Bill Introduced in Absence of Legislative Environment

Subhas Chandra Pattanayak

Land grabbing prohibited under an ordinance promulgated on May 26 will collapse if not evolved into enactment by the Assembly this session. Therefore, in absence of the Revenue Minister Bijayshree Rautray, the minister of Parliamentary Affairs Bikram Keshari Arukha introduced Orissa Land Gabbing (Prohibition) Bill, 2015 in the Assembly on Wednesday , despite absence of Legislative environment, as both the Treasury and Opposition (Congress) benches were not allowing the Speaker proceed with the scheduled business of the day. The situation was such that the whole day passed away with the House acting only for about 9 minutes. Introduction of the Bill by Sri Arukh was the last transaction of the day lost to repeated adjournments.

The Bill is addressed to provide for penal prosecution against encroachment of government or public sector land. The concept has its origin in the government’s anxiousness to escape the public wrath generated by exposure of illegal land grabbing by ruling party heavyweights, top bureaucrats and also fellows in judiciary.

Establishment of Special Courts for speedy determination of offense with deterrent punishment to offenders in land grabbing cases is a major object behind the Bill. If enacted, it would make land grabbing punishable with imprisonment for minimum one year which may extend up to seven years with fine up to Rs.20,000/-. Such courts will be deemed as Civil Courts and Courts of Sessions for complete coverage of the offenders.

Being a welfare law, it should have retrospective effect. Unless serious attention is given to its text, it may end up in defeat of the people’s desire to punish and retrieve from whosoever has grabbed public lands in the State, where landless people constitute more then 70% of the population, in the sense of remunerative land-owning.

What treat the Assembly would give the Bill depends on legislative environment which is conspicuous by its absence since commencement of the session.

OBSS shifted proposed agitation agenda as governance of Orissa in Oriya is on anvil

Subhas Chandra Pattanayak

Governance of Orissa in Oriya language being already put on the anvil, Orissa Bhasa Sangram Samiti (OBSS) shifted its re-agitation agenda which was to commence today.

OBSS Press Meet, 17.8.15

OBSS convener Sankar Parida told the press that on evolution of a Joint Action Commiittee (JAC) comprising five ministers representing the Chief Minister and seven language activists representing the OBSS has decided to promulgate a set of Rules for working of the Orissa Official language Act, 1954 along with a Language Policy.

Program is accordingly drawn to discuss the Language Policy and the proposed Orissa Official Language Rules in the next meeting of the JAC to be held in the last week of this month. The minutes of the JAC would be placed before the Chief Minister under whose desire the JAC has been formed and thereafter, official steps shall be taken to accord necessary status of law to the Policy and the Rules.

OBSS is in frequent touch with the Ministers of the committee in this matter and on August 15, in an informal discussion with OBSS leadership, the Industries, School and Mass education Minister Sri Debi Prasad Mishra, who heads group of Ministers in this specific matter, has also indicated the government’s positive mind.

In view of this, the re-agitation agenda of the OBSS has been shifted sine die, Sri Parida informed.

Thanks Hon’ble Debi Prasad Mishra, You have generated a Sure Hope for Governance in Oriya

Subhas Chandra Pattanayak

The evening of August 15 shall remain memorable for the members of Oriya Bhasa Sangram Samiti (OBSS). Its campaign for implementation of Orissa Official Language Act, 1954 (hereinafter called the Act) took a positive leap, generating a sure hope for governance of Orissa in Oriya.

debi pr mishraChairman of the Joint Action Committee comprising the specially constituted Group of Ministers (GoM) and the representatives of OBSS, Hon’ble Debi Prasad Mishra, in an informal meet of the JAC, last evening agreed to recommend the Samiti’s proposal for creation of necessary Rules to administer the Act.

Representatives of OBSS comprising convener Sri Sankar Parida, Joint Convener Dr. Subrat Prusti, Eminent Linguist and former Director of Central Institute of Indian Languages Dr. Debi Prasanna Pattanayak, Prof. Natabar Satpathy, and this Reporter apprised the GoM Chairman the details of the necessity of forming the Rules for administration of the Act. He appreciated the idea and suggested that it should be incorporated in the Policy Paper Dr. Pattanayak has been authorized in the last JAC to prepare, so that after the next formal meeting of the JAC, he would place the proposal before the Hon’ble Chief Minister with positive recommendation. Dr. Subrat Prusti, Prof.Natabar Satpathy and this Reporter are to help Dr. Pattanayak in this regard.

Active members of OBSS, Sri Deba Prasad Parija, Sri Pabitra Mohan Maharatha and Sri Ranjan Kumar Raut helped the informal meeting with their valuable suggestions.

This August 15 carries no meaning: Struggle for independence is evolving

Subhas Chandra Pattanayak

On our 69th Independence Day we greet our National Flag and our countrymen, even though benefit of independence has never reached the majority.

The situation is so bleak that in his customary address to the nation last evening, President Pranab Mukherjee had to say that the “benefits of growth must reach the poorest of the poor much before they land in the bank accounts of the richest of the rich”. The same Pranab Mukherjee was the most aggressive partner of Manmohan Singh in consolidating rich man’s rule in India. What a blatant hypocrisy!

He has quoted Dr. Ambedkar to say that for the sorry state of affairs of the country, the people are responsible. I quote him:

“It is time to recall what Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, Chairman of the Drafting Committee of the Constitution, said while making his closing speech in the Constituent Assembly in November 1949 and I quote:

“The working of a constitution does not depend wholly upon the nature of the constitution. The constitution can provide only the organs of state, such as the legislature, the executive and the judiciary. The factors on which the working of those organs of the state depends are the people and the political parties they will set up as their instruments to carry out their wishes and their politics. Who can say how the people of India and their parties will behave?”

It is well on records of the Constituent Assembly that overwhelming majority of the propertied class had made it a capitalist constitution, In the guise of fundamental rights, it had given the guarantee to the rich to enjoy full freedom to accumulate wealth. Concentration of wealth in hands of the few people who were owners of properties was to widen the gap between the rich and the poor forcing the poor to distress sale of labor, land and its products to the rich, whereby the rich was to be richer and the poor, poorer. Ambedkar had confessed this and Rajendra Prasad and Nehru and Patel and all who were with the propertied class had tried to hush it up. The Constituent Assembly debates carry details of how the Constitution was made a capitalist constitution in reality with meretricious concern for the poor with shrewd attempts to mislead them with provision of Directive Principles too passive to direct the governance.

In admitting this mischief as a “contradiction” inherent in the Constitution, Dr. Ambedkar had hoped that the elected body of representatives of the people will correct the wrong, as otherwise, the economic “inequality” will render the independence meaningless and lead to destruction of the democracy ultimately.

President Mukherjee has deliberately omitted the most relevant statement of Dr. Ambedkar, lest the mischief he had played against India in collaboration with Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi by subjecting the country to “economy of inequality” gets the reason to be reviewed.

Dr. Ambedkar had said, “On 26th January 1950, we are going to enter into a life of contradiction. In politics, we will have equality and in social and economic rights we will have inequality. In politics we will be recognizing the principle of one man one vote, one value. In our social and economic rights we shall by reason of our social and economic structure, continue to deny one man one value” Constituent Assembly Debates, Vol.XI, p.979).

He had made it clear that unless this contradiction, created by granting fundamental right on property to individuals is done away with after the first election under the Constitution, the hard earned independence will be lost.

“We must remove the contradiction at the earliest possible moment or else those who suffer from inequality will blow up the structure of political democracy which this Assembly has so laboriously built up”, he had declared (Ibid).

President Mukherjee has deliberately omitted this statement of Dr. Ambedkar, because the economy of “inequality” which he, as cabinet colleague of Manmohan Singh had collaborated with the ever to be condemned American stooge to push India into a climate where “benefits of growth” instead of reaching “the poorest of the poor” would “land in the bank accounts of the richest of the rich”.

We have heard today Prime Minister Modi who addressed the nation for around two hours. But removal of “inequality” which is killing India to such extent that in the words of the President, “The Parliament has been converted into an arena of combat rather than debate”, was not a matter of concern for the PM. When in the eve of Independence Day, the President had expressly desired that the government should see that “benefits of growth must reach the poorest of the poor much before they land in the bank accounts of the richest of the rich”, Modi was duty bound to tell the nation as to why the President had come to say this. He was duty bound to elaborate his reaction to what the President has said. But in his entire speech, he did not utter a single word on it.

Better, not to take into accounts Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. He does not bother about anything other than projecting his father’s name. “Biju Pucca Ghar” was his main projection even under the Triranga. He uses people’s wretched poverty to opiate them for votes and this technique helps him win elections even without knowing the language of the people. Other than projecting his father, the only announcement he made to catch attention was a proposal to generate three lakh jobs in the manufacturing sector by 2019-20. Jobs in manufacturing sector helps Industries to prosper on the surplus value of labor, which further promulgates economic “inequality” and widens the gap between the rich and the poor and worsens the “contradiction”, spelt out by Dr. Ambedkar.

This is all in the name of development. Hypocrisy! Thy name is plutocracy!

But, our people, as we watch, are determined to quash this hypocrisy. They know their independence has been hijacked by the rich, the industries, the land grabbers, the fellows that have occupied their State. A few pictures taken at various times on the Gandhi Marg in Bhubaneswar, before the Assembly and the Secretariat, are just a few instances of how the new phase of struggle for independence is evolving. Let the pictures say:

our land, our landOur land is ours, not of industriesRoar for right on landKick the Capitalexploited Kendu leaf pluckerswomen betrayed by the govt. in family planning sector on gandhi marg_30.1Teachers on the street before the Assemblyroar for conservation of eco-systemRoar for land rightroar for justiceFreedom barricadedroar for independenceRoar for Jungle Right

Police, specifically IPS Officers, should foil Mediacracy and question Gajbhiye’s suspension

Subhas Chandra Pattanayak
In responding to a comment in social media, over my article “In Kendrapada contest, Gajbhiye derserves praise, not punishment”, I have given the following opinion:

“The police did what it should have done in that situation. Saving people from blatant hooliganism was the immediate responsibility of the police. And, it discharged this responsibility with no negligence. It cannot be countenanced that the SP of a district in the situation, the most irresponsible and maliciously motivated TV journalism had whipped up, should have waited till maddened mob was to wreak mayhem. The State Government has certainly done a wrong by humiliating and harassing Gajbhiye on his spot decision at Kendrapada. Every leader of a group in charge of law and order should have the freedom to take a spot decision in public interest, notwithstanding what the law says, if that action can save many lives. Govt. may initiate any action against him on property acquisition if thereby the Code of Conduct has been violated or corruption resorted to. But in Kendrapada matter, he should be completely exonerated and on the other hand, commended”.

Many sensible readers of my write-ups have supported my view. I am preferring reproduction of one response here, because it is so relevant that the State administration ought to take it seriously. It comes from a former IPS officer Sri Arun Kumar Upadhyay as a comment on my article captioned ‘Legality of suspension of Satish Gajbhiye is questionable, but State succumbing to lawyers’ pressure is deplorable’. Here is what Mr. Upadhyay has said:

Till today, voluminous discussion in media and social sites have not indicated immediate cause of Sarathi riots. His property worth above Rs 10 crores was obvious from size of temple itself and that was known since long. What was the occasion on 6th August for 30 to 35 thousand people to get enraged against Sarathi Baba? Crowd does not know any logic. Mass hysteria would have definitely murdered Sarathi Baba without police intervention and that would have created bigger mass hysteria in form of communal riots much bigger than riots after Swami Lakshmanananda in Kandhmal 9 years ago. Since 6 August many lakhs are agitating against Sarathi Baba and Sri Gajbhiye, but no formal complaint against any person has been lodged. Alleged victim of police beating is Sri Duryodhan Sahu, district head of a national party and himself an advocate. Even common illiterate persons file case, but he has not done so. But many lakh persons agitated all over the State and FIR’s were filed by persons who are neither victims nor witnesses. Except Kendrapada, none of the police stations is having jurisdiction. Only Kendrapada has jurisdiction where no complaint is filed. Even Crime branch had to file case on own information. Do we know only to disrupt society by mass agitation but not ready to give any complaint?

I wonder, why the Police Officers, specifically the IPS officers, despite this position, are silent on Gajbhiye’s suspension. Is it because, TV journalism has created this chaos and Police officials are too upright to challenge the media acrobats?

Oriya Language created Orissa and therefore Orissa must be ruled by Oriya Language

Subhas Chandra Pattanayak

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik seems to have developed a wrong notion that governance of Orissa in Oriya depends upon his mercy. His press-note of December 17 and full page display advertisement in major broadsheets of today force us to arrive at this apprehension.

In his December 17 press note it was declared that he had held a meeting with the five members of the ministerial committee on that day for the purpose of “strictly implementing the Orissa Official Language Act, 1954 in official and non-official level” to facilitate which a website has been floated by the government. In the full page multi-color advertisement in broadsheet dailies today, this is intriguingly missing.

The advertisement is designed to tell the people that Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has taken historical steps to save and develop Oriya language, and has enumerated the steps he has taken. This is blatant lie. Neither he nor his government has executed any single item claimed to be “historical” in the official advertisement. The entire advertisement is nothing but false propaganda. What a shame it is, that, the people of Orissa are taken for granted by their Chief Minister! Read more →

Navakalevara: Legends and reality

Subhas Chandra Pattanayak

Legends are the most misguiding mischief aimed at superimposing lies on reality so that indigenous people of an occupied land are kept too dazzled to see the dark face of the rulers and the class of exploiters can keep its victims subjugated to its authority, while forcing them to forget the heroic history of evolution of their own philosophy of life, their own splendid spiritual realizations, their own socio-economic uniqueness, their own ancient culture, their own valorous past, their own way of social integration and their own civilization.

We see this mischief galore in the context of Navakalevara of SriJagannatha.

So, here, we are to rip apart the legends and bring the reality of the Navakalevara to light, as thereby alone we can reach the lost uniqueness of the people of Orissa.

We will use Puri Sankaracharya’s self-proclaimed authority over Navakalevara to proceed with our purpose.

  Read more →

Samaja in Maze of Forgery: Two former Ministers of Orissa – Lingaraj Mishra & Radhanath Rath forged the WILL of Gopabandhu; Both benefitted till their death; SoPS continues to Loot

Subhas Chandra Pattanayak

The Oriya daily SAMAJA founded by late Utkalmani Pandit Gopabandhu Das, to which, out of their love and reverence for the great humanitarian leader, the people of Orissa had and have been giving their financial and moral support, is in a menacing maze of forgery and loot.

Sadly, two of Gopabandhu’s trusted men – Lingaraj Mishra and Radhanath Rath – who, because of being known so, had the opportunity of becoming cabinet ministers in Orissa, were the masterminds and/or makers of the forgery from which the paper is yet to be salvaged.

Both of them – Lingaraj and Radhanath – had partnered with each other in forging the last WILL of Gopabandhu to grab the Samaja, which being Gopabandhu’s paper was of superb credibility and the greatest political instrument of the day. They had performed this crime behind the screen of and in nexus with Servants of the People Society (SoPS), of which, while breathing his last, Gopabandhu was the Vice-President. Read more →