security
forces) involved in the operation killed the unarmed
civilians returning from work in cold blood flouting
the standard operating procedures. They opened fire
without any warning (to the passengers travelling in
the vehicle), it observed.
“When the kith and kin of the miners set out to look
for them once they did not return in time, the second
round of gory killings unfolded. As reported by media
TEHELKA / 31 DEC 2021
UNREST
houses, when the villagers spotted the vehicles of
the unit, they were told that they were being taken to
hospital. On checking themselves, the villagers found
dead bodies and it was there that all hell broke loose,
ending in a repeat firing and killing of a soldier,” said
ACHR.
Terming the act as a colonial relic which provides
the security forces, deployed in disturbed areas, power
to take any action under the section 4 of AFSPA, the
commission observed that ‘maybe this time the
government of India tries to understand not only
the illegality of such a draconian act in its rule books
but also the sentiments of the people, including its
political allies and shows the political will to repeal
it’. Nagaland Post, a popular English daily of the State,
editorialized the issue saying that while Christians
across the world are preparing to celebrate the birth
of Jesus on Christmas and then to welcome a new year,
people of Nagaland are still trying to come out of the
shocking 4 December incident.
For the people of Oting village in particular
and Mon district in general, time stands still. They
cannot get over the massacre of civilians by a unit
of the special forces of 21 para-commandos. For the
victim-families no amount of ex-gratia or offer of
employment can lessen their deep grief or make them
forget how their dearest ones were gunned down
without any reason.
“The pain and grief caused by unnatural deaths
has also shocked and pained not only the State or
Northeast but beyond. It shows the magnitude of the
incident which has catapulted the draconian Armed
Forces (Special Powers) Act 1958 to limelight,” stated
the editorial adding that bringing the guilty unit
of security forces to the court for justice is another
important aspect of the tragedy.
For the people of Nagaland, the AFSPA is a living
testimony of the brutalities which have been inflicted
upon them for over 60 years and such a draconian
and black law should have no place in a democratic
country. In the aftermath of the 4 December massacre,
the response of New Delhi was like adding more salts
to the injury, it added.
“From all accounts including those who survived
the massacre, the vehicle (targeted by the security
forces) was fired upon without any warning and
without any provocation,” claimed the editorial adding
that the Centre should set the record straight and
withdraw the
controversial part of Amit Shah’s statement (that
of mistaken identity of the travelling village-youths),
even if it may be too little too late.
 tehelkaletters@gmail.com
00
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 Cong turns the job scam
heat on Khattar govt
The ruling BJP-JJP coalition government in Haryana may hate to admit it, but the state’s main
opposition party Congress seems set to unremittingly embarrass the government for the recently
exposed job scam in the Haryana Public Service Commission (HPSC), reports rajesh moudgil
T
he high-profile job scam
in the Haryana Public Ser-
vice Commission (HPSC)
has not only blighted the
state Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP)-Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) coali-
tion government led by Manohar Lal
Khattar which had been tom-tomming
its fairness in recruitments, it has also
given the opposition Congress ample
ammunition to incessantly embarrass
the state government.
This is despite the arrest of some of
the main accused and the arrest and
the dismissal of the deputy secretary of
Haryana Public Service Commission
(HPSC) Anil Nagar, an HCS officer, from
Haryana Chief Minister
Manohar Lal Khattar with
Deputy Chief Minister
Dushyant Chautala
the services.
The dismissal order issued by Hary-
ana chief secretary Sanjeev Kaushal
on behalf of the Governor reads that
competent authority had decided to
award punishment of dismissal from
service to Anil Nagar for bringing
severe disrepute to the state govern-
ment. It also meant disqualification
from future employment under the
government.
Nagar was arrested along with two
others, Ashwini Sharma of Jhajjar and
Naveen of Bhiwani, by the Haryana
vigilance bureau for their alleged role
in manipulating answer sheets of the
candidates. They were nabbed in Sep-
TEHELKA / 31 DEC 2021 00
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tember by the state vigilance bureau in
a close operation with the intelligence
wing of the chief minister’s cell on the
basis of a secret tip-off. A first informa-
tion report (FIR) was registered on
November 17 last while Nagar, who
was overall in charge of the examina-
tion, was suspended the next day and
dismissed from service a few days ago.
According to official information,
a cash amounting to Rs 3.5 crore has
already been seized, while a handwrit-
ten list of roll numbers of Haryana civil
services (HCS) exam candidates was
also recovered from Nagar. Accord-
ing to information, of the total 32 roll
numbers, 15 were of HCS (of whom five
had cleared preliminary examination)
and 17 of dental surgeon candidates of
whom 13 had passed.
This has given ample ammunition
to the Congress, the main opposition
party in Haryana to go all guns blazing
after the ruling government. While
its leaders have torn into the govern-
ment alleging a bigger conspiracy with
the involvement of some top officials,
they have also held demonstrations to
highlight the scam.
Cong to raise the issue in House
The Congress Legislature Party (CLP)
in its recent meeting held under the
former chief minister and the Leader
of the Opposition Bhupinder Singh
Hooda has also decided to raise the
HPSC recruitment scam - besides the
issues pertaining to shortage of DAP
and urea, deteriorating law and order
situation, interference in university
recruitments, vacant posts of differ-
ent departments, especially in health
 Congress leader Randeep Singh
Surjewala during the Congress protest
against the recruitment scam.
department amid Covid spread - in the
upcoming assembly session.
Hooda has also demanded an investi-
gation into the recruitment scam under
the supervision of a sitting High Court
judge. He maintains that an official of
the rank of the deputy secretary of the
HPSC alone cannot carry out such a
huge recruitment scam. Led by Hooda,
the Congress MLAs have also submitted
a memorandum to the governor and
demanded a high-level inquiry into the
matter.
The memorandum said that apart
from the said recruitment scam, the HCS
officers selected in 2004 were chosen
and appointed in 2016, despite various
irregularities. The Congress legisla-
tors also sought an inquiry into these
appointments which they alleged were
made in disregard of the inquiry report
of the state vigilance department.
Hooda says that the scam has also
exposed the tall claims of the govern-
ment about transparency, honesty
and recruitments-on-merit. He also
lambasted the government for distanc-
ing itself from the corruption in the
recruitment and asked that if the people
sitting in the government did not have
any involvement in this scam, why is
the government not getting a high-level
judicial inquiry conducted into the
matter?
The Congress general secretary
Randeep Surjewala along with Tosham
MLA Kiran Choudhry also alleged a
bigger conspiracy in the wake of the
HPSC chairman and members advising
POLITICS
the upcoming session. Stating that the
HPSC chairman and HSSC chairman,
and members of both the commissions
had not been questioned yet, she asked
if there was an attempt to cover-up.
Alleging that as many as 32 papers
were leaked in the last seven years and
every job was put on sale, Randeep held
that the future of Haryana’s youth had
been pushed into an abyss of darkness.
A series of protests
Meanwhile, the Congress workers and
several legislators held a demonstra-
tion during which they were detained
by the police and let off after about two
hours last week. The leaders who par-
the Governor to not conduct an inquiry ticipated in this protest included Hary-
against Anil Nagar. “Is it because it may ana Congress party affairs in-charge
lead to a bigger conspiracy coming Vivek Bansal and state party president
Kumari Selja and AICC general secretary
Randeep Surjewala besides several for-
mer ministers and senior legislators.
The Congress Addressing the gathering Bansal
Legislature Party alleged that corruption flourished under
the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-Jannay-
(CLP) in its recent ak Janta Party (JJP) combine government
meeting held in Haryana. Referring to the recent
HPSC recruitment scam, he alleged that
under the former the government was fully involved in
chief minister this recruitment scam.
Selja also alleged that this recruit-
and the Leader ment scam seemed bigger than the ones
of the Opposition
of the past. Further alleging that HPSC
and Haryana Staff Selection Commis-
Bhupinder Singh sion (HSSC) had become a hotbed of re-
cruitment scams and were playing with
Hooda decided the future of the unemployed youth of
to raise the HPSC the state.
Alleging further that these commis-
recruitment scam sions had proved to be incompetent,
in the upcoming she sought that new commissions be
formed and all the disputed recruitment
assembly session examinations, re-conducted. She held
that over 30 paper-leak cases had come
to light during the seven-year tenure of
the BJP government led by chief minis-
to light, where top officials could be ter Manohar Lal Khattar, who claimed
exposed?” Randeep asked. all the recruitments were far.
Randeep further asked that when A few days earlier, led by state Youth
the record of dental surgeon and HCS Congress president Divyanshu Budhi-
recruitment with Nagar have been raja, several of the YC members had also
declared invalid, then why the recruit- held a demonstration in front of the
ment has not been cancelled. Kiran said HPSC building against the said scam.
she had moved an adjournment motion
on job scams in the HPSC and HSSC in tehelkaletters@gmail.com
TEHELKA / 31 DEC 2021 00
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Probe on to unravel mystery
behind CDS chopper crash
The nation has bid farewell to Chief of Defence Staff, General Bipin Rawat as he was laid to rest with
full military honours, and as per protocol, he was accorded a 17-gun salute at his funeral. However,
questions remain as to what are the possible reasons for the chopper crash, writes sunny sharma
T
he Black Box has been found
while the Indian Air Force
has ordered a tri-service in-
vestigation led by Air Mar-
shal Manavendra Singh, Air
Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Train-
ing Command, into the Mi-17 V5 chop-
per crash in which Chief of Defence
Staff Bipin Rawat, his wife and 11 others
of the armed forces were killed. The
inquiry team has already reached Wel-
lington and started the investigation,
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told
both Houses of Parliament. The ill-fated
Mi17V5 helicopter, manufactured by
Russian Helicopters’ subsidiary Kazan,
had an onboard weather radar and was
equipped with the latest generation of
night vision devices. Equipped with an
on-board weather radar and the lat-
est generation of night vision devices,
the chopper was reportedly flying at a
low altitude in foggy conditions when it
crashed in a valley, leading to the death
of 13 persons.
However, what is intriguing is that
there was no distress call and ATC
contacted to confirm landing in seven
minutes. The IAF chopper was to land
at Wellington by 12.15 pm but the Sulur
Air Traffic Controller lost contact with
the copter at 12.08 pm, 20 minutes af-
ter take-off, Rajnath Singh told Parlia-
ment. Actually, the chopper had taken
TEHELKA / 31 DEC 2021 00
20 WWW.TEHELKA.COM
off from Sulur at 11.48 am, considered a
grey zone due to unpredictable weather
in Nilgiris after 11 am in winter.
The pilots of the ill-fated copter car-
rying General Rawat and his entourage
had radioed to Air Traffic Controller
(ATC) that the copter was descending
to land at Wellington helipad, but had
not given any distress call. The copter
that took off from Sulur (Coimbatore) at
11.48 am was slated to land at 12.15 pm
at Wellington, but the ATC lost contact
with the copter at 12.08 pm. Reportedly,
the copter established contact with the
ATC to confirm landing in 7-8 minutes.
The IAF, meanwhile, has recovered
the flight data recorder (Black Box) of
the copter. The flight data recorder and
the cockpit voice recorder will ascer-
tain what happened between the call to
the ATC informing that the copter was
descending to land and the crash. The
chopper carrying CDS Rawat also had
his wife Madhulika Rawat, Brigadier
LS Lidder and Lt Col Harjinder Singh,
among others, onboard. The Chief of
Defence Staff was headed to Defence
Staff College in Wellington where he
was scheduled to take part in an event
along with Chief of Army Staff Gen MM
Naravane. A total of 13 individuals on
board the Mi-17V5 chopper, includ-
ing Gen Rawat and his wife, died in the
crash.
According to a fireman who was
among the first to reach the site, Gen
Rawat was still alive after the mis-
hap and was taken to an ambulance
wrapped in a bed sheet. The CDS died
on the way to hospital, as per the res-
cue worker. The condition of Group
Captain Varun Singh, the lone survivor

Gen Bipin Rawat
of the IAF chopper crash, is critical but
stable, and undergoing treatment at the
Command Hospital in Bengaluru. He is a
decorated officer and was on board the
Russian-made chopper as the liaison
officer for the visit of Gen Rawat, India’s
senior-most military officer, to the De-
fence Services Staff College in Welling-
ton. He was conferred with the Shaurya
Chakra in August for averting a possi-
ble mid-air accident after his Tejas light
combat aircraft was hit by a major tech-
nical accident last year.
Possible reasons of crash
However, some possible reasons have
emerged that might have led to the
chopper crash involving CDS Gen Bipin
Rawat. Initial reports suggest that bad
weather may have led to the crash of
the IAF’s Mi-17V5 chopper. Low visibil-
ity owing to foggy conditions may have
caused the crash. The initial assessments
from eyewitness accounts suggest that
the copter may have hit a “terrain”, in
this case the hills. The helicopter debris
was strewn over a large area of the val-
ley, suggesting it hit a hill before hurtling
down and catching fire, sources said.
Weather reports suggest there was sud-
den clouding in the area. The helicopter
took off from Sulur after 11 am — consid-
ered a grey zone because of the unpre-
dictable weather in the Nilgiris after 11
am in winter.
Also, it will be established if the mili-
tary plane carrying General Rawat from
Delhi to Sulur was delayed, hence delay-
ing the take-off from Sulur beyond 11 am
– the grey zone. Investigators will also
find out if Chief of Defence Staff Gen-
eral Rawat was told about the possible
bad weather en route. A road cavalcade
was kept ready for them to use at Sulur.
While the chopper carrying CDS Gen
Bipin Rawat crashed in an area away
from human habitation, there is specula-
tion that it might have been entangled in
power lines. The Indian Air Force (IAF)
Eminent strategic
analyst Brahma
Chellaney was among
those who referred
to the Taiwan crash
as he tweeted, “Gen.
Rawat’s death has an
eerie parallel with
the helicopter crash
in early 2020 that
killed Taiwan’s chief of
general staff, Gen. Shen
Yi-ming, and 7 others.
has initiated an inquiry that will likely
determine the height at which the chop-
per began its descent before crashing in
the Katteri-Nanchappanchathram area
in the hilly Nilgiris district.
Enquiry reports would be eagerly
awaited in view of conspiracy theories
TEHELKA / 31 DEC 2021 00
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CHOPPER CRASH
that have emerged after the crash. Many
social media users alleged China could
have orchestrated the incident, given
the ongoing standoff with Ladakh. Many
of these conspiracy theories referred to
a similar accident in Taiwan last year.
In early January 2020, Taiwan’s chief of
general staff general Shen Yi-ming and
seven others were killed when the heli-
copter they were travelling in crashed
in mountains near Taipei. Shen was the
senior-most official in the Taiwanese mil-
itary and a key figure in its air force. The
helicopter that crashed was a US-made
UH-60M Black Hawk.
Eminent strategic analyst Brahma
Chellaney was among those who re-
ferred to the Taiwan crash as he tweeted,
“Gen. Rawat’s death has an eerie parallel
with the helicopter crash in early 2020
that killed Taiwan’s chief of general staff,
Gen. Shen Yi-ming, and seven others,
including two major generals. Each heli-
copter crash eliminated a key figure in
the defence against PRC’s aggression.”
However, he emphasized the crashes
were not necessarily connected. Chel-
laney wrote, “The strange parallel doesn’t
mean there was any connection between
the two helicopter crashes or an outside
hand. If anything, each crash has raised
important internal questions, especially
about maintenance of military helicop-
ters transporting top generals.”
Interestingly, China’s state-run Global
Times took note of Chellaney’s Tweet.
The Global Times handle claimed Chel-
laney’s view was akin to suspecting the
US was involved in the crash that killed
Rawat due to its opposition to India’s
decision to buy the S-400 missile sys-
tem from Russia. Global Times tweeted,
“This view is like suspecting the US
played a role in the crash because India
and Russia are moving forward with
the delivery of a Russian S-400 missile
defence system, which the US strongly
opposed.” Chellaney accused the Global
Times of misusing his tweet and argued
its response “sadly points to the depraved
mindset of the CCP folks”. He had noted
the death of Rawat during the “warlike
situation along the Himalayan front”
could not have come at a “worse time”.
tehelkaletters@gmail.com
Bastar admn takes steps to
prop up age-old Dhokra art
The formation of the Bastar Kala Gudi, an artisan producer organisation, is expected to help Dhokra

A
artisans command the right price for their products.. A report by deepanwita gita niyogi
wahi is a quintessential Bastar
village, but tucked away in its
dusty lanes are skilled tribal
artisans who create magic
with their hands. Here, about
10-12 craftsmen work on Chhattisgarh’s fa-
mous Dhokra or bell metal art which has
connoisseurs all over the world.
Of late, developmental activities are
taking place in Bastar district in southern
Chhattisgarh once infamous for Left-wing
extremism. These include the establish-
ment of home stays for tourists to art cafes
for the promotion of the artistic tempera-
ment in youth. Support is also being pro-
vided to established artisans.
One such person, Sonadhar Kashyap,
is a resident of Alwahi. Kashyap has been
making Dhokra craft pieces since his
youth. A fine Dhokra item mainly used for
decoration purposes can take two to three
days to make. Sitting in the courtyard of his
house, Kashyap explained the painstaking
and long process involved to create each
exquisite piece.
To start with, a clay model cast has to be
created from red mud sourced from river
beds. Sometimes, animal shapes like that
of deer or elephant are made. After dry-
ing the clay model in the sun, thin layers
of blackish wax threads are used to cover
it and give the required design. There is
a second round of mud application. “Fi-

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22 WWW.TEHELKA.COM
nally, the item is baked in the fire at
high temperature which melts the
wax and then molten brass is poured
through a cavity which takes the
shape of the wax imprint,” the artisan
said. For this artisans set up a tradi-
tional kiln or ‘bhatti’ using wood pel-
lets and coal.
Expert artisans like Kashyap make
various Dhokra items, both big and
small, and send the finished products
to Bastar district headquarters Jagda-
lpur and other urban markets in the
district. One small Dhokra art piece
costs Rs 300 in the retail market and
prices can go up to Rs 12,000 depend-
ing on the size and craftsmanship of
the piece. However, Kashyap admit-
ted that smaller pieces sell faster than
larger ones.

Interventions to help artisans

Artisans in Alwahi admitted that
Dhokra is in high demand among
customers. To help them continue
the age-old craft and reap profit, the
Bastar district administration has
launched several measures.
One of the steps has been the formation
of the Bastar Kala Gudi Hasthshilp Pro-
ducer Company Limited, an artisan pro-
ducer organisation, to promote artisans
like Kashyap who had been traditionally
making less profit till recently. Apart from
ensuring standard rates for raw materials
like brass and offering artisans best rates
for their finished products, the organisa-
tion will also help absorb shock if products
are not sold immediately. Bastar Kala Gudi
chief executive officer Suhail Sheikh said
most artisans have small set ups at home
and thus the production is quite slow de-
spite high market demand.
Besides launching the artisan organisa-
tion, a space was also needed for aggregat-
ing craftsmen where they can come, stay
and work. For this, the Bastar Art Cafe, a
Pondicherry-like place in the heart of Jag-
dalpur, has been set up where small hut-
ments have been created especially for
artisans. The cafe site where there used to
be an old pump house dating back to the
colonial times is right next to the famous
Dalpat Sagar Lake.
Dhokra artisan Narsingh Nag from
Chilkuti village of Bastar expressed satis-
faction with the Bastar Kala Gudi which
he feels will help artisans to a great extent
in the time to come. Nag, who earns Rs
10,000-12,000 per month, said that ear-
lier artisans failed to get the desired rates
and a lot of bargaining happened with
middlemen. Nag is interested in visiting
the Bastar art cafe where he feels artisans
would be able to devote more time with a
greater degree of concentration. The arti-
san makes products amounting to 30-50
kg every month.
Overcoming problems
Gaurav Kushwaha, one of the founders of
e-commerce platform Lokabazar founded
last year in October to promote artisans
of Bastar, pointed out that brass, the most
important thing needed to make Dhokra
art pieces, is becoming expensive. “Just a
year back, artisans used to buy it at Rs 300
per kg but now it has reached Rs 450-500
per kg. Another challenge is that artisans
buy scrap brass from various traders and
lack a fixed continuous supply chain from
which they can purchase at a fixed rate,”
Kushwaha said. He is hopeful that through
the art cafe, the problem of accessing brass
would be solved.
To make things even more lucrative
for artisans, the latest push is towards the
creation of utility Dhokra items which
were missing as most artisans were in
favour of making traditional showpieces.
Modernisation in techniques, especially in
the heating and firing processes, are also
welcome as artisans have to work hard en-
gulfed by smoke.
Bastar district collector Rajat Bansal
said under the Bastar Kala Gudi, artisans
have been registered and tie-ups have
been entered into with major online sites
to provide them the best platforms to sell
products.
“The biggest challenge is the problem of
positioning products in the market at the
best possible rates to ensure profitability to
artisans. Most of them are not conversant
with online retail at all. They just hand over
their products in bulk to middlemen, who
sell at premium prices but cheat artisans
of their due,” Bansal added. Kushwaha,
who visits remote villages to connect with
artisans, feels that positive interventions
like these can help traditional artisans
continue the craft.
tehelkaletters@gmail.com

TEHELKA / 31 DEC 2021 00

23 WWW.TEHELKA.COM
 COLUMN

With Leena Nair named

Global CEO of Chanel, more
NEWS & Indians climb to the top
VIEWS Newly appointed Global CEO of French luxury group Chanel, Leena Nair
BHARAT HITESHI joins long list of Indian-origin executives who have bagged top jobs at large

A
tech firms. Parag Agrawal who was recently appointed as CEO of Twitter Inc
Hiteshi is an
independent journalist- nother Indian has landed the
turned-author and a top job with a global leader
political commentator. as Leena Nair who holds the
The views expressed distinction of being “the first
are his own female, first Asian, young-
est ever” chief human resources officer
(CHRO) of Unilever, has been named
Global CEO of the French luxury group
Chanel.
Unilever confirmed in a statement,
“Leena Nair, CHRO, has decided to leave
the company in January 2022 to pursue a
new career opportunity as Global Chief
Jack Patrick Executive Officer, Chanel Ltd”.
Dorsey, who is Only recently when Parag Agrawal
was appointed as CEO of Twitter Inc, it
a co-founder of had once again turned the limelight on
Twitter, announced Indian-Americans leading global technol-
that he was ogy giants.
Parag Agrawal was born on May 21, 1984
resigning as CEO in Ajmer, Rajasthan and his father was a
of Twitter, and senior officer in the Department of Atomic
Energy while his mother was a school
that Agrawal was teacher. He won a gold medal at the 2001
replacing him with International Physics Olympiad in Turkey
and obtained his engineering degree in
immediate effect. Computer Science from IIT Bombay and nu Narayen to IBM’s Arvind Krishna; from
This makes India then a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Micron Technology’s Sanjay Mehrotra to
Stanford University. On November 29, Palo Alto Networks’ Nikesh Arora; from
the crucible of top- 2021, Jack Patrick Dorsey, who is a co- VMWare’s Rangarajan Raghuram to Arista
notch management founder of Twitter, announced that he Networks’ Jayshree Ullal, the list of global
talent, almost was resigning as CEO of Twitter, and that
Agrawal was replacing him with immedi-
Indian technology CEOs is making every
Indian proud.
a CEO factory, ate effect. Little doubt that MP Shashi Tharoor
churning out This makes India the crucible of top-
notch management talent, almost a CEO
tweeted immediately thereafter that as
much as we are proud of India, India is
top-notch IT factory, churning out top-notch IT profes- proud of us and attached a list of top-notch
professionals to sionals to head global giants. This has add- Indians heading global technology compa-
ed a new dimension to India’s soft power. nies. Then there are many Indians leading
head global giants. From Microsoft’s Satya Nadella to Alpha- global firms in the non-tech space – Ivan
bet’s Sundar Pichai; from Adobe’s Shanta- Menezes, CEO of Diageo; Vas Narasimhan

TEHELKA / 31 DEC 2021 00

24 WWW.TEHELKA.COM

of Novartis, Sandeep Kataria of Bata, Punit
Renjen of Deloitte, Laxman Narasimhan
of Reckitt Benckiser, Sonia Syngal of GAP;
Mahesh Madhavan of Bacardi Martini
and Sameer Suneja of Perfetti Van Melle.
The rise of Indian CEOs is a strong reaf-
firmation of the fact that the world recog-
nizes meritocracy enabling the best talent
to rise to the very top, irrespective of race,
nationality or humble background. Across
the globe, they reward merit; there is an
opportunity for all; and if you keep your
nose clean and work hard and produce
results, they will let you rise to the top.
Until the 1990s, there were very few In-
dian Americans in the top echelons of the
corporate sector but this glass ceiling was
broken in the mid-1990s. By the 2000s,
more Indian Americans joined the rank
of CEOs.
In 2001, when PepsiCo named Indra
Nooyi as its CEO, she became the first
Indian American woman to head a
Fortune 100 company. Nooyi, who was
born in Madras now called Chennai in
Tamil Nadu had made the country proud
by becoming Chairperson and CEO of
PepsiCo. She received bachelor’s degrees
in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics
from Madras Christian College and Post
Graduate Programme from IIM Calcutta.
In 1978, Nooyi was admitted to Yale School
of Management and moved to the USA
where she earned a Master’s degree in
Public and Private Management in 1980.
Beginning her career in India, Nooyi held
product manager positions at Johnson
& Johnson and Strategy Consultant at Bos-
ton Consulting Group. She has consist-
ently ranked among the World’s 100 most
powerful women. In fact in 2014, she was
ranked at number 13 on the Forbes list of
The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women
and was ranked the second most power-
ful woman on the Fortune list in 2015.
Then in 2017, she was ranked the second
most powerful woman once more on
the Forbes list of The 19 Most Powerful
Women in Business.
A look at the revenue reveals that
many Indian American CEOs lead US
companies that generated the combined
revenue which was greater than the GDP
of many countries. This augurs well for
Indian CEOs to live their dreams. Bank-
ing is another space where Indians have
significant global presence in leadership
– often attributed to Indians’ sharp minds
for numbers. Think Vikram Pandit, Citi’s
Global CEO between 2007-12; Anshu
Jain who ran Deutsche Bank till a few
years ago and Singapore’s DBS Bank CEO
Piyush Gupta.
Sundar Pichai | CEO, Alphabet | Google
CEO Sundar Pichai was born in Tamil
Nadu’s capital Chennai and grew up in
the city. Pichai received a B. Tech from the
Indian Institute of Technology-Kharagpur
and holds an MS in Engineering and Ma-
terials Science from Stanford University
and an MBA from the Wharton School.
He has been heading Google since 2015.
He had replaced then CEO and Founder
Larry Page.
◆ Satya Nadella, who replaced Steve
Ballmer as the chairman of Microsoft, was
born in Hyderabad on August 19, 1967. He
graduated from Manipal Institute of Tech-
nology, Karnataka in 1988 as an electrical
engineer. He then earned his master’s
degree in Computer Science at the
University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, the
US in 1990 and MBA from the University
of Chicago Booth School of Business. He
started his career at Sun Microsystems.
He had served as Executive Vice Presi-
dent of Microsoft’s Cloud and Enterprise
Group, prior to becoming CEO.
◆ Shantanu Narayen | CEO, Adobe |
Hyderabad-born Shantanu Narayen is the
CEO of Adobe Inc. since 2007, leading the
transformation of the company, moving
its creative and digital document software
franchises. Before joining Adobe in 1998
as senior vice-president of worldwide
product development, Narayen worked
with Silicon Valley start-up Measurex
Automation Systems in 1986 and later
moved to Apple from 1989 to 1995. In 1996
TEHELKA / 31 DEC 2021 00
25 WWW.TEHELKA.COM
CORPORATE
A look at the revenue
reveals that many
Indian American CEOs
lead US companies
that generated the
combined revenue
which was greater
than the GDP of many
countries. This augurs
well for Indian CEOs to
live their dreams.
he co-founded Pictra Inc., a company that
pioneered the concept of digital photo
sharing over the internet. Narayan was
also a member of former US President
Barack Obama’s Management Advisory
Board. He received his bachelor’s in
electronics and communication engi-
neering from the University College of
Engineering, Osmania University, an
MBA from UC Berkeley and his master’s
in computer science from Bowling Green
State University.
◆ Arvind Krishna | Indian-origin Krish-
na, an alumnus of the Indian Institute of
Technology, Kanpur, joined computer
hardware company IBM in 1990s. He was
appointed as IBM’s CEO in January 2020,
succeeding Ginni Rometty. From holding
a General Manager role in Information
management software and systems and
technology group of IBM, then serving
as senior vice president IBM Research
and later as senior vice president of IBM’s
cloud and cognitive software division,
Krishna has been a pioneer for the com-
pany’s building and expansion.
◆ Nikesh Arora - chief executive officer
and chairman of Palo Alto Networks. He
has served as the vice-chairman of Soft-
Bank Corp. and CEO of SoftBank Internet
and Media, Inc. (SIMI). He graduated
from the Indian Institute of Technology,
Varanasi in 1989, with a Bachelor’s degree
in Electrical Engineering.
tehelkaletters@gmail.com
Unstinted public support
a vital cog in ryots’ victory
The farmers call off the stir following the repeal of 3 farm laws and acceptance of their key demands
including compensation to the kin of martyr farmers and withdrawal of police cases against them.
The government has agreed to form a committee to decide the MSP issue. reports mudit mathur
T
heIndian farmers once
again relived the spirit of
Gandhian legacy inspired
by Champaran Satyagraha
-- the power of peace, truth
and non-violence -- compelling Prime
Minister Narendra Modi to climb down
ahead of major assembly polls, for the
unconditional revocation of three
farm laws and acceptance of all the
key demands of the agitating farmers
including compensation to the kin of
martyr farmers, withdrawal of police
cases registered against them during
their movement by the Union and state
governments.
Farmers unions announced end-
ing year-long of mass protests on the
peripheries around Delhi where thou-
sands of farmers from Punjab, Hary-
ana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan have
been camping since November 2020,
demanding withdrawal of three “black
laws.” However, the Union government
did not concede their demand for sack-
ing union minister of state for Home
Affairs Ajay Misra Teni, whose convoy,
allegedly, mowed down farmers merci-
lessly killing four farmers and a jour-
nalist besides injuring dozens of farm-
ers in Lakhimpur Kheri.
The unions will meet again on Janu-
ary 15 under the aegis of SKM in the
capital to monitor and review whether
TEHELKA / 31 DEC 2021 00
26 WWW.TEHELKA.COM
the government has kept its promises
to unconditionally withdraw cases filed
against farmers’ protests, disbursement
of compensation to the kin of farm-
ers who died during the protests and
formation of a committee to ensure
that all farmers can avail remunera-
tive rates for their produces. Based on
feedback on above issues, the farmers
would take major decision –– whether
to campaign against the BJP in the up-
coming UP and Uttarakhand polls or
not? This is also a contentious issue on
which various factions of farmers’ un-
ions have divergent viewpoints.
Farmers’ leader Rakesh Tikait, who
spearheaded nation-wide movement
remained noncommittal over his plans
to campaign against BJP in upcoming
elections. “I will let my decision known
to my supporters at the earliest. I will
go in different parts of Uttar Pradesh.
Nobody can stop me,” he added. “If gov-
ernment does not fulfil our demands
we will resume our protests,” Tikait
clarified. “Our borders will be cleared
by 15th December. People have started
going back homes happily over resolu-
tion of their demands,” he added. “We
have nothing against government in
our hearts but only time can tell what
will they do for us,” Tikait asserted.
The first non-violent Champaran
Satyagraha of farmers’ uprising was
against un-remunerative forced cul-
tivation of indigo with barely any pay-
ment for it, coincidently, the history re-
peated itself after more than a century
when India faced just identical crisis
over last one year when Indian farm-
ers felt their existence threatened once
again with enactment of three farm
 AGITATION

back their homes after celebrating a ‘Vi-

jayDiwas’ for their achievements. The
farmers’ unions performed Fateh Ardas
(victory prayer) and took out a Fateh
March (victory march) at Singhu and
Tikri protest sites on Delhi’s borders on
December 11 before they dispersed for
Punjab. Peasant leaders have planned to
pay obeisance at the Golden Temple in
Amritsar on December 13.
SKM thanked trade unions, women’s
organisations, youth/student groups
who struggled along with farmers in this
agitation, lawyers who extended legal
aid and solidarity, doctors who set up
medical camps and gave their untiring
services, various religious bodies that set
up langar and fed the protestors uncon-
ditionally and uninterruptedly, various
progressive organisations that stood in
support including human rights groups,
numerous artists who were there con-
stantly with the movement. Numerous
The farmers fought and won historic battle organizations continuously and consist-
against the government on the strength of ently responded to SKM calls for action.
the support of the people who provided all Highway dhaba owners and people who
gave space for the Kisan Andolan to run
logistic support and maintained supplies of its organisational meetings.
food and essential commodities in their camps They also thanked NRIs and interna-
tional farmers’ organisations and others
surrounding national capital Delhi. The ‘Langars’ who took up solidarity actions in their
organised by the Sikh community was also one own locations. The role of hundreds of
volunteers who participated by giving
of the decisive factors behind the longest and their support was also hailed..
historic protest in free India. The agitation was just called off on a
letter of assurance from the government
without any bilateral written agreement
with them. In a letter issued in the name
laws allegedly designed to help corporate of Champaran Satyagraha furnished a of the leadership of Samyukt Kisan Mor-
market forces as a part of majoritarian- blueprint of inspirations to Indian youths cha (SKM) by the Secretary, Ministry of
ism policies of the BJP government. The for achieving freedom through non-vio- Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Sanjay
movement emerged as one of the tough- lent methods, toppling British empire in Agrawal, the central government agreed
est challenges for Prime Minister Naren- India. to form a committee to decide the MSP
dra Modi. The farmers fought and won his- issue. The committee will consist of gov-
Champaran Satyagraha led by Mahat- toric battle with the government on the ernment officials, agriculture experts
ma Gandhi has been considered a unique strength of people’s support providing and representatives from the SKM, the
turning point in the history of freedom all logistic support maintaining supplies umbrella body of farmer unions that has
struggle as first uprising of the farm- of food and essential commodities in led this protest.
ers against feudal colonial oppressive their camps surrounding national capi- The Centre has also agreed to drop all
rule of Britishers in India. It took place tal Delhi. The “Langars” (offering of food police cases against farmers in connec-
in Champaran district of Bihar in 1917 to everyone in pilgrimage) organised by tion with their agitation and also those
during the British colonial period. The the Sikh community was also one of the filed by Haryana and Uttar Pradesh re-
farmers in Chamaparan were compelled decisive factors behind the longest and garding violent clashes with security
by European planters to grow indigo on historic protest in free India. Thousands forces over the past several months in-
at least 3/20th of their land and sell it at of protesting farmers camped out on the cluding complaints of stubble burning.
prices fixed by the planters. The success borders of Delhi for 380 days have gone It has assured the farmers that all cases

TEHELKA / 31 DEC 2021 00

27 WWW.TEHELKA.COM
against them relating to the protests
will be immediately withdrawn and
has appealed to all states to do the same.
Haryana and Uttar Pradesh have
given in principle agreement to com-
pensation for farmers who lost their
lives, and Punjab has already has made
an announcement, the Centre’s letter
says. This is also being seen as a victory
for farm unions as the government had
told parliament just a few days back
that it had no record of the number of
farmers who died during the protests.
Farmers ridiculed government saying,
“They can count exact number of cau-
salities happened in the darkness when
the surgical strike took place in Paki-
stan, but they can’t see it with farmers
in broad daylight.” The Bill on electric-
ity will also be introduced only after
consulting all stakeholders, including
SKM, regarding the sections that affect
farmers.
The sudden announcement of re-
pealing the three farm laws on “Guru
Purab” by Prime Minister Narendra Dedicating the fabulous and historic victory
Modi in coming winter session of par- to about 715 martyrs during the year-long
liament failed to break deadlock. Hav-
ing repealed the three controversial struggle including those in Lakhimpur Kheri
farm laws, the Union Home Minister carnage, SKM congratulated, “all the protesting
Amit Shah initiated to break the im-
passe reaching out to the farmers by farmers, their supporters and citizens for
making just a phone call to discuss whole-heartedly waging an unprecedented
outstanding issues after their protests
continued despite the repeal of the struggle and for the magnificent victory.”
farm laws in Parliament. “We will hold
a review meeting on 15 January. If the
government doesn’t fulfil its promises, leaders. both in terms of size as well as unity and
we may resume the protest,” farmers’ In joint a communique of the SKM peaceful nature of the protest,” said All
leader Gurnam Singh Charuni warned leaders –– Balbir Singh Rajewal, Dr India Kisan Sabha leader Hannan Mol-
government when media persons Darshan Pal, Gurnam Singh Charuni, lah. “After today’s proposal from the
asked supposing if government did not Hannan Mollah, Jagjit Singh Dallewal, government, I feel we have achieved
follow the understanding later? Joginder Singh Ugrahan, Shiv Kumar 95% of the SKM’s demands,” added
Dedicating the fabulous and historic Sharma ‘Kakkaji’, Yudhvir Singh, Yo- Krantikari Kisan Union leader Darshan
victory to about 715 martyrs during the gendra Yadav –– formally announced Pal.
year-long struggle including those in suspension of current agitation with Surprised over the unexpected re-
Lakhimpur Kheri carnage. SKM con- the lifting of the Morchas surrounding treat from the PM Modi, many leaders
gratulated, “all the protesting farmers, Delhi borders on national highways left with the notes of caution as well.
their supporters and citizens for whole- and various other locations. “Battle has “Farmers have decided to suspend
heartedly waging an unprecedented been won and the war to ensure farm- this agitation for now, but the move-
struggle and for the magnificent victo- ers’ rights, especially to secure MSP as ment will not end. The fight for farmers’
ry.” “Farmers’ unity, peace and patience a legal entitlement for all farmers, will rights will continue,” said senior Punjab
has been the key to the victory, and this continue,” it added. leader Balbir Singh Rajewal, who heads
will not be allowed to contravene in “This is a historic victory for Indian his own faction of the Bharatiya Kisan
any circumstance,” vowed the farmers’ farmers after a historic movement Union. Gurnam Singh Chaduni, anoth-

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28 WWW.TEHELKA.COM
 AGITATION

er leader of Haryana-based BKU faction, whose families were given compensa- ernment in the state after the upcoming
warned, “We will resume our protests if tion and employment by the Punjab gov- assembly polls it would give Rs 25 lakh
the government does not keep its prom- ernment. “We found out that Punjab gov- to the families of each of the 700 farm-
ises”. Farmer leader Gurnam Singh Chad- ernment has paid compensation of Rs. 5 ers who died during the protests.“There
huni said, “The Samyukta Kisan Morcha- lakh each to the kin of more than 400 should have been a discussion on the
led farmers’ agitation is being suspended farmers. Of these 400 farmers’ families, farm laws, which have been repealed.
because the Centre has agreed to our 152 have also been given jobs also. I have While the BJP should have informed how
demands.” However, he warned that the one more list of 70 farmers from Hary- the repeal has benefited the farmers, the
agitation could be resumed if the Centre ana,” he added. Opposition could have a chance to raise
“backtracks from its promises.” Demanding a statement from the the issue,” Akhilesh remarked.
The demands include law guaran- government on the issue, Congress Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president
teeing Minimum Support Price (MSP), members along with DMK and NCP col- Mayawati urged for a proper law to de-
withdrawal of proposed Electricity Re- leagues walked out of the House raising fine the Minimum Support Price for
forms and Seed Bills and sacking of un- slogans against the government when crops. She hailed the repeal of the laws
ion minister of state for Home Affairs their adjournment motion was disal- as the victory of democracy but pointed
Ajay Misra Teni whose convoy mowed lowed by the chair. out that the Centre was silent on the de-
down farmers killing four farmers and Congress general secretary Priyanka mands of farmers on a guaranteed MSP.
a journalist besides injuring She called for a discussion in
dozens of farmers. They also Parliament about taking “solid
demanded withdraw of jail steps” for the upliftment of
term for stubble burning,
50% subsidy on diesel and
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh farmers.
Shiromani Akali Dal MP
withdrawal of filed against Yadav said if his party forms the Harsimrat Kaur Badal com-
farmers. In an open letter to next government in the state after mented, “I congratulate the
the Prime Minister, Samyukt farmers on their victory today.
Kisan Morcha sought im- the upcoming assembly polls it But 700 farmers lost their lives
mediate withdrawal of ac- would give Rs 25 lakh each to the during their year-long protest
tion against farm protesters against farm laws. We will al-
who “have been implicated families of 700 farmers who died ways stand with and for the
in hundreds of cases during during the protests.“There should farmers.”
this movement (June 2020 The future course of farm-
till date) in Delhi, Haryana, have been a discussion in the House ers’ agitation would depend
Chandigarh, Uttar Pradesh on farm laws,” Akhilesh remarked. on the wisdom of the govern-
and several other states.” ment, particularly, of Prime
Raising their key de- Minister Narendra Modi, who
mand on MSP, the SKM let- is positioning himself to re-
ter said: “Minimum Support Price based Gandhi Vadra alleged that Prime Min- gain reins of power in the general elec-
on the comprehensive cost of produc- ister Narendra Modi’s statement two tions of 2024. But he has to overcome full
tion (C2+50%) should be made a legal weeks ago announcing the repeal of the blown anti-incumbency factors already
entitlement of all farmers for all agricul- legislation was hollow as the Bill with- boggling the minds of his committed
tural produce, so that every farmer of the drawing the laws was cleared without electorate. People have started question-
country can be guaranteed at least the a discussion on farmers’ demands re- ing his performance results over his tall
MSP announced by the government for garding MSP and the Lakhimpur Kheri promises doubling farmers income and
their entire crop.” “massacre”. promises of employment to the youth.
Former Congress president Rahul Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge So, the time has come to heal the wounds
Gandhi in the winter session of parlia- too followed the party lines while con- of farmers who were attempted to be
ment asked the Union Government to gratulating the farmers who fought for isolated with all sorts of tarnishing jibe
provide compensation and jobs for the their rights and attained victory. He re- trolls -- Khalistani, Terrorist, Maoist, Tuk-
next of kin of farmers who died during iterated the support for the demand of de-tukde gang -- to discredit their non-
the year-long agitation against the three compensation to the bereaved families of violent and peaceful non-cooperation
farm laws on the borders of the national over 700 people who lost their lives dur- movement for safeguarding their rights
capital. ing the year-long protest.“We will contin- to have remunerative support price for
Moving an adjournment motion on ue to fight for farmers’ issues,” he added. all the agriculture produce.
the farmers’ issue, Rahul Gandhi tabled Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Ya-
a list in Lok Sabha of deceased farmers dav said if his party forms the next gov- tehelkaletters@gmail.com

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29 WWW.TEHELKA.COM
A string of desertions
dents Congress image as
Oppn’s pivot against BJP?
Already battered by repeated desertions, the Congress was dealt another blow when the 12 of the 18
party MLAs in Meghalaya jumped the ship and joined the TMC. Later, a political row erupted when
T
TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee questioned the existence of UPA. A report by amit agnihotri
he Congress losing lead-
ers to other parties over the
past years has thrown up a
question if such movements
could be dubbed as deser-
tions or riddance?
While the rivals allege that the Con-
gress has been losing leaders as it can
no longer provide them growth oppor-
tunities, the grand old party believes
such persons left for good.
In politics, it is natural that a party
will play down its leaders joining other
parties to cover up internal problems
while the rivals will highlight the de-
velopment to score a point.
The Congress blames the desertions
as the handiwork of BJP as well as the
TMC, with whom it works against the
saffron party in Parliament. The grand
old party blames the BJP for engineer-
ing defections to weaken the Congress
and accuses the TMC of trying to dent
Opposition unity by luring away its
leaders.
Over the past years, promising
young leaders leaving the Congress
usually got painted as a sign of weak
Abhijit Mukherjee, son of former
President Pranab Mukherjee, left
the Congress to join the TMC.
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central leadership whereas factional
fights in the state units were the real
culprit many a time.
The Congress is the only party in
the opposition camp with a pan-Indi-
an presence. Yet, desertions from the
grand old party have continued for
long and given rise to a question if the
organization has become complacent
since losing power at the Center in
2014?
Whatever be the truth, the issue is
once again being debated in the public
domain after 12 of 18 Congress MLAs
in Meghalaya ditched the party and
merged with the Trinamool Congress
making TMC the main opposition party.
The leaders who switched parties
included former chief minister Mukul
Sangma, who was Leader of the Oppo-
sition in the Assembly and was report-
edly unhappy with the central leader-
ship over appointment of Shillong MP
Vincent H Pala as state unit chief.
“Trinamool Congress has the po-
tential to be the real alternative to BJP,”
Mukul Sangma said after he joined the
TMC.
Before that, team members of poll
strategist Prashant Kishor were in
Shillong to weigh in on TMC’s options
ahead of the 2023 assembly polls. In
2012, the Meghalaya Pradesh Trinamool
Congress was formally launched with
an intention to contest 35 of the state’s
60 seats.
Days after the lawmakers quit, the

Congress received another jolt in Megha-
laya when its youth wing president Rich-
ard M Marak, a close aide of Mukul Sang-
ma, quit the grand old party.
Marak, who was state Youth Congress
chief, said: “I have been unhappy with the
party for quite some time now due to the
way the INC has been functioning. There
is a structural defect in the INC.”
“This has already been highlighted
many times in the past but there has
been no attempt to rectify this. Instead,
those who have pointed out these defects
have been vilified. The last stroke was the
appointment of the current president
(Vincent Pala) who has no regard for
the functioning of the party on Congress
principles,” Marak said. He claimed that
500 other workers had quit the party
across Meghalaya.
In fact, the trend of Congress losing
state leaders had started in March 2020
when former union minister Jyotiraditya
Scindia moved to the BJP and played a
role in the fall of the Kamal Nath govern-
ment, which had come to power in 2018.
Scindia was rewarded with a BJP Rajya
Sabha seat and is now a Union minister.
After Scindia left, there was specula-
tion over another young leader Sachin
Pilot in Rajasthan, who had differenc-
es with Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot,
switching sides. But, the two patched up
recently after a revamp of the state cabi-
net in which Pilot loyalists have been
accommodated.
In August this year, former Lok Sabha
member from Silchar in Assam and ex-
All-India Mahila Congress chief Sushmi-
ta Dev moved to the Trinamool Congress.
She is now a Rajya Sabha member from
TMC.
Other young leaders who left the Con-
gress before Sushmita are Jitin Prasada,
who is now BJP minister in Uttar Pradesh
and Pradyot Manikya Deb Barman in
Tripura.
When the Congress was in power at
the Centre, Jyotiraditya, Jitin and Sachin
were made ministers in the UPA I and II
governments to prepare them for future
roles. After the Congress lost power, they
played key roles in the party. Hence, their
exit made news.
After the Congress lost the 2021
West Bengal assembly elections, Ab-
hijit Mukherjee, son of former President
Pranab Mukherjee moved to the TMC,
which had defeated the BJP.
Before the state polls, Congress vet-
eran PC Chacko joined the NCP, which
is part of the LDF alliance in Kerala. The
LDF defeated the Congress-led UDF and
secured a second consecutive term in
Kerala assembly polls this year.
A four-term Lok Sabha MP, Chacko
has been in politics for at least four dec-
ades. He started his political life as an ac-
tivist of the Congress’s student wing Ker-
ala Students Union (KSU). He was elected
as general secretary of the KSU in 1968,
Congress veteran
PC Chacko with
Sharad Pawar after
joining the NCP.
then became the president of the Youth
Congress in Kerala in 1970.
Chacko was first elected to the Kerala
Assembly in 1980 and became a minister
in charge of Industries. He first became
an MP in 1991. He was the Chairman
of the Joint Parliamentary Committee
which examined matters relating to Al-
location and Pricing of Telecom Licences
and Spectrum. His departure indicated
division in the Kerala unit of Congress.
In September, former Goa chief min-
ister Luizinho Faleiro left the Congress
to join the TMC, which is trying to make
inroads in the costal state. Like Sushmita
Dev, he too is a Rajya Sabha member of
TMC now.
The migration from Congress con-
tinued when former UP lawmaker and
TEHELKA / 31 DEC 2021 00
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DEFECTIONS
senior leader Lalitesh Pati Tripathi left
the party to join the TMC. Later, former
Haryana Congress unit chief Ashok Tan-
war, Delhi Congress leader Kirti Azad and
former Janata Dal-United leader Pawan
Varma too joined the TMC in the pres-
ence of Mamata Banerjee. Tanwar had
formed his own Apna Bharat party after
quitting the Congress.
Indicating trouble in Jammu, around
20 leaders belonging to the Ghulam Nabi
Azad camp resigned from the Congress
recently. Azad, who has been touring the
region, denied he was floating a new po-
litical party but left everyone guessing by
saying that nothing could be predicted in
politics.
Recently, Azad had countered for-
mer union minister Salman Khurshid’s
comparison of Hindutva ideology with
that of Jihadist ISIS, saying it was wrong
and exaggerated. Khurshid had made the
comparison in his latest book “Sunrise
over Ayodhya: Nationhood in our times.”
Many in the Congress fear that Azad
might be getting support from the BJP
just like former chief minister Amarinder
Singh is getting in Punjab. Amarinder,
who was forced to resign as chief minis-
ter, quit the Congress in November and
floated his own political party Punjab Lok
Congress, which is likely to join hands
with the BJP for the 2022 assembly polls.
Punjab Aam Aadmi Party president
Bhagwant Mann too recently claimed
that a senior BJP leader had offered him
money and a place in the Union cabinet
if he joined the saffron party.
Without naming anyone, Mann, who
is Lok Sabha MP from Sangrur, claimed
the BJP had no base in Punjab and its
leaders were not allowed to enter vil-
lages as they faced anger of farmers
over the farm laws that were repealed
by the Centre recently.
The AAP, which defeated the BJP in
Delhi polls, is also vying for Goa to as-
sert itself as a strong anti-BJP player
over the Congress. The Congress had
emerged as the single largest party in
Goa in 2017 but the BJP forged alliances
with smaller parties and formed the
government. Later, 10 Congress MLAs
joined the BJP, when the grand old party
blamed the saffron party for murdering
democracy.
Uninspiring party show to blame?
The desertions could be explained to
the fact that the Congress has been out
of power at the Centre since 2014 and
has governments only in states like
Punjab, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh
while it shares power in Maharashtra,
Jharkhand and Tamil Nadu.
After ruling the Centre from 2004-
14, the Congress lost power to the BJP in
2014. The party’s Lok Sabha tally came
down from 206 in 2009 to 44 in 2014.
The tally marginally improved to 52 in
2019. In between the party lost power
in states like Maharashtra, Assam and
Haryana. Though it won Punjab in 2017,
Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhat-
tisgarh in 2018, the party lost MP to BJP
in 2020.
In the assembly elections held this
year, the party lost in Assam, West Ben-
gal and Kerala again but managed to
share power in Tamil Nadu as part of
DMK-Congress alliance. In West Bengal
the Congress joined hands with the Left
front but stayed away from TMC.
This performance of the grand old
party could have forced some leaders,
who were dissatisfied over the state of
affairs, to seek greener pastures. The
central leadership may not be directly
responsible for the exit of these young
leaders but it must take lessons from
such episodes which indirectly affect its
image at a time when the party is trying
to put up the face of a strong national
opposition.
The young guns bite the bullet
Sushmita Dev headed the All-India Ma-
hila Congress but had differences with
former Assam unit chief Ripun Bora
over alliance with AIUDF and distribu-
tion of tickets in the Barak Valley, her
area of influence. She also cited lack of
respect given to her by state leaders as
one of the reasons to quit the Congress
and move to the TMC. Now she is set to
play a role in pushing TMC prospects in
BJP ruled Tripura.
After losing the 2014 Lok Sabha polls,
Jitin Prasada had been sidelined in the
UP unit. Last year, he was given charge
of West Bengal just a few months ahead
of the assembly elections in 2021. He
had started his own Brahmin Chetna
Parishad to build up a community sup-
port base while still being in the Con-
gress. He is now a UP minister.
Jyotiraditya Scindia had been as-
sured the post of Madhya Pradesh state
unit chief by Rahul Gandhi after vet-
eran Kamal Nath was chosen as chief
minister in 2018. In 2019, he was given
TEHELKA / 31 DEC 2021 00
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charge of half of UP along with Priyan-
ka Gandhi Vadra to revive the party.
Scindia felt sidelined in the state unit
where former chief minister Digvijay
Singh worked closely with Kamal Nath.
The youngster got impatient, joined the
BJP, helped the saffron party come to
power, was sent to the Rajya Sabha and
recently became a union minister.
Pradyot Barman resigned as Tripura
unit chief following his differences with
state in charge Luizinho Faleiro and the
manner in which the party was being
run in the north-eastern state.
Sachin Pilot was deployed by Rahul
to revive the party in Rajasthan after
the 2013 poll debacle. He worked hard
and resurrected the party, which won
the 2018 assembly polls but veteran
Ashok Gehlot was made the chief min-
ister and Sachin got to play his deputy.
Later, he felt sidelined in the party and
government system, and led a rebellion
in 2020.
Mollifying the G-23 leaders
Congress losing state leaders and a
string of elections had led to unease in
the grand old party when a group of 23
senior leaders wrote a dissent letter to
Congress interim chief Sonia Gandhi
in August 2020, demanding a thorough
Jyotiraditya Scindia being welcomed into
saffron fold by BJP president J.P. Nadda

revamp of the organization, a full time
and visible president and elections for all
party posts down to the block level.
The dissenters, who came to be
known as the G23, were given a hearing
through an online meeting of the Con-
gress Working Committee, where they
were targeted by Gandhi family loyalists
for questioning the high command, but
were also given an assurance that their
concerns would be looked into.
However, nothing much happened
Congress senior leader Ghulam
Nabi Azad, who sort of led the
G23, and Anand Sharma, at the
former’s birthday celebrations.
and things moved at a usual pace till an
organizational reshuffle was carried out
in September in which a younger Jitin
Prasada, one of the signatories to the dis-
sent letter, was picked up, promoted as
an All India Congress Committee Gen-
eral Secretary and given the uphill task
of turning around the party’s fortune in
West Bengal, which was to have assem-
bly polls in April 2021.
The others, including the then Leader
of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha
Ghulam Nabi Azad, who sort of led the
G23, and his deputy in the upper house of
Parliament Anand Sharma, who headed
the party’s foreign affairs department,
were left wondering if a long spell of iso-
lation awaited them for writing the letter.
Azad’s membership of the Rajya
Sabha ended in February this year and
with no key party role given to him since
August, it looked like the veteran would
move to the margins till Sonia brought
him back on May 11 to head the Congress
Covid Relief Task Force.
In the September reshuffle, another
veteran and signatory to the dissent let-
ter Mukul Wasnik, was made in charge
of Madhya Pradesh. Punjab Lok Sabha
member Manish Tewari, who too had
signed the dissent letter, had been ac-
tive in Parliament since 2019 but was not
much involved in the party affairs.
He was made a member of the panel
reviewing the recent poll losses in As-
sam, West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and
Puducherry, the day Azad was named
head of the Covid relief group.
In March, another G23 member and
former Maharashtra chief minister
Prithviraj Chavan too was given the sen-
sitive task of screening the party’s candi-
dates for the high stakes Assam assembly
polls to benefit from his clean image.
TEHELKA / 31 DEC 2021 00
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DEFECTIONS
The high command was concerned
that any further delay in addressing the
issues raised by the seniors might push
them further away from the grand old
party and may even induce them to dam-
age the organization from within.
Party veteran Kapil Sibal, one of the
key G23 members, had questioned the
leadership over the Bihar assembly poll
loss but did not attend the December
meeting.
The leadership issue is finally going
The dissenters, who
came to be known as
the G23, were given
a hearing through an
online meeting of the
Congress Working
Committee, where
they were targeted by
Gandhi family loyalists
for questioning the high
command, but were also
given an assurance that
their concerns would be
looked into.
to be over in September next year when
the Congress internal elections will
culminate.
Oppn unity: Cong has its task cut out
The Congress, which is facing desertions,
still feels it is the natural anchor of a na-
tional opposition grouping against the
BJP but the TMC, which defeated the saf-
fron party in the West Bengal assembly
elections this year, is of the view that it is
more suitable for the role.
After winning a third consecutive
term as chief minister, Mamata Baner-
jee is looking at a greater national role
and is expanding her party beyond West
Bengal. out of national politics will amount to The Congress and the SP had joined
To begin with, the TMC is focusing on strengthening the current fascist forces. hands for the 2017 assembly polls in UP
Tripura and Goa, which will have assem- It is understandable that (Prime Minis- but the alliance did not work out. Since
bly elections in 2022. The TMC made a ter Narendra) Modi and his BJP feel that then both the parties have been trying
late entry in Goa and had to start by rop- Congress should be wiped out. This is to recover lost ground. On her part, Pri-
ing in Congress leader Luizinho Fareiro part of their agenda. But it is more dan- yanka has been trying hard to revive the
as it lacked organization in the state. For gerous when those fighting against Modi Congress and present it as an option.
Tripura, the TMC roped in Sushmita Dev. and his ideology think that the Congress In Assam, the Congress joined hands
The two leaders joining the TMC has should be wiped out,” said Shiv Sena with the AIUDF for the 2021 assembly
miffed the Congress which feels that the mouthpiece Saamna. polls but later dropped the partner as
regional party is deliberately taking its Raut met Rahul Gandhi indicating the pact did not work out. Before the
leaders. The TMC argues that the two growing bonhomie between the two polls, the Congress lost some leaders to
Congress leaders were looking for a parties and said that the Shiv Sena-NCP- the BJP. Earlier, the Congress had lost 9
change and as a political party it gave Congress ruling alliance in Maharashtra lawmakers led by Himanta Biswa Sarma
them space. in 2014 to the BJP. Sarma
The Congress also blames was made deputy CM in
the TMC for dividing the anti- 2016 and was promoted as
BJP votes in Goa, while the The rift in opposition unity came chief minister this year.
regional party argues that the out in the open when West Bengal Earlier, in August this
Congress lacks aggression to year Congress chief Sonia
defeat the BJP.
chief minister Mamata Banerjee Gandhi had sounded the
Many in the Congress recently questioned the existence poll bugle for the 2024 na-
believe that poll strategist
Prashant Kishor, who had
of Congress-led United Progressive tional elections and urged
the opposition parties to
sought to join the Congress Alliance. Separately, Kishor also rise above their compul-
recently, is behind the for- took a dig at the grand old party sions and work together to
mer Congress leaders joining take on the BJP.
the TMC. saying it had no divine right to lead Before the Parliament’s
Kishor advised the TMC the opposition. monsoon session, it was al-
during the April assembly leged that the Congress was
elections in West Bengal, and delaying its leadership issue
is now a poll strategist with and was shying away from
the party. represented a mini-UPA. He also ques- playing the role of an opposition anchor.
The rift in opposition unity came out tioned the need for too many opposition Things further changed by the time
in the open when West Bengal chief fronts saying the one led by Congress the Winter Session of Parliament start-
minister Mamata Banerjee recently was enough. The Sena leader said he had ed on November 29 when the TMC did
questioned the existence of Congress- urged Rahul to take lead on this front. not attend an opposition strategy meet-
led United Progressive Alliance. Sepa- Though another Maharashtra ally ing convened by Congress veteran and
rately, Kishor also took a dig at the grand NCP has been an old friend of the Con- Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya
old party saying it had no divine right to gress, its chief Sharad Pawar remarked Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge.
lead the opposition. in September that the grand old party Kharge responded by saying it was up
As part of her national projection, was behaving like zamindars of yester- to the TMC to take a call in the matter but
Mamata Banerjee travelled to Mumbai, years whose lands had been taken away stressed that the need of the hour was
where she met NCP chief Sharad Pawar and who were not able to maintain their greater opposition unity. He further said
and Shiv Sena leaders Aditya Thackeray Havelis. there was no question of severing ties
and Sanjay Raut. Interestingly, in poll-bound Ut- with Trinamool Congress just because
However, Raut later said that no op- tar Pradesh the Samajwadi Party has Mamata Banerjee had questioned the
position unity was possible without the snubbed the Congress and refused to United Progressive Alliance.
Congress, to which the TMC responded forge a pre-poll alliance with the grand The response of the Congress veteran
by saying that it was only trying to pull old party. SP chief Akhilesh Yadav’s com- showed that though the grand old party
the Congress out of its inertia and was all ment that the Congress was likely to win might be miffed over Mamata’s jibes, it
for the larger opposition unity. zero seats in the coming UP assembly was playing down the rivalry for now.
“It is true that Mamata Banerjee polls, irked party in charge Priyanka
finished the Congress, Left and BJP in Gandhi Vadra, who quipped if the SP tehelkaletters@gmail.com
West Bengal. But keeping Congress leader was an astrologer.

TEHELKA / 31 DEC 2021 00

34 WWW.TEHELKA.COM
Has the much touted BBBP
scheme met its targets?
A report tabled by the parliamentary panel on the Empowerment of Women in Lok Sabha, has
said that the central govt has spent a gigantic amount of funds allocated for its flagship scheme Beti
Bachao Beti Padhao on the media campaigns. How has the scheme fared, finds out anil manocha
T
he panel on Empowerment
of Women, chaired by BJP
lawmaker Dr Heena V Gavit,
also noted that out of a to-
tal of ₹446.72 crore released
during the period 2016- 2019, “a whop-
ping 78.91% was spent only on media
advocacy”.
The committee is headed by Heena
Vijaykumar Gavit and the report is
named Empowerment of Women
through education with special refer-
ence to Beti Bachao Beti Padhao. The
panel recommended that “it is time to
focus on other verticals by making am-
ple financial provisions to help achieve
measurable outcomes related to edu-
cation and health envisaged under the
scheme”.
Gavit acknowledged that the low
spending by states did not “an up to the
mark performance of the scheme.” “We
have recommended that the ministry
of women and child development im-
mediately takes up the issue with the
states to ensure proper utilization of
funds. The Committee has also said that
the nodal ministry must release funds
strictly on the basis of actual utilization
of earlier release and after proper scru-
tiny of expenditure/ utilization of the
previous funds,” Gavit said.
The flagship scheme of central
govt BBBP was launched in 2015 by
TEHELKA / 31 DEC 2021 00
35 WWW.TEHELKA.COM
the government with an aim to focus
on issues like sex-selective abortion
and the declining child sex ratio in the
country. The programme is currently
operational in over 400 districts across
India. The committee also reported on
the poor utilization of the total budget.
Since its inception in 2014-15 to 2019-
20, the total allocated budget under the
scheme was Rs 848 crore. This doesn’t
include the COVID year of 2020-21. Till
2019-20, a total of Rs 622.48 crore was
distributed to the states however, only
25.13 percent of the total money the
states got was spent by them under the
scheme. The Beti Bachao Beti Padhao
(BBBP) Scheme, launched by Prime
Minister Narendra Modion 22nd Janu-
ary, 2015 at Panipat in Haryana with
the objective of bringing behavioural
change in the society towards birth and
rights of a girl child, has resulted in in-
creased awareness and sensitization
of the masses regarding prevalence
of gender bias and role of commu-
nity in eradicating it. During the last 6
years the Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB)
has improved by 16 points from 918
in 2014-15 to 934 in 2019-20. Gross
Enrolment Ratio of girls in the schools
at secondary level has improved from
77.45 to 81.32.
Government claims that during
the last six years since its inception,
the BBBP scheme has been aiming at
changing the mindset of the public to
acknowledge the rights of the girl child.
The scheme has resulted in increased
awareness and sensitization of the
masses regarding prevalence of gender
bias and role of community in eradicat-
ing it. It has raised concerns around the
 bring the focus on important issue of
female infanticide, lack of education
amongst girls and deprivation of their
rights on a life cycle continuum. The
scheme has successfully engaged with
Community to defy the age old biases
against the girl child and introduce inno-
vative practices to celebrate the girl child.
◆ The BBBP logo has been much appre-
ciated and accepted by people. People are
using the BBBP logo on their own voli-
tion at various places such as school bus-
es, building, stationeries, transport vehi-
cles etc. to affirm their commitment to
the cause. Logo has also been mentioned
in popular Indian festivals like Lohri,
KalashYatra, Rakhi, Ganesh Chaturda-
shipandal, festival of flowers etc.
The frontline government employees
have been successfully collaborating at
the level of community for observing
the son centric rituals while celebrating
the birth of girl child i.e. Kuwapoojan,
As per the implementation guidelines described Thalibajana etc. Now mothers and girl
on the e-address of the Ministry of Women and children are being felicitated at commu-
nity level and in hospitals by Adminis-
Child Development, the two key components tration to establish the relevance of the
of BBBP include media campaigns and multi- girl child. BetiJanmotsav is one of the key
programme celebrated in each district.
sectoral intervention in selected gender critical The panel will now take up the issue
districts that perform poorly with respect to of a number of girl students dropping out
of schools amid the pandemic. As per the
child sex ratio. implementation guidelines described on
the e-address of the Ministry of Women
and Child Development, the two key
issue of declining CSR in India. As a result (2019-20), Mahendergarh (Haryana) components of BBBP include media
of the collective consciousness of the from 791 (2014-15) to 919 (2019-20), Re- campaigns and multi-sectoral interven-
people supporting the campaign, BBBP wari (Haryana) from 803 (2014-15) to 924 tion in selected gender critical districts
has found its place in public discourse. (2019-20), and Patiala (Punjab) from 847 that perform poorly with respect to child
Progress in terms of monitorable (2014-15) to 933 (2019-20), sex ratio. The report also mentioned that
targets: ◆ Percentage of 1st Trimester ANC Reg- the massive spend on advertisements
◆ Promising trends of improvement istration has shown an improving trend was clearly against the previously laid
in Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB) have been from 61% in 2014-15 to 71% in 2019-20. down formula for utilization of funds.
observed at National level. SRB has im- ◆ Percentage of Institutional Deliveries Sangeeta Kumari Singh Deo, a
proved by 16 points from 918 (2014-15) has shown an improving trend from 87% member of the panel, said, “Our initial
to 934 (2019-20), as per the HMIS data of in 2014-15 to 94% in 2019-20. estimates suggest that more girl stu-
MoH&FW. ◆ Gross Enrolment Ratio of girls in the dents dropped out of private schools
◆ Out of 640 districts covered under schools at secondary level has improved during Covid. The possible reasons
BBBP, 422 districts have shown improve- from 77.45 (2014-15) to 81.32 (2018-19-pro- might be that lack of internet facilities
ment in SRB from 2014-15 to 2018-2019. visional figures) as per UDISE-data. hampered education or that parents
◆ Some Districts which had very low ◆ Percentage of schools with functional might be uninterested in paying fees
SRB in 2014-15 have shown huge im- separate toilets for girls has shown im- when the schools remained closed. Gov-
provement after implementation of the provement from 92.1% in 2014-15 to 95.1% ernment schools faced little problem as
Scheme such as Mau (Uttar Pradesh) in 2018-19 (2018-19 provisional figure, as education is free there. We will study this
from 694 (2014-15) to 951 (2019-20), Kar- per UDISE-data carefully,” she said.
nal (Haryana) from 758 (2014-15) to 898 ◆ The BBBP scheme has been able to tehelkaletters@gmail.com

TEHELKA / 31 DEC 2021 00

36 WWW.TEHELKA.COM
COLUMN
Why Afghans should
suffer for Taliban act?
Afghanistan is in the throes of a major food shortage caused by the sudden
ASIAN DRAMA stoppage of funds by foreign agencies. India, which has historical ties with
A
SYED the war-torn country, should rally a global support for the suffering Afghans
NOORUZZAMAN
fghanistan under the Taliban
is faced with a crippling crisis
The columnist — former the extremists, perhaps, never
Deputy Editor of The realised before. The country
Tribune, Chandigarh — is struggling to cope with a
specialises in foreign major food shortage caused by
affairs. With a career the sudden stoppage of funds supply from
spanning 41 years, he foreign agencies, which must be addressed
keeps close watch on by the world community before it is too late.
issues related to South The crisis is the result of the stoppage of
Asian countries. The much of the financial aid the country had
views expressed are been getting till the US-backed government
personal was there in Kabul.
United Nations Development Programme
(Asia) Director Kanni Wignaraja said a
few days back that the sudden dramatic
withdrawal of international aid was an
unprecedented fiscal shock Afghanistan has
been suffering from after Taliban rule was
re-established as a result of a long struggle of
over two decades.
This has led to a situation when lives of
nearly 23 million Afghans --- over 50 per
cent of the country’s population --- including
3.2 million children, are threatened, accord-
ing to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organi-
sation (FAO) and the World Food Programme
(WFP). There is an opportunity for India,
which has historical relations with Afghani-
stan and has already spent a lot on rebuild-
ing of that country, not only to come forward
with more economic aid to save the Afghans
in distress, but also with a plan to persuade
the global community to ensure that the
people of the war-torn country should not
suffer if Taliban factions have recaptured
power in Kabul. This is the best way to make
China less attractive for the Afghans as also
to compel the Taliban to mend their ways to
become dependable for the outside world.
Experts are of the view that the Taliban
rulers today are not what they were when
they first established their government in
TEHELKA / 31 DEC 2021 00
37 WWW.TEHELKA.COM
1996-97 in a confusion-filled scenario. They
are now battle-hardened, reformed politi-
cians, serious about successfully governing
their country with a clear-cut objective of
putting Afghanistan back on the road to
socio-economic recovery. Therefore, the
world community, instead of putting a
spanner in the works, should facilitate the
task of rebuilding the country destroyed by
the circumstances beyond anyone’s control.
There is a major human crisis which must be
tackled effectively.
Any kind of contribution to get people en-
gaged in economic activity is bound to pro-
mote peace and stability in Afghanistan and
beyond. Yet, in the midst of all that is going
on there, the world needs to watch outside
forces like Pakistan that may be in search of
opportunities to play negative politics.
The recently held Delhi Regional Security
Dialogue on Afghanistan, mainly aimed at
discussing the evolving security scenario
and its regional and global ramifications,
could not avoid expressing concern over
the worst socio-economic and humanitar-
ian crisis faced by Kabul. The unanimously
agreed declaration issued at the end of the
dialogue underlined the need to provide “ur-
gent humanitarian assistance to the people
of Afghanistan”.
The Delhi declaration also had it that “hu-
manitarian assistance should be provided in
an unimpeded, direct and assured manner
to Afghanistan and that the assistance is
distributed within the country in a non-
discriminatory manner across all sections of
the Afghan society.”
The participants in the regional dialogue,
held in New Delhi at the initiative of India’s
National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval,
included the NSAs from Iran, Russia, Kazakh-
stan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan
and Uzbekistan. China and Pakistan, not
surprisingly, preferred to stay away. immediately, it may save Afghanistan from mass migration in the region and the
The declarations that Afghanistan’s the catastrophic consequences it is likely to world which will consequently create fur-
territory should not be allowed to be used face under the prevailing circumstances. ther humanitarian and economic issues,”
for terrorism and efforts must be made The ultimate beneficiaries will be the Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan
to prevent radicalisation of society are people of Afghanistan. It is not the people’s Muttaqi recently said in an open let-
bound to get support from one and all. fault if Taliban factions happen to be ruling ter aimed at shaking the conscience of
But the prevailing circumstances demand the roost. Such gestures may make the Washington DC. The letter clearly told US
that the global community, as its top pri- Taliban undergo a major transformation to Congress members to make the Afghan
ority, must also focus on saving millions of the liking of the global community. assets accessible to Kabul, otherwise
Afghan lives, including those of children, “If the current situation prevails, the economic turmoil in Afghanistan could
which may be lost due to an acute food Afghan government and people will face lead to trouble abroad. He made an appeal
shortage in the landlocked country if problems and will become a cause for to the US again a few days back, seeking
timely help remains missing.
Realisation has ultimately dawned
on Pakistan, which has at last listened to
saner advice for allowing the transporta-
tion of 50,000 tonnes of wheat plus life-
saving medicines to Afghanistan from
India through its land route, part of the
blocked humanitarian assistance worth
Rs 5 billion, but this is not enough. More
needs to be done to save the threatened
lives in Afghanistan.
The prevailing food crisis in Afghani-
stan will become more acute as winter
fully sets in when most parts of the
country will be snow-bound, difficult to be
accessed by anyone engaged in humani-
tarian activities.
According to the WFP’s Deputy Re-
gional Director for Asia and the Pacific,
Anthea Webb, “The drought (second
drought in less than three years) has
reduced the amount of food that people
can grow; so crops are down by 40 per release of Afghanistan’s seized funds by
cent. Jobs have evaporated, and food ending the black lists and the sanctions
prices have gone up. And so, all combines It is believed that at a meeting in Doha (Qatar) with the US
to be a perfect storm for people who were much of Afghanistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan.
already very poor and on the edge prior The new government in Kabul is un-
to the events of August (when the Taliban financial woes can come able to get sufficient financial aid from
recaptured power in Kabul).” to an end if the US de- abroad primarily because no country has
It is believed that much of Afghani- so far recognised the Taliban’s rule there.
stan’s financial difficulties can come to freezes Kabul’s nearly Not even Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Paki-
an end if the US de-freezes Kabul’s nearly $9.5 billion in assets stan which were among the few countries
$9.5 billion in assets belonging to the
Afghan Central Bank. But the Joe Biden
belonging to the Afghan which had come forward to establishing
diplomatic relations with the Taliban
administration argues that it cannot allow Central Bank. But the administration in 1996-97.
a Taliban-led government to access the
seized money mainly because the Taliban
Joe Biden administration The world cannot afford to keep quiet
while millions of Afghan lives remain en-
still remains on the US Treasury Depart- argues that it cannot dangered. A way must be found to ensure
ment’s “sanctions list”. This is what the allow a Taliban-led that the flow of foreign funds to Kabul is
Americans describe as a “technical” factor again there as a humanitarian gesture.
that comes in the way of Afghanistan’s government to access The cause of peace and stability in the
national funds being out of bounds for the the seized money world also demands it.
Taliban government.
If this “technical” factor is removed  tehelkaletters@gmail.com

TEHELKA / 31 DEC 2021 00

38 WWW.TEHELKA.COM
Steam gushing out of hot water
at one of the geothermal sites
Geothermal energy may provide
answer to Ladakh’s power woes
The Department of Science and Technology has set up a demonstration project on space heating using
geothermal energy at a local café in Ladakh. While the temperature dips to 15 degrees outside, thanks to the
T
nearby hot spring it remains a cosy 20 degrees inside the cafe. A report by raj machhan
hese days residents of Chuma-
thang, a village located on the
banks of river Indus near the
Indo-China border in Leh dis-
trict of the Union Territory of
Ladakh, flock to a local café to keep them-
selves warm. The temperatures outside
often plummet to as low as minus 15 de-
grees, but thanks to the nearby hot spring
it remains a cosy 20 degrees inside.
The relative comfort of the villagers
has been made possible by a Demonstra-
tion Project on Space Heating using Geo-
thermal Energy. The project is funded by
the Union Government’s Department of
Science and Technology with technical
inputs from Geological Survey of Iceland
(ISOR), Norwegian Geotechnical Institute
(NGI), Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geol-
ogy, Dehradun, and National Institute of
Technology, Hamirpur.
Says Rajeshwar Banshtu, Principal In-
vestigator from NIT Hamirpur, “We started
work on the demo in 2015 and it was ready
by 2017. It has cost us about Rs 40 lakhs to
put the system in place and to maintain
it.” The equipment for the demonstration
project has been sourced free of cost from
Norway and Iceland under the Indo-Nor-
wegian co-operation project. Scientists
from the two countries visited Ladakh
and chose Chumathang as the most suit-
able spot.
Apart from space heating, Geother-
mal energy is a major source of electric-
ity. Worldwide it produces 18 Gigawatts of
electric power, accounting for 30 per cent
of total energy requirements in countries
like Iceland. Says Bhoop Singh, Director
(retd), Department of Science and Tech-
nology, “Geothermal energy has huge
scope in India as well. It is clean energy. In
Chumathang, we found water tempera-
ture close to boiling point. We set up the
demonstration project and it has been
a good success, it is still functional. If you
look at the geothermal map of India, you
will find plenty of places with massive po-
tential for electricity generation.”
How is geothermal energy utilized for
heating closed spaces? The technology
involved is fairly simple. The space heat-
TEHELKA / 31 DEC 2021 00
39 WWW.TEHELKA.COM
ing system has a Heat Exchanger, located
inside a small pumping station, as its main
component. It acts much like the radiator
in an automobile. Water (average temper-
ature on-site at Chumathang is 78 degree
Celsius) is pumped to the exchanger from
the hot spring located nearby. The heat ex-
changer is connected to the café through a
closed loop, leak proof, insulated pipe. The
system has a special fluid, which is heated
by the exchanger. The fluid is circulated
through the closed loop pipe into the res-
taurant and back to the heat exchanger. It
is stored in a container in the café complex
to maintain its circulating volume.
The system has striking similarities
with the temperature mechanism of an
automobile, but in reverse. The coolant in
a vehicle cools the radiator whereas the
heating fluid in the geothermal system
heats up the space where it flows. The café
has two heat radiators connected to the
pipe to transmit the heat within the space.
Much of the Union Territory of Ladakh
is a cold desert. On an average, Chuma-
thang gets electric supply only for four
hours a day during winters (October to
March) from a diesel generator. Often
the village has to go without electricity
for days on end. Sourcing electricity for
the pumping station was one of the chal-
lenges faced by the scientists. The problem
was overcome by harnessing solar energy,
which is available in abundance in Ladakh.
Scientists have installed 24 solar panels,
each with a capacity to generate 100 Watts
of electricity, to meet the power require-
ments of the pumping station. Says café
owner Zodpa, “My business has flourished
since I agreed to put the system in place.
Earlier, I owned just the café, but now I
have built up two more floors for hotel
rooms.”
Due to heavy snowfall, presently,
Ladakh remains cut off for long periods
from rest of the country during the win-
ters. It has a population of 2.74 lakh with
a heavy Army presence owing to places
like Drass and Kargil in its territory. The
extreme winter temperatures often drop
to minus 30 degree Celsius in Leh district.
Geothermal energy could be the answer to
its power needs. Says CP Dorjay, a geologist
who resides in Leh, “Of late the electricity
station at Leh has been connected to the
Northern Grid, so we do get power on nor-
mal days in the town. But the conditions
are bad in the interiors, where people have
to depend on materials like wood and cow
dung to stay warm.”
Presently, most of region uses diesel,
kerosene, and other locally available ma-
terial to meet its power requirements for
electricity and space heating. As per a re-
port by D Chandrasekhram and Varun
Chandrasekhar of IIT, Mumbai, Ladkah
uses 50,000 liters of diesel per day to run
generators to produce 17 MWe, which
costs 2.92 billion rupees annually (as per
current price of diesel) to the Indian ex-
chequer. The total demand for electricity
in Ladakh is 53 MW. The cost of diesel in
Leh is twice that of Chandigarh as the fuel
is generally airlifted from Chandigarh
and Delhi in winters. Generators remain
the only source of electricity. The report
states that unlike solar and wind energy,
geothermal energy is available 24x7, 365
days per year. It emits 80% less greenhouse
gases compared to coal and oil and is not
affected by adverse weather conditions. A
rough estimate shows that 28000 metric
A view of the cafe in Chumathang
village where the space heating
system is installed
tones of CO2/ MWhr are generated from
the diesel generators. The effect of CO2
on the glaciers in the Himalayan region
is already felt with most of the glaciers re-
ceding at an alarming rate. Compared to
conventional energy, the geothermal ver-
sion saves about 80% fuel cost and 8% op-
erational cost in applications such as food
processing and greenhouse cultivation.
Ladakh falls in the Himalayan Geo-
thermal Belt. The UT has three major
geothermal sites at Puga, Chumathang
and Nubra. Banshtu says that as per scien-
tific estimates the geothermal field at Puga
alone could sustain a 20 MW power plant
at current available depth of 250 meters.
Demonstration projects such as the one at
Chumathang could be scaled up to provide
space heating to the village and the Army
establishment nearby.
With the growing population and an
increased inflow of tourists, the energy
needs of Ladakh could see a sharp up-
swing in the future. Scientists say that Ge-
othermal energy is the most suitable and
sustainable source to meet the demand.
Apart from protecting the pristine envi-
ronment, it could give a fillip to the socio-
economic conditions of the region.
Challenges, however, remain. The cost
of production of geothermal electricity
is high. It costs Rs 40 crores to produce 1
MW if the site needs to be drilled more
TEHELKA / 31 DEC 2021 00
40 WWW.TEHELKA.COM
than 200 meters, though this is bound to
decrease substantially as more projects
are implemented. Then again, the tech-
nology and equipment for the large scale
projects needs to be sourced from the
western countries, which further adds to
the costs. Private initiatives to generate
electricity from geothermal energy have
not been successful. In 2005, GeoSyndi-
cate Power Private Ltd planned to set up
50 MWe power plant in Puga for generat-
ing power as also set up systems for direct
applications like greenhouse cultivation
and space heating. But nothing came of
it. Unlike solar power, geothermal energy
is presently not on government prior-
ity list. Says Bhoop Singh, “I approached
the then Army commander to utilize the
freely available resource for space heat-
ing, but he chose to stick to the status quo
and refused citing budget constraints and
the lack of provision for such projects.” Sci-
entists hope that the scenario may change
down the line as the advantages become
too obvious to ignore.
Just like Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh too
has abundant sources of geothermal en-
ergy on rivers Alaknanda, Beas, Bhagirathi
and Sutlej (Tattapani) among other places.
It remains up to the state government to
make the most of it.
tehelkaletters@gmail.com
Journalist Nava Thakuria
bags international award
Geneva-based Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) has honoured Tehelka journalist for his relentless
initiatives to safeguard the rights of media persons in the south Asian country and also for defending
T
the press freedom in the region with an exemplary commitment. A report by tehelka bureau
he Geneva-based Press Em-
blem Campaign (PEC) has
rewarded senior journalist
Nava Thakuria, a resident of
northeast India and a long-
time contributor to us (Tehelka), for his
relentless initiatives to safeguard the
rights of media persons in the south
Asian country and also for defending
the press freedom in the region with an
exemplary commitment. The Guwaha-
ti-based working journalist was award-
ed on 30th November 2021 remotely as
it was difficult for him to reach Geneva
because of the Covid-19 restrictions.
Even a virtual interaction program with
a group of journalists there was also
cancelled at the last moment.
“It is the first time that the PEC re-
wards a journalist from India, the
second-most populous country of the
world. India has a strong democracy
and a vibrant press. Last year however,
a record number of 15 journalists were
killed in India while six have been killed
this year. Journalists are targeted docu-
menting abuses, corruption, criminal
activities,” said Blaise Lempen, secre-
tary-general of PEC.
In 2021, the media fraternity in In-
dia was the most affected by the novel
coronavirus along with Brazil. The PEC
award also wants to pay tribute to some
300 journalists who died throughout
India with Covid-19 complications. The
largest democracy in the globe also lost
six journalists to assailants till date
this year.
“Receiving the PEC award is a great
honour and represents a strong incen-
tive to continue my work. I now feel
more responsible for my colleagues in
the media fraternity. At the same time,
I greatly appreciate this award which
draws attention to the situation of
journalists in my country,” said Thaku-
ria. Journalism, be it print, electronic
or digital, remains a hazardous job in
India. Most of the media persons are
deprived of due salaries in the Indian
sub-continent and often they also face
threats from both the government and
non-state actors including the anti-so-
cial elements. The Covid-19 has severely
impacted the Indian media industry, he
added.
Besides his home country, Thakuria
has also taken pains to document the
media crisis in Myanmar (also known
as Burma or Brahmadesh) and report-
ed the detention of over 120 journal-
ists after the military coup in February.
Nearly 40 out of them are still behind
the bars in the military-ruled country.
A graduate from Assam Engineer-
ing College (under Gauhati University),
Thakuria contributes news-features to
various newspapers of India along with
several media outlets based in different
TEHELKA / 31 DEC 2021 00
41 WWW.TEHELKA.COM
parts of the world.
Starting his career as a reporter in
Natun Dainik, a popular Assamese lan-
guage daily in 1990, Thakuria shifted to
freelance journalism in English by 1999.
His focus area of reporting remains the
socio-political, cultural and environ-
mental developments taking place in
eastern India along with Bhutan, Tibet,
Myanmar and Bangladesh.
The changing face of mainstream
journalism after the advent of alternate
media worldwide is also a primary fo-
cus area for him. Till now, Thakuria has
visited most of the prime localities in
India and also Thimphu, Dhaka, Yangon,
Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Copenhagen,
Chicago, etc for different events and
professional assignments.
Created in the Swiss city of Geneva
in 2004 by a group of journalists, PEC
the global media safety and rights body
with the consultative status at the Unit-
ed Nations, is devoted to strengthening
the legal protection and safety of jour-
nalists around the world. Since 2009, it
has been awarding its annual prize
to an individual or an organization, who
works for the protection of journalists
and the press freedom on the ground.
The award had earlier gone to
Mexican journalist Carmen Aristegui
in 2020. In the previous year, the PEC
awarded the Afghanistan Journal-
ists Center director Ahmad Quraishi,
whereas in 2018 the family of journal-
ist Daphne Caruana Galizia (who was
murdered in Malta in October 2017)
received the posthumous award on her
behalf.
tehelkaletters@gmail.com
 OPINION

Double standards galore

under the rulers’ nose
SIGNS OF The fact is that today the Muslims in the country are more than aware of
THE TIMES the prevailing realities. But they are not in a combative mood. “No question

F
of dissent…any charge can be thrown at us!”
HUMRA or us, the survivors of the day, two roam about freely and fearlessly, mouthing
QURAISHI distractions hold out. the unthinkable obnoxious stuff! No, they
Katrina Kaif-Vicky Kaushal have not been made to sit shut in a corner
The Delhi-based writer wedding with all its glitter and because they are directly or indirectly con-
and columnist’s books glamour and useless hype! nected to the ruling lot.
include Kashmir: The Big Boss and the loss of sensi- We have harassed and hounded this
Untold Story. She tivities. In fact, next year, the makers should comedian, who has no political brigades to
co-authored a series of bypass stars and starlets. Instead rope in come to his rescue. See, how genuine talent
writings with the late writers and authors. And then see what all can be so very severely crushed, where the
Khushwant Singh and gets written, far and wide! artist is left with no other option
her short stories are Seriously speaking, it will be one of those but to bid goodbye to his craft! How I wish
part of anthologies. impossible-to-miss off beats. Not to be the sane amongst us see to it that Munawar
The views expressed overlooked the core fact that writers keep Faruqui and his talent survives. Can he be
are her own to their own little space, far away from min- ‘allowed’ to perform in Kerala, West Bengal,
gling and inter-mingling with the rest. But if Punjab…Any State or region or locale that
and when thrown in the Big Boss scenario, has been left somewhat untouched by the
they could get all too hyper, and with that fascist forces.
react and overreact. I have been witnessing these double
But can all the distractions keep us standards for years, but they were not so
distracted enough to bypass the double very obviously spread out as they are today.
We have made standards hovering around! Way back in the early 90s, I’d more than
realized that blatant discriminations had
stand-up comedian No laughing matter! intruded right into the very system, when I
Munawar Faruqui Double standards are spreading out. The had visited Delhi’s Seelampur area, to re-
latest, of course, is this: We have made port on the reactionary rioting that erupted
sit in a corner but stand-up comedian Munawar Faruqui sit in soon after the Babri Masjid destruction.
the Right-Wing a corner but the Right-Wing Hindutva lot Muslim men recounted they were made to
Hindutva lot roam strip in front of cops, to show the circumci-
sion marks. They were also forced to stand
about freely and apart from the Hindu men rounded up.
fearlessly, mouthing With that, they were made to feel more than
aware of their minority status.
the unthinkable And as the protests by the Karni Sena
obnoxious stuff! No, had taken off against the film Padmaavat
for what was labelled as a poor projection
they have not been of the Rajputs in that film, Muslims said that
made to sit shut in though they were also provoked to protest
against the distorted portrayal of Allaud-
a corner because din Khilji, but had to restrain themselves.
they are directly or “The fact is Khilji’s portrayal is completely
distorted in that film. Khilji, shown as a
indirectly connected meat-tearing, unkempt looking Muslim
to the ruling lot. Munawar Faruqui
conqueror, stands in contrast to his actual
personality. Yet we couldn’t dare raise our

TEHELKA / 31 DEC 2021 00

42 WWW.TEHELKA.COM

voice, against that negative portray of
Khilji. We would have been hounded
by the cops, in an atmosphere where
double standards prevail at the very
governance level.”
And one late evening as news
splashed on the small screen of the
removal of the then governor of
Meghalaya, V Shanmuganathan, in the
backdrop of news reports of sexual
misconduct against him, there were no
dissections or debates or discussions
to his known links to the RSS. Several
viewers were provoked to comment,
“If by any chance this governor was a
Muslim then the godi media would be
all too busy holding unending discus-
sions on his sexual encounters, along
the expected religious biases and
slants. They would be busy lynching
him on the small screen! Our blood
boils at these double standards!”
The fact is that today the Muslims
in the country are more than aware of
the prevailing realities. With that, they
are not in a combative mood. They
cannot afford to be aggressive. “No
question of dissent…any charge can be
thrown at us! The community leaders
should tell the community that we
Muslims are second-class citizens and
with that we sit all quiet...not a mur-
mur from us! It’ll be better that way be-
cause then there’ll be nil expectations
from this sarkar.” They also pointed
out, detailed the prevailing double
standards: “Hindutva leaders have
the freedom to raise private brigades/
senas. If Muslims would have done
what these private brigades do, they
would be thrown in prisons. Have you
ever heard of a Musalmaan sena! And
though there is no ban on any of the
Hindutva outfits yet ban on the Mus-
lim outfits. Why such blatant bias in
today’s governance? Double standards
also come to the fore, when encounter
specialists are set free, yet doubts are
made to hover around those gunned
down in encounters. Many of those
killed in the so-called encounters
could be innocent civilians.”
There seems no end to the double
standards. During BJP’s 2018 elec-
tion campaign in the North East,
Right-Wing politicians came up with
announcements of sending senior
citizens of Nagaland on religious trips,
all the way to Jerusalem! The Right-
Wing wooing the majority Christian
population of Nagaland by setting up
a senior citizen board which would
annually select 50 members through
lucky draw for a free pilgrimage trip
to Jerusalem. Not to be overlooked the
fact that at the start of 2018, the Central
government had scrapped the Haj
subsidy for the Muslim community of
the country.
And whilst on double standards, yet
TEHELKA / 31 DEC 2021 00
43 WWW.TEHELKA.COM
OPINION
another hitting factor —Central and
State level ministers from the North
East can openly talk of their beef-eat-
ing traditions and get away with it, but
Muslim cattle grazers and traders get
killed and lynched on the beef alibi!
Though several Right-Wing politi-
cians have been publicly threatening
and abusing the Muslim community,
yet not one of them has been arrested.
In January 2020, in the capital city,
New Delhi, Muslims were openly
abused and threatened, and yet no ar-
rest warrants against the likes of Anu-
rag Thakurs, Kapil Mishras, Parvesh
Vermas.
Also, though news reports had de-
tailed that VHP and Bajrang Dal were
holding arms training camps, where
the young were getting trained to
attack the ‘enemy’ in skull caps, yet no
arrests of the organizers and promot-
ers of those camps! And one cannot
overlook the fact that the three — L.K.
Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and Uma
Bharti —who were gleefully hugging
each other when the Babri Masjid was
getting destroyed by the kar sevaks,
were allotted prime slots in the very
governance of this county!
In contrast, stands out the State fury
against activists and academics for
their so-called controversial speeches.
Sedition charges slapped even on
students. Stands out the blatant case of
the Shaheen Public School in Karna-
taka’s Bidar, where the school staff and
students and even particular parents
were subjected to sheer harassment.
Sedition cases slapped on them be-
cause prime minister Narendra Modi
was criticized in the midst of a play
staged by the school children.
If the establishment genuinely and
actually wants to remove all possible
traces of the so-called controversial
or provocative teachings, it ought to
look ‘Right’, right into the text books
of the schools run by the Hindutva
lobbies. Also, it ought keep track of the
communal utterances of the Hindutva
politicians!
tehelkaletters@gmail.com
Nagaland killings rekindle
debate on AFSPA in Valley
It is very unlikely that
the demand for the
withdrawal of the AFSPA
from Northeast and J&K
will find any traction at
the national level where
there exists a near political
consensus about the
continuation of the law,
which is seen as necessary
to reign in the militancy. A
report by riyaz wani
T
he killing of fourteen civilians After all we live in a democracy and you
in Nagaland brought the focus can’t keep people together by using force,”
back on the need to repeal or at said Mufti during a media interaction in
least modify the Armed Forces Delhi.
Special Powers Act. The debate Former J&K Chief Minister also ac-
has also resurfaced in Kashmir Valley cused the government of working with
where it has all but faded out from public a colonial mindset. “J&K has become a
discourse in recent years. More so, follow- laboratory. They started the testing for
ing the revocation of Article 370 in August destroying the constitution with J&K by
2019 since when it is seen as a holy grail, removing Article 370, then [through] NRC
an intrinsic fact of Kashmir’s life. (National Register of Citizens) and CAA
Former Jammu and Kashmir chief (Citizenship Amendment Act).”
minister and People’s Democratic Party On the other hand, the J-K National
(PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti was the first Conference MP from Anantnag Hasnain
to ask for the withdrawal of the Act from Masoodi too supported the demand for
the North East and also from J&K. repeal of AFSPA in Parliament saying the
“AFSPA should be removed area wise law has impacted J&K the most.
where militancy has reduced. This can be However, it is very unlikely that the
a good start in northeast states and J&K. demand for the withdrawal of the AFSPA
from Northeast and J&K
will find any traction at the
national level where there
exists a near political con-
sensus about the continu-
ation of the law which is
seen as necessary to reign
in the militancy.
The AFSPA was en-
forced in the Kashmir Val-
ley in 1990, a year after the
outbreak of militancy, and
was extended to Jammu a
decade later. The Act gives
the armed forces immuni-
ty from prosecution while
operating in the internal
conflict zones. During the
campaign for the 2014 Lok
Sabha election, Omar Ab-
dullah and his father, Fa-
rooq Abdullah, had accused
the Opposition People’s
Democratic Party (PDP)
patron Mufti Mohammad
Sayeed of having enforced
TEHELKA / 31 DEC 2021 00
44 WWW.TEHELKA.COM

the AFSPA in the state when he was the
Union home minister in the VP Singh-
led government at the Centre.
But the army has consistently
stonewalled the bids to revoke Article
370 by invoking worst-case security
scenarios should the AFSPA be lifted,
even if partially. That was, even when
militancy was at its lowest ebb in J&K.
In 2011, with militancy-related fa-
talities down to 183, the then General
Officer Commanding of the Army’s 15
Corps in Srinagar, Lt General Syed Ata
Hasnain, had even highlighted the un-
likely possibility of Kashmir becoming
an independent nation by 2014. This
escalation of anxiety has been typical
of the army whenever it has felt threat-
ened by the possible power vacuum
that the AFSPA lifting could leave be-
hind. Hasnain, in fact, put his foot down
when many in the then UPA govern-
ment, including the then home minis-
ter P Chidambaram, were inclined to
review the Act.
In fact, the home ministry under
Chidambaram had even proposed
amendments to the law. Some of these
included dropping the phrase “even
to causing of death” as a permissible
consequence of firing, or use of force
by the armed forces. It also proposed
providing for a grievance redressal
mechanism to address complaints re-
garding AFSPA abuse. Significantly, the
proposed amendment stipulated to set
up a redressal mechanism under both
civilian and armed forces administra-
tion to probe genuine complaints. The
amendments also stipulated that Army
carry out its operations in presence of a
civilian magistrate.
However, the Army note which was
then circulated in Cabinet Committee
on Security didn’t largely go along with
these proposed amendments. Army
said Section 7 of the AFSPA offered pro-
tection to security personnel acting in
good faith in their official capacity, and
their prosecution is permitted only af-
ter sanction of the Central government.
The Army also reasoned that it was not
practical to look for a magistrate dur-
ing an encounter or to wait for a search
warrant to enter a house where the
militant is likely to be hiding.
“Any delay would allow him to get
away thereby nullifying the efforts of
the Army to conduct pro-active ac-
tions,” the Army note read.
But human rights observers in
Kashmir argue that the AFSPA has tak-
en a huge toll in Kashmir, among them
the people who have been subjected
to enforced disappearance, in which
several security agencies including in
a number of cases the militants are in-
volved. The figures of the disappeared
have varied in the state. While the hu-
man rights groups put the total number
The human rights
observers in Kashmir
argue that the AFSPA
has taken a huge toll
in Valley, with enforced
disappearances being
one of its major fallout.
The human rights
groups put the number
of those who have gone
missing in the Valley
at around 8000.
of missing at around 8000, the govern-
ment’s own number has wildly varied
over the years.
In 2002, the then J&K home minis-
ter Khalid Najeeb Suharwardy told J&K
Assembly that 3,184 people had dis-
appeared in the then state from 1989
to 2002. The figure was subsequently
revised by the PDP-led coalition gov-
ernment at 3,931 disappearances from
1989 to 2003. Ghulam Nabi Azad as the
Chief Minister pegged the number at
693 in 2006 and then Omar as chief
minister while replying to a query in
J&K House on March 31, 2011 put the
number at around 113 people. However
talking to media as an opposition lead-
er in 2008, Omar had said the num-
TEHELKA / 31 DEC 2021 00
45 WWW.TEHELKA.COM
KASHMIR
ber of the disappeared in Valley was
around 4000.
Case for AFSPA revocation in Kash-
mir pivots on two main contentions:
one, that is often advanced by the
Valley-based political class in the for-
mer state is the considerable decline in
militancy in recent years which in turn
has seen a corresponding reduction in
counter-insurgency operations. J&K
Police figures over the past six years
have estimated the number of militant
figures at around 200, most of them
concentrated in South Kashmir. Dis-
tricts like Budgam, Ganderbal, Baram-
ulla and for that matter even Srinagar
and the districts in Jammu have wit-
nessed a sharp drop in the violence.
Second reason is a widespread pub-
lic perception of the AFSPA abetting
human rights violations by the security
forces. The law gives the army and the
paramilitary forces sweeping powers
to conduct their operations as “under
this Act, no prosecution, suit or other
legal proceeding shall be instituted,”
against the security personnel acting
in good faith in the line of duty.
And it is these two grounds that
the Valley politicians have tapped into
to often fashion a political narrative
for the phase-wise rollback of the law
- beginning with two districts each in
Kashmir Valley and Jammu.
The debate on the AFSPA is no
longer black-and-white. In many ways,
what was once an undoubtedly draco-
nian instrument of the state is seen —
at least in political, if not in humanitar-
ian, terms — to have a context. National
political parties see it as necessary to
not only ensure protection for the se-
curity forces deployed in combat oper-
ations but also maintain their morale.
So, there is little hope that the un-
ion government will even consider the
modification of the ASPA let alone re-
peal it.
“Only way the law could be hoped
to be repealed if Kashmir as an issue
is resolved sometimes is in future,”
said Naseer Ahmad, author of Kashmir
Pending. “But that seems unlikely to
happen in the foreseeable future.”
tehelkaletters@gmail.com
 COLUMN
In triangular global power
play, India dons new role
FAR & WIDE The developments of the past two years, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, coupled
with Chinese belligerence have led to the emergence of a triangular power play among
GOPAL MISRA
I
US, China and Russia, which India and other third world countries have to navigate
ndia appears to be repositioning
herself in her new non-aligned
A New Delhi-based avatar; the contemporary world is
independent not bipolar, but a new triangular set
columnist offers an of world forces in which she has to
in-depth study. The find her position. During the post World
views expressed are War-II years of the 20th century, India
his own had promoted the non-aligned approach
for surviving in the keen power compe-
tition between the power blocks led by
USA and USSR (Union of Soviet Social-
ist Republics) respectively. The recent
developments of the past two years, espe-
cially during the pandemic of Covid-19
accompanied by Chinese belligerence
have led to the emergence of a triangular
power play among USA, China and Rus-
The democratic sia, which India and other third world
countries have to navigate.
regime in Afghanistan India’s proximity to the Russian
prompted by the Federation could be traced to the USSR
years, when India was liberally helped by
western powers was USSR leadership in her industrialization
allowed to wither and also in strategic affairs. In spite of the
fragmentation of the USSR, India has re-
away on August 15, tained close ties with the successor state,
2020 without offering Russia, as well as with the new sovereign
countries established after the break-up
any resistance to of USSR including Ukraine. There was
a time, when the Russian Federation
the Taliban forces. was seeking European identity, but its
This humiliation of attempts were thwarted by the European
Union under the dominance of the USA
the US-led western and Britain. Instead, they adopted both
powers, perhaps, has financial and strategic policies to wean
away the erstwhile USSR allies to the
prompted both China western camp. It may be recalled that
and Russia to flex during the tenure of Mikhail Gorbachev,
Russia was keen for setting up a mecha-
their muscles on the nism for a “common European home”
borders of Taiwan and and a joint global leadership with the
United States. Even Russia’s first presi-
Ukraine, respectively. dent, Boris Yeltsin, had tried to fully inte-
TEHELKA / 31 DEC 2021 00
46 WWW.TEHELKA.COM
grate the country with Europe by joining
NATO and forging a direct alliance with
the United States. It is also possible that a
powerful Europe could have diluted the
USA’s status of the only Super Power on
the earth. The olive branch from Rus-
sia, maybe for this reason, was rejected,
and thus, it forced the Russian president
Vladimir Putin to regain the support
of the old USSR allies and the republics
from Eastern Europe to Eurasia, which
were once the part of the USSR.
Apart from the impact of the deadly
coronavirus on the mankind in 2020, the
year is also to be remembered for the
final Chinese epitaph scripted on the vi-
brant democracy of Hong Kong. A solemn
promise was given by the predecessors of
the present Chinese President, Xi Jinping,
that China would allow ‘one nation two
systems’ for next 50 years after it gets
the territory from Britain. However, in a
bid to assert a Super Power status, China
dumped its solemn commitment to the
dustbin of history. Within a year of his
inauguration in the White House, US
President Joe Biden had to honour the
commitment of his predecessor, Donald
Trump, to pack up from Afghanistan. The
American forces were withdrawn and
the democratic regime prompted by the
western powers was allowed to wither
away on August 15, 2020 without offering
any resistance to the Taliban forces. This
humiliation of the US-led western pow-
ers, perhaps, has prompted both China
and Russia to flex their muscles on the
borders of Taiwan and Ukraine respec-
tively. Biden’s bid to avert further humili-
ation is being seen in the recently held
two virtual summits, he has had with Xi
Jinping and Putin.
For India, the most interesting event

during this high-power game on
the world’s chessboard perhaps was
Putin’s five-hour visit to New Delhi.
It was scheduled just a day before his
virtual meeting with Biden on Decem-
ber 8, 2021. During his brief sojourn
in India, he also set the agenda for
the crucial ‘substantial and meaning-
ful’ strategic dialogues between the
Russian defence minister and foreign
minister, Sergey Shoygu and Sergey
Lavrov, with their Indian counter-
parts, Rajnath Singh and S. Jaishanker
respectively. Thus, with formidable
Russian assurances, India is now
poised to relive in a non-aligned envi-
ronment, while the three formidable
world powers, USA, China and Russia
try to work out their respective zones
of influences.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s
observation on Putin’s visit as the re-
affirmation of the “Special and Privi-
leged Strategic Partnership” between
the two countries also reminds the
people about his visit to Vladivostok,
which is called Yongmingcheng in the
Chinese. A few years ago, Modi had
attended the plenary session of the
5th Eastern Economic Forum in this
far-east town of Russia, where he had
extended one billion USD credit line
for the development of the region. In-
terestingly, China has so far not made
any official claim on this region, but
in social media and debates, Chinese
maps from the Yuan dynasty during
1271-1368 are being often quoted. The
present city was founded in 1860 as a
Russian military outpost.
In 1872, the main Russian na-
val base on the Pacific Ocean was
transferred to it. It was ceded by China
to Russia as a result of the Treaty of
Aigun of 1858 and the Treaty of Peking
of 1860.
Biden’s peace efforts
Biden’s interactions with Putin and Xi
Jinping are an effort to avoid wars in
Europe as well as in Asia. It is possible
that the American exit from Afghani-
stan might have emboldened both
Russia and China to annex Ukraine
and Taiwan respectively. Russia and
China may not annex them imme-
diately, but their flexing of muscles
might destabilise the targeted coun-
tries leading to their final collapse,
thus paving the way for their final
merger with Russia and China.
With a Russian peace initiative
that it has no intention to invade
Ukraine, Putin has been able to
present himself as a symbol of peace.
On the other hand, Biden could not
muster adequate support from his
European allies to counter the Rus-
sian forces by a joint military action
by NATO forces. He could only warn
TEHELKA / 31 DEC 2021 00
47 WWW.TEHELKA.COM
DIPLOMACY
Putin of severe sanctions, if his forces
‘invade’ Ukraine. Similar warning
was given to Xi JInping, if the Chi-
nese army occupies Taiwan by force.
Meanwhile, Putin must be admired for
keeping the situation under control
on the Ukrainian borders. He has
already been empowered by the Fed-
eral Council, the upper house of the
Russian Parliament, to deploy forces
or if need be to send armies inside
Ukraine. He has so far refrained to
accord any diplomatic recognition to
the separatists of Ukraine; especially
in Donetsk and Luhansk, Dnipro-
petrovsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Mykolaiv,
Odessa and Zaporizhia, where they
are well-entrenched.
India’s elephantine memory
It is often stated that elephants never
forget; maybe, it is true about India
too. Indians are known for their
elephantine memory. Indians even
remember their ancient ties with
China, which they wish to blossom in
the contemporary world. The ar-
chaeological finds such as the etched
carnelian beads of Indus valley finds
indicating common India-China her-
itage and their common roots to their
respective rich civilizations. They had
their roots in Western Zhou, Spring
and Autumn period, and these were
furthered during cultural exchanges,
when Han and Jing dynasties ruled
China.
Even in recent history, it was
the timely Chinese help of enriched
Uranium that had enabled India to
keep her atomic reactors critical fol-
lowing the sanctioned imposed on
her following the Pokhran-II nuclear
blasts in 1998. Earlier, China had
refused to attack India during the 1971
Bangladesh War despite repeated
calls from the then US President,
Richard Nixon and his security advi-
sor, Henry Kissinger. The declassified
White House records reveal that how
President Richard Nixon was plead-
ing with China to ”menace” India; and
even had sent its Seventh Fleet with
nuclear bombs in the Bay of Bengal.
.
tehelkaletters@gmail.com
Chandigarh’s Harnaaz Sandhu
crowned Miss Universe
Harnaaz Kaur Sandhu made the country proud as she has won the Miss Universe 2021 competition
defeating South Africa’s Lalela Mswane and Paraguay’s Nadia Ferreira. Sandhu becomes only the third

A
Indian to win the coveted title after actresses Sushmita Sen and Lara Dutta, writes shveta mishra
t the Miss Universe 2021 pag-
eant in Israel, India’s Tricolor
flew high as actress and mod-
el Harnaaz Kaur Sandhu was
declared the winner of the
competition. Apart from Harnaaz, South
Africa’s Lalela Mswane was declared the
second runner-up and Paraguay’s Nadia
Ferreira was the first runner up. It was
the 70th edition of the prestigious annual
event.
Sushmita Sen, sharing two pictures of
Harnaaz from the pageant, wrote on Ins-
tagram, “#yehbaat ‘Har Hindustani Ki Naz’
Harnaaz Kaur Sandhu #MissUniverse2021
India. So proud of you! Congratulations @
harnaazsandhu_03 Thank you for repre-
senting India so beautifully, for bringing
back the Miss Universe Crown to India
after 21 years (by a 21-year-old, you were
destined). May you enjoy every moment of
learning and sharing this incredible global
platform @missuniverse will provide you…
May you reign supreme!!! My love and re-
gards to your Maa and family… bohut bo-
hut Mubarak #jaihind #duggadugga. Add-
ing to Sushmita’s words, a fan pointed out,
“That too in the year 2021. Means a lot 21 21
21.” Another commented, “Queen congrat-
ulating another Queen.” A fan praised Su-
shmita’s note and said, “@sushmitasen47
- What a wonderful start (Har Hindustaani
ki Naz, *Harnaaz*) Love to you.” Lara Du-
tta Bhupathi too tweeted, Congratulations
Harnaaz Sandhu. !!!! Welcome to the club!!!
We’ve waited 21 long years for this!!! You
make us SO SO proud!!! A billion dreams
come true!!!
Harnaaz’s victory has left her mother
speechless. She said “I don’t know how to
express my feelings. She made the whole
Sandhu family proud. She is a determined
girl. She has been active and confident
since childhood. Today, her dream was
fulfilled. I could not thank God enough.”
Harnaaz’s brother Harnoor Sandhu
added that they are planning a grand wel-
come for her at home. He said, “Dhoom
dhaam se hum Harnaaz ka swagat ka-
renge. (We will welcome her in grand
style). She deserves it. We all are proud of

TEHELKA / 31 DEC 2021 00

48 WWW.TEHELKA.COM
 PAGEANT

her. When she called us after winning the

pageant, we all started crying. It was an
emotional moment for all of us. With her
win, she has inspired millions of girls out
there,” He also revealed that they fondly
call her ‘Candy’.
The 21-year-old Harnaaz hailing from
Punjab and now settled in the State capi-
tal at Chandigarh was representing India
at the 70th Miss Universe event, held in
Eilat, Israel. She brought home the crown
21 years after Lara Dutta won the title in
2000. Apart from Lara and Harnaaz, Su-
shmita Sen has won the title back in 1994.
As per her Miss Universe delegate bio,
Harnaaz, a Punjabi, draws inspiration
from her mother, who “broke generations
of patriarchy to become a successful gy-
necologist and led her family”. “Driven to
support other women the same way, Har-
naaz grew up working with her mother at
health camps addressing women’s health
and menstrual hygiene. Deeply conscious
of the privilege her mother’s struggles
have gifted her, Harnaaz today is a strong
advocate for women’s empowerment,
particularly their constitutional rights to
education, careers, and their freedom of Chandigarh. Her mother, Ravinder Sand- the ramp as Miss Universe 2021. As part of
choice,” the bio reads. hu, is a doctor. She is currently working as
the top three rounds, the contestants were
asked, “What advice would
Who is Harnaaz Sandhu? you give to young women
She holds multiple pageant titles watching on how to deal
like Miss Max Emerging Star India Harnaaz, a Punjabi, draws inspiration with the pressures they face
2018 and Femina Miss India Punjab from her mother, who “broke today?”
2019, as well. She has also starred in To this, Harnaaz said,
Punjabi films like ‘Yaara Diyan Poo generations of patriarchy to become “The biggest pressure the
Baran’ and ‘Bai Ji Kuttange’, which a successful gynecologist and led youth of today is facing
will release in 2022. A Chandigarh- is to believe in them. To
based model, Harnaaz Sandhu has
her family”. Deeply conscious of the know that you are unique
won several beauty pageants in the privilege her mother’s struggles makes you beautiful. Stop
past. She has been crowned Miss
Diva 2021 and Femina Miss India
have gifted her, Harnaaz today is comparing ourselves with
others and let’s talk about
Punjab 2019. Harnaaz, in fact, was a strong advocate for women’s more important things that
also placed in the Top 12 at Femina empowerment. are happening worldwide.
Miss India 2019. Come out; speak for your-
She is currently pursuing her self, because you are the
Masters degree in Public Adminis- leader of your life. You are
tration. Harnaaz Sandhu is on Instagram the SMO Senior Medical Officer at Sohana the voice of your own. I believed in myself
and has 269k followers. She often posts Hospital. Her father PS Sandhu is in the and that is why I am standing here today.”
pictures from her photoshoots on the pho- real estate business. The contest was hosted by U.S. TV per-
to-sharing app. Her Instagram bio reads, Harnaaz was visibly anxious in the lead sonality Steve Harvey. Organizers said
“Shine like the whole Universe is yours”. up to her name being declared as the win- the pageant was expected to reach an es-
Harnaaz Sandhu did her schooling in ner as she held hands with first runner up, timated 600 million viewers via the FOX
Chandigarh’s Shivalik Public School. She is Nadia Ferreira. network in 172 countries.
currently pursuing her Masters from Post It was a surreal moment as Harnaaz
Graduate Government College for Girls, Kaur Sandhu made her final walk down tehelkaletters@gmail.com

TEHELKA / 31 DEC 2021 00

49 WWW.TEHELKA.COM
 •Kriti Sanon
starts shooting for
‘Shehzada’
Kriti Sanon has back-to-back projects
lined up, the actor has now kickstarted
the shoot for her next movie Shehzada. As
per reports, as soon as the actor wrapped
up the shoot for her movie Ganapath,
she flew to Delhi to commence the shoot
for Shehzada alongside Kartik Aaryan.
Meanwhile, Aaryan had arrived in the
capital a few days before Sanon. The Mimi
actor took to her Instagram and officially
announced that she had begun the Delhi
schedule for Shehzada. Kriti Sanon wrote
that she had kickstarted the shoot for her
upcoming movie Shehzada alongside Kartik
Aaryan. She shared a boomerang featuring
the movie’s clapperboard and wrote, “Shehzadi
in the house.” The movie will mark Aaryan and
Sanon’s second outing after the movie Luka
Chuppi which was a commercial success. Kriti
Sanon will next be seen in the horror-comedy
movie Bhediya alongside Varun Dhawan. The
principal shooting of the movie began in March
2021 and is scheduled to release on April 14, 2022.
Sanon had announced the wrap of the movie as
she shared a motion poster. . She wrote, “It’s a
film wrap for team #Bhediya! Releasing in theatres
on 14th April 2022.
Shehzada is the remake of Telugu film
Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo.
• Bride-to-be Lokhande
shares romantic pic
with Vicky Jain
TV star Ankita Lokhande
shared pictures from her
and Vicky Jain’s pre-wedding
festivities. In the pictures,
Ankita can be seen dressed
in a Maharashtrian bridal
look. She wore a green and
pink saree for the occasion.
She simply posted a picture
with Vicky Jain, who she
has been dating for over 3
years and wrote: “Sacred.”
She added the hashtag
#preweddingfestivities later.
Meanwhile, Vicky Jain posted
a set of pictures from the
ceremony and he wrote
in Marathi: “I love us but
picture abhi baaki hai mere
dost.” He added the hashtag
#AnVikikahani to his post.
Ankita Lokhande became a
household name after she
started as Archana in the
popular television show
Pavitra Rishta, in which she
co-starred with late actor
Sushant Singh Rajput.

‘MY ONLY WISH

• CAN BRADLEY COOPER AND IRINA SHAYK COME IS FOR AN
TOGETHER AGAIN? OPTIMISTIC
Bradley Cooper and Irina Shayk have been at the
centre of reconciliation speculation, but it ap-
2022’
pears their status is simply platonic co-parents to
daughter Lea, 4. The actor, 46, and model, 35, split
in 2019 after four years of dating, but have been
spotted arm-in-arm around New York, leading some
to believe they’ve gotten back together; however,
a source has revealed that the two aren’t an item.
“Bradley and Irina are not getting back together,”
a source said. “They get together often for their
daughter but that chapter is over and they’ve both
moved on romantically. If they’re together it’s as Karisma Kapoor
close friends and parents.” (At the launch of a boutique
in Bangaluru)

TEHELKA / 31 DEC 2021 00

50 WWW.TEHELKA.COM
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Foundation For Demor- Ashok Sharma John Fernandes TEHELKA
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51 WWW.TEHELKA.COM
Arindam Chaudhuri Jagdip Singh Color Chips India Ltd Gaurav Singh
PUBLISHED ON 16 DECEMBER, 2021
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