PGHIMC - Pittsburgh Independent Media Center

Arundhati Roy's Anti-India Allegations are False
by Vrin Parker Saturday, Feb. 08, 2003 at 11:14 PM
vrinparker@yahoo.co.in (email address validated)

The description is graphic; the veracity of the incident taken almost for granted coming from a writer of Arundhati Roy's reputation. But, alas, that's where we make the mistake. Fame and honesty are not interlinked as the following paragraphs clearly indicate.

Dear Friends,

I have put together a rebuttal to Arundathi Roy's defamationhttp://www.zmag.org/content/print_article.cfm?itemID=2919&sectionID=51
of the RSS-The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangam or the National Selfless Service or Volunteer Association. http://www.rss.org/

Arundathi writes:India � the world's biggest democracy � is currently
at the forefront of the corporate globalization project. Its "market"
of one billion people is being prized open by the WTO.
Corporatization and Privatization are being welcomed by the
Government and the Indian elite.

My response:This is a blatantly false statement. India has been at
the forefront of battling the WTO for a fair deal. So much so
that "Several African countries want India to lead the campaign to
safeguard the interests of the developing nations, encouraged by New
Delhi's tough stand at the recently-concluded Geneva parleys on
agriculture at World Trade Organization (WTO). More than a dozen
African countries including Zimbabwe, Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria and
Morocco have urged India to take a lead in all future WTO
negotiations on agriculture to build a common strategy against
flooding of farm items from advanced nations threatening their
domestic agriculture." source
http://www.indiaexpress.com/news/business/20030202-0.html

A.Roy labels the BJP as "the men who signed the deal with Enron in
India." Actually they battled Enron relentlessly and saw the collapse
of Enron as a great victory for India. Being a political issue, its
not as simple as that.
"Even US Vice-President Dick Cheney has intervened with Indian
leaders on behalf of Enron and so must have others."
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2002/20020121/edit.htm

: http://www.asiaweek.com/asiaweek/95/0818/nat1.html Manohar Joshi,
chief minister of Maharashtra, India's richest state, scrapped a
controversial $2.9 billion power project by the U.S. multinational,
Enron Corp. Joshi, whose two-party Hindu nationalist alliance
defeated Rao's Congress (I) party in state elections in March, said
his government was canceling the second phase of the project and
rejecting the first-phase contract already in force. According to
Joshi, the project was too expensive, environmentally hazardous
and "militated against the self-esteem of the people of Maharashtra."
The repeal of the Enron deal, India's largest foreign investment
project ever, was a major blow to Rao's four-year drive to open up
India's economy. And it revealed just how vulnerable Rao's free-
market reforms are to the nation's shifting political winds. Enron's
2,015-megawatt power plant was sanctioned in 1993 by a Maharashtra
government headed by Sharad Pawar, a powerful Congress party satrap.
The project was also approved by the Congress-led federal government,
whose endorsement is mandatory by law.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/1351100.stm But it was not the
experts, it was the politicians who took the decisions on Enron. The
project became a political football that was kicked into touch by the
right wing Hindu Bharatya Janata Party or BJP when they were in
opposition, but was revived after fresh negotiations when they were
elected. Now that the BJP no longer rules Maharashtra, the government
is anxious to rid itself of the burden of purchasing Enron's
expensive power. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/1351100.stm
http://www.bjp.org/pomi.htm The BJP speaks for itself on the issue.

Arundathi writes:The RSS is a right wing, ultra-nationalist Hindu
guild which has openly admired Hitler and his methods.

My reply:This is such an outrageous statement but ignoring it won't
settle the issue. First, believing in Race or body type above and
beyond the Soul is completely against Hindu philosophy. So there is
no question of racism on the part of the RSS. The RSS was founded in
1925 long before Hitler assumed power and there is no connection.
Hitler despised Indians and glorified the rule of millions of Indians
by the British.
The Nazi movements abuse of the sacred Hindu/Buddhist Swastika and
the term Aryan is considered a horrible travesty by the Hindus. The
word Aryan is actually Arya and has nothing to do with race but is
rather the term applied to those of noble character regardless of
race or social status. The British were the first to invent the idea
of an Aryan race. This idea was seized upon by the Nazis and to this
day two of Hinduism most sacred ideals are now seen as racist and
hateful. I challenge anyone to find one positive quote by any Hindu
leader about Hitler's philosophy. Of course, during WWII many
colonized people around the world saw Hitler as a great man, not for
his philosophy but because he was the first person to finally punish
the arrogant British Empire. After the truth about the Holocaust was
revealed, no Hindu supported Hitler. The founder of the RSS, Dr
Hedgewar passed away in 1940 long before the end of the war and
therefore he never knew about the effect of Hitler on the world. He
however has never been on record in support of Hitler.
Hitler's book Mein Kamph is very derogatory about Hindus and he
refused to remove these statements when requested by the Anti-British
Indian leader Netaji Subash Bose. Arundathi Roy's arrogance assumes
that her statements are reality without offering any proof. This is
pure slander at its lowest level. Its like calling the NAACP KKK
admirers just because you don't agree with them.

A. Roy claims: Hundreds of impoverished farmers are committing
suicide by consuming pesticide. Reports of starvation deaths are
coming in from all over the country.

I reply: This is nonsense and another blatant lie. Rather than a
lack of food, for the first time in hundreds of years, India is
completely self sufficient in grain production. There have been
distribution issues but they have been blown out of proportion by an
anti-hindu elite that is dedicated to discrediting the amazing
success of the BJP Central Govt. Also the BJP only controls the
Center and Gujarat and being a real democracy India's states have
almost total control of their individual regions. So to blame the
Central Government for all of India's problems is highly unjust. I
would like to see any other country manage over a billion people,
have over 70,000 citizens killed by terrorists, an ancient
infrastructure, surrounded by enemies and still progress
democratically. China couldn't do it so they chose the genocidal path
of Maoism and still India has nearly caught up with them.The fact is
the current BJP government of India has been one of the most
beneficial for India in hundreds of years. This very fact outrageous
anti-Hindus like A.Roy, thus the campaign of slander and
demonization. Here is a verifiable list of the
BJP Government's Agricultural achievements.

Achieved a record foodgrain production of 208.88 mt in 1999-2000.
Largest fruit producer (48 mt), coconut (13 billion nuts) and second
largest producer of vegetables (67.28mt).
Largest producer of milk in world (78.1 mt).
Second in production of rice (89.4 mt).
Wheat production 75.57 mt (1999-2000).
Largest area in world under pulses.
First to evolve cotton hybrid.
Largest producer of sugarcane (309.31 mt).
Possesses more than 56% of the buffaloes in world (8.42 million) and
ranks first in respect of cattle and buffalo, second in goats, third
in sheep and seventh in poultry population (31,320 million egg
production during 1999-2000).
Sixth largest producer of fish in world (55.81 lakh tonnes).
First place in global production of bananas, mangoes, coconuts and
cashew. Horticulture production-fruits, vegetables, flowers, cashew,
spices account for 25% of total agri-exports.
National Agriculture Policy announced to attain an annual growth rate
of 4% plus. States consulted in preparation of Action Plan for
implementation of Policy.
Launched regionally differentiated growth strategy for doubling food
production in 10 years to ensure food and nutritional security.
Under macro-management, 27 on going centrally sponsored schemes
integrated to promote decentralised planning in agriculture.
National Agriculture Insurance Scheme introduced to cover more
farmers, more crops and more risks. Basis to be Panchayat level.
Network of agri-clinics and agri-business centres by agriculture
graduates taken-up to extend self-employment opportunities and reach
of agriculture research upto farmers.
100 percent centrally sponsored National Project for Cattle and
Buffalo breeding cleared, to preserve and improve important
indigenous breeds of cattle and buffalo and to upgrade non-descript
breeds. Seafood exports crossed Rs 4,500 crore.
Amendment to multi-State Cooperative Act to provide more autonomy and
powers to cooperative sector on the anvil. Draft of National Policy
on Food Processing prepared to ensure waste reduction, remunerative
prices to farmers, price stability, employment potential and to
simplify and harmonize existing multifarious laws.
Launched - Jai Vigyan National Science and Technology Mission on
Conservation of Agro-biodiversity, and on household food and
nutritional security.
27 Mission mode projects operationalised under National Agricultural
Technology Project, for focussed research on issues of critical
importance.
A total of 61,015 samples of diverse germplasm procured from 63
countries.
Data on all conserved accessions computerized in National Gene Bank.




A.Roy writes: Hindu nationalism and religious fascism. It is
conducting nuclear tests, rewriting history books, burning churches,
and demolishing mosques. Censorship, surveillance, the suspension of
civil liberties and human rights, the definition of who is an Indian
citizen and who is not, particularly with regard to religious
minorities, is becoming common practice now.

I reply: The only thing Hindus do not tolerate is demonizing their
ancient culture. No one will tolerate this. The fact is of all the
world's major religions only Hinduism and Buddhism have a record of
tolerance. That's why the Fire worshipers of pre-Islamic Persia ran
to
India and are now called Parsis and are some of the most successful
people in India. The Jews stated that one of the only countries in
the world that they have never been persecuted in is India.
http://www.shashitharoor.com/articles/hindu/research.html

India has been a Nuclear power since 1974. The program was begun
under the very secular Indira Gandhi and headed by a Muslim so to
portray it as a Hindu fundamentalist backed project is another
ludicrous statement.

As concerned leaders of a threatened country, India's leaders had no
choice but to carry out and develop a powerful arsenal. China invaded
India and feels threatened by the Dalai Lama issue. Pakistan invaded
India 4 times. Unlike the United States, China, and Pakistan, India
has a `No First Use Policy' and has agreed to end nuclear tests.
Surrounded by aggressive neighbors with a record of violence: China,
Pakistan, Bangladesh, India has no choice but to defend itself. To
do otherwise would mean the end of India as a nation.

She calls the RSS/BJP right-wing, ultra-nationalists. These are just
terms used to discredit anyone with traditional values and goals. If
the great American Indian leaders Tecumseh, Sitting Bull, Crazy
Horse, Chiefs Joseph and Seattle were alive today, A.Roy would
probably label them as ultra right-wing nationalists as well. The
RSS are modern Indian traditionalists and like the great American
Indian leaders, the RSS struggles to promote, protect, and preserve
their ancient Hindu culture. Rather than the horrific image being
fabricated by A. Roy and her allies, the Marxists, Maoists, Jihadi's
and anti-Hindu secularists, the RSS represents India's role in the
global indigenous renaissance. By having been elected to the Central
Government of India, the RSS/BJP have achieved something wonderful�
Indigenous power on a global level for the first time in five hundred
years.


China's adoption of genocidal Marxist/Maoism is an
abandonment of its ancient traditions and subservience to a Western
Ideology. Japan's consumerism and capitalism is also not a
traditional Asian value system. Only India, under the RSS/BJP rule
can claim to be confronting modern problems within a native Hindu
civilization context. People like A. Roy, in the guise of concerned
Humanism, are trying to strip India of its right to be Indian.

The values of traditional Hindu India are the reason India can have
over a billion people and still have room enough for tigers, the last
population of Asian lions, rhinos, and elephants plus take in
hundreds of thousands of Tibetan and Bangladeshi refugees.

Roy says Nationalism as if it's a vulgar word, but it is simply the
logical reality of a people wanting to keep their own house in
order. Is the family that focuses on its own needs and issues to be
considered morally corrupt? No, rather the family that does not tend
to its own needs becomes a burden to society. In the same way, a
nation that loses its identity and can not defend or progress itself
disrupts the planet as a whole. Thus Nationalism is a healthy and
necessary function. A. Roy's claim of dismantling democracy as a
goal of the RSS is illogical. It is actually her attempt to disrupt
democracy by using her name and fame to instill fear in the Indian
electorate.
It is ancient Hindu India that is on the record as the World's first
democratic system.
http://www.infinityfoundation.com/ECITdemocracyindiaframeset.htm
As a dedicated Hindu organization, the RSS is naturally promoting
Hindu India's ancient democratic values.






As for changing History books�that's what happens when new
information is discovered. I'm sure A. Roy isn't demanding India's
children to be force fed outdated and incorrect information? India's
secular Supreme Court agreed the changes are valid, correct and
necessary.

She mentions burning churches, demolishing mosques as if that is all
it takes to prove her case. Is she some divine being whose words
weigh more than the truth? Investigation after investigation has
shown that all the `supposed' RSS backed anti-Christian attacks were
all based on individual vendettas and grudges, and had nothing to do
with religion. http://www.sulekha.com/articledesc.asp?cid=290065

However, the media, without any proof, prints allegations against
Hindus and then refuses to publish the facts once the investigation
is over. If there is anyone to blame for the violence, it is the
secular media and people like A. Roy who abuse their fame to stir up
fear, anger, hatred, and violence by maliciously slandering the
innocent.

The one mosque that was demolished ten years ago had not been in use
for forty-five years and not one person died. Meanwhile, over
seventy thousand Indians have been massacred by terrorists and A. Roy
sees that as trivial compared to the demolition of an old, unused
mosque considered unusable by most Muslims .Even the `big evil boogey-
man' Saddam Hussein considers it a trivial issue compared to the real
dangers facing Muslim civilization.

Roy claims censorship. This is probably in regard to various books
and movies that have been made to slander and pervert the image of
India's ancient culture. Even these instances were done in order to
stop people from rioting, rather than thought control. The
government has been censoring anti-Muslim and Christian publications
on a much more frequent basis than it censors anti-Hindu items. This
is done in the name of protecting the sentiments of the minority.
Meanwhile, India's real minority, its Tribal people, are being
subject to cultural and physical genocide by conversion and terrorism.



Roy mentions surveillance and suspension of civil rights. Well, too
bad Roy, that's what a country must do when groups like SIMI(Student
Islamic Movement of India) have declared Jihad against India until
every Hindu is either dead or converted. "The SIMI was said to be
closely associated with the Saudi Arabia, Riyadh-based World Assembly
of Muslim Youth (WAMY)..'
http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2001/09/28/stories/0228000a.htm
http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/india/terroristoutfits/simi.ht
m http://www.kashmirherald.com/profiles/simi.html
Such groups gave up their own civil rights and demand surveillance by
repeatedly engaging in aggressive violent behavior. The innocent
citizen's rights must be protected and thus India's government was
forced to act.



A.Roy faults the RSS on their definition of who is an Indian
citizen. That's quite ironic when their definition is extremely
broad and all encompassing. They see all Indians, regardless of
religion, to be Hindus, because Hinduism is a way of life and not a
religious belief system.


A.Roy casually mentions two thousand victims of a "state
sponsored pogram." Again she seems to demand our acceptance of her
statement as fact just because she said it. She has already publicly
apologized for making false statements in this regard. None of the
horrific claims made have been proven, but actually it's quite the
opposite. All of these outrageous claims have been proven false.
No doubt riots happened as they have ever since the British
instituted their divide and rule policy, but to blame it on Narendra
Modi CM of Gujarat is legal slander and libel. Actually, over eighty
percent of Gujarat was peaceful and the claims of organized pogroms
are pure propaganda originating from the offices of Pakistan's Secret
Service: ISI, the infamous founder of the Taliban.

Roy ignores the burning alive of nearly fifty Hindu women and
children that precipitated the riots. This proves her bias. The only
difference between March 2002's Gujarat riots and many other riots is
the political spin it has been given by the Ideological adversaries
of India's Hindu Renaissance.

It is quite shameful and beneath the dignity of one such as A. Roy to
take advantage of suffering and death to enhance her reputation. The
fact is, she is assuming the role of the wise Indian Guru and talking
down to us Westerners as if we are ignorant fools. She is taking
advantage of the sincere efforts of the alternative western culture's
ideals and hopes to belittle our intelligence with her unverifiable
accusations.

Forgetting the democratic value of innocent until proven guilty, she
has crowned herself judge, jury, and executioner, and she lets the
facts be damned. She sees herself as an elite above and beyond the
ignorant Indian masses that have dared to democratically elect her
ideological opponents, the BJP, into office. To her horror, once in
power, the BJP has managed to make India one of the world's most
empowered nations on earth.

She thus closes her anti-India tirade by using the same threat often
voiced by Al-Qaeda, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia, "There are
100,000,000 Muslims in India, a time bomb threatening to go off."

The question is, why is the supposed champion of equality, justice,
and truth parroting the global Jihadi terrorist movement? Why
doesn't she mention that India's Muslims enjoy more rights and
privileges than those living in any Muslim country? She also
neglects to mention that the current President of India is a Muslim.
In conclusion, the verifiable facts have exposed Arundhati Roy's
prejudiced nature and lack of integrity. It is always a shame to
lose a hero, but Arundhati Roy's campaign against her own people and
country are a great discredit to her reputation.END
Vrin Parker
Feb 7,2003
vrinparker@y...

Title: Arundhati Roy Claims about Gujarat proved false
>Author: Vivek Gumaste
>Publication: Sulekha.com
>URL: http://www.sulekha.com/articledesc.asp?cid=290065
"Writing >about the Gujarat riots, Arundhati Roy had this to say
(Outlook, May
>6,2002).
> >"A mob surrounded the house of ex-Congress MP Iqbal Ehsan Jaffri.
His
>phone calls to the director-general of police, the police
>commissioner, the chief secretary, the additional chief secretary
>(home) were ignored. The mobile police vans around his house did not
>intervene. The mob broke into the house. They stripped his daughters
>and burnt them alive. Then they beheaded Jaffri and dismembered
him."
>
>
>The description is graphic; the veracity of the incident taken
almost
>for granted coming from a writer of Arundhati Roy's reputation. But,
>alas, that's where we make the mistake. Fame and honesty are not
>interlinked as the following paragraph clearly indicates.
>
>
>Jaffri was killed in the riots but his daughters were
>neither 'stripped' nor 'burnt alive.' T.A. Jafri, his son, in a
front-
>page interview titled Nobody knew my father's house was the target
>(Asian Age, May 2, Delhi edition), says, "among my brothers and
>sisters, I am the only one living in India. And I am the eldest in
>the family. My sister and brother live in the US. I am 40 years old
>and I have been born and brought up in Ahmedabad."
>
>
>So if Ehsan Jaffri had only one daughter (singular) who was safe and
>sound in the US, where did Roy get her facts about not one, but
>daughters (plural) being stripped and burnt? Was it the fantasy of a
>writer's mind? Or was it willful deceit aimed at maligning her
>ideological adversaries?
>
>
>Arundhati Roy did apologise for her mistake in a letter published in
>Outlook May 27, 2002. Could this have been a genuine mistake, one is
>tempted to ask? But when such 'mistakes' occur periodically, the
>chances of them being accidental appear remote. They appear to be in
>fact calculated machinations aimed at achieving a specific goal as
>the following incident further proves.
>
>
>In the same article, Roy claims.
>
>
>"Last night a friend from Baroda called. Weeping. It took her
fifteen
>minutes to tell me what the matter was. It wasn't very complicated.
>Only that Sayeeda, a friend of hers, had been caught by a mob. Only
>that her stomach had been ripped open and stuffed with burning rags.
>Only that after she died, someone carved 'OM' on her forehead."
>Disturbed by the thought of such a ghastly act, Balbir Punj (a BJP
>MP) had this matter investigated. In Outlook (Jul 08, 2002) he
wrote.
>
>
>"Shocked by this despicable 'incident,' I got in touch with the
>Gujarat Government. The police investigations revealed that no such
>case, involving someone called Sayeeda, had been reported either in
>urban or rural Baroda. Subsequently, the police sought Roy's help to
>identify the victim and seek access to witnesses who could lead them
>to those guilty of this crime. But the police got no cooperation.
>Instead, Roy, through her lawyer, replied that the police had no
>power to issue summons. Why is she hedging behind technical
excuses?"
>
>
>So when asked to prove her allegations, Arundhati Roy developed cold
>feet; definitely not the attitude of a crusader for truth."
>
--- End forwarded message ---

add your comments

blatant lie
by dee.. Sunday, Feb. 09, 2003 at 2:32 PM

what else can one expect from a fundamentalist goon other than speaking blatant lie. i closely worked with the enron and narmada issues in india. if you care for any analytical thinking please read Mehta's "Power Politics", see Anand Patwardhan's "War and Peace", check out the extensive report on the indian indymedia from 5 women's organization on the violence and rape of women in gujarat by the beastly rss/bjp fuckers...

add your comments

Namecalling:Response of one without solutions
by Michel Sunday, Feb. 09, 2003 at 8:34 PM

Thats your response to call someone you don't even know a goon. Thats really progressive and convincing.
Its obviously a complicated issue with neither side having all the answers. So why not keep it civil.
Michel

add your comments

civility ha! ha!
by de... Monday, Feb. 10, 2003 at 1:29 PM

you can talk of civility in your cosy rich homes. it is difficult for me to feel "civility" after my cousins were raped by bjp/rss bastards in gujarat violence...

add your comments

ASSUMPTIONS ARE NOT GOOD
by michel Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2003 at 2:07 AM

You assume I am rich. I am a parent of three kids and must get welfare to survive and use the library for internet access. Don't assume so much..

add your comments

i agree with dee..
by atticus Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2003 at 9:16 AM

talk of "civility" after you face riots michel. india has seen one of the worst genocides in gujarat and everybody walked out free without any prosecution. TALK OF CIVILITY!!!

add your comments

Speaking Genocide:Heres some Facts
by Vrin Parker Thursday, Feb. 13, 2003 at 5:33 PM

: US Diplomats Horrified by '71's�selective genocide�.

From [IslamOnline & News Agencies (islamonline.net).] Published at the
Palestine Chronicle.

Declassification by George Washington University's National Archives
has made documents of Nixon presidency accessible to public. These
documents show extreme disappointment of U.S. consular personnel in
Dhaka and of their diplomats in New Delhi with the administration' s
pro-Pakistan policies.

In a telegram sent by U.S. Consul General in then East Pakistan and
signed by 20 consular officials they complained, "Our government has
failed to denounce the suppression of democracy. Our government has
failed to denounce atrocities. Our government has failed to take
forceful measures to protect its citizens, while at the same time
bending over backwards to placate the West Pakistan government."

The telegram was addressed to Kissinger. Consul General Archer Blood
soon sent another telegram, describing the West Pakistani military
crackdown on East Pakistan civilians as " selective genocide". To
suppress the India-backed separatist uprising in its eastern wing,
Pakistani generals created new records of human rights violations,
thus alienating them further.

Consul Blood telegrammed again in March 1971 from East Pakistani
capital Dhaka: "Here in Dacca we are mute and horrified witnesses to
a reign of terror by the Pak military. Evidence continues to mount
that the Martial Law Administrators (MLAs) authorities have a list of
Awami League supporters whom they are systematically eliminating by
seeking them out in the homes and shooting them down."

Blood was horrified at U.S. government's "posture of pretending to
believe" Pakistan government's "false assertions". He also talked
about "non-Bengali Muslims" attacking poor people's quarters and "
murdering Bengalis and Hindus" .

However, the U.S. was more concerned about Indian maneuvers (with
Russian help) to "dismember" Pakistan rather than protecting human
rights and democracy. In his remarks on a six-page document prepared
by Kissinger regarding the situation, President Nixon wrote, "Don' t
squeeze Yahya at this time." Nixon underlined the "Don't" thrice to
emphasize his point. That shows the famous "tilt" towards Pakistan
referred to so frequently in discourse regarding U.S. policy in South
Asia.

-[IslamOnline & News Agencies (islamonline.net).] Published at the
Palestine Chronicle.

add your comments

get ur facts right mate... and try to be more descent.
by pavith Sunday, Apr. 30, 2006 at 4:17 AM
pavikani@yahoo.com chennai

do u know what a genocide is?

official toll of the riots - 880 muslims and 256 HINDUS. would that be a genocide.

try to get ur facts right mate and dont try blame others before u could ascertain the truth.

add your comments