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Archives for June 2015

Sunni sheikhs pledge allegiance to ISIL in Iraq's Anbar

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Several sheikhs and tribal heads say only way to achieve peace in province is to join ISIL after meeting in Fallujah.

ISIL-Anbar

by Al Jazeera

A number of Sunni tribal sheikhs and tribes in Iraq’s Anbar province have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group.

The sheikhs and tribal leaders made the pledge in a statement read out by influential Sheikh Ahmed Dara al-Jumaili, after meeting in Fallujah on Wednesday.

Al Jazeera’s Imran Khan, reporting from Baghdad, said it was not yet clear if the tribes had been forced to pledge allegiance by ISIL fighters, who control Fallujah and most of Anbar province.

“If this is a willing move then that is very worrying for the Iraqi government,” Khan said.

“The statement they issued was very strong – it condemned the government.

“It said the only way that peace would come to Anbar province is if the tribes joined ISIL.”

Influential tribe 

Khan said the inclusion of the al-Jumaili tribe in the pledge was of particular concern for Iraqi authorities, given the tribe’s influence in Anbar province.

“The al-Jumailis command a number of fighters and they have a large amount of influence over other tribes [in Anbar],” he said.

The pledge comes after a number of Sunni leaders in Anbar province publicly criticised the involvement of Shia militias in the fight to retake areas of the province from ISIL, including the provincial capital Ramadi which fell last month.

While a number of Sunni tribes have joined with government forces and Shia militias, Khan reported that a number of tribal leaders have asked for government support to fight the armed group.

“They said ‘if you arm us, if you allow us to fight as Sunnis, we will be able to get rid of ISIL quite quickly’,” he said.

“The fact that a number of these tribes have come together … and pledged allegiance to ISIL shows the level of anger the Sunni tribes feel towards the government in Baghdad.”

One year of Modi: Perception Over Reality!

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modi-hate

by George Abraham

One year ago there was a tsunami of promises and dreams by the BJP before the elections. But once the BJP came to power it forgot everything. Since then there has been a complete reversal of the promised policies and programmes,’’said Anand Sharma, former minister and spokesperson for the Congress party.

On the other side of the political spectrum, Arun Jaitley, the Finance Minister claimed that “Modi restored the dignity of the Prime Minister which had disappeared during the previous regime and he has convinced the countryman that authority of the Prime Minister is supreme in every decision-making”.

One year into the NDA rule led by BJP, a non-partisan group also argued that that BJP rule was not a disaster as some had predicted or a resounding success as their party faithful proclaims. The truth may lie somewhere between.

During a recent interview, one of the esteemed anchors of an Indian TV network operating in the U.S. asked me whether I was impressed with the ‘Jan DhanYojana’ program the Prime Minister has initiated, which has already created a whopping14 Crore new accounts. Of course, it is impressive statistics; however, the trouble with that simple assumption is that it is just half of the story. As many as 24 Crore people had already had signed up for the ‘Zero frills bank account’ prior to the present government which renamed the existing program as ‘Jan DhanYojana’.

It is said that imitation is the best form of flattery and for the Congress leaders, it must be redemption time as the Modi Government continues with many of their initiated plans, only under a different banner. Giving a little credit to the UPA would have gone a long way towards creating unity and purpose across the aisle.The larger question one needs to ponder here is whether the whole campaign about “achche din aa gaya” is mere sloganeering or based on facts and figures.

At the outset, the BJP’s charges about Congress obstructing its legislative agenda is laughable, as the BJP has opposed everything from Indo-US Civil Nuclear Treaty to Insurance Bill and FDI in multi-brand retail to name a few..They have so vehemently raised all the roadblocks in their power to derail the previous administration’s efforts. Since they have succeeded now in passing 50 some Bills in its first year, Congress cannot pose as large an obstruction as the BJP touts.

If one examines the economic indicators, Modi’s economy was sluggish to say the least in spite of having the good fortune of low crude oil prices. Growth in 8 core industrial sectors was mere 3.5%, and exports contracted by 11.19% to 23.88 billion compared to 26.89 billion in the same month of 2014. Although Modi promised 10 crore jobs in 5 years, if the April-June job growth of 1.17 lakhs is correct, that dream is quite far-fetched. If the inflation is contained as it is claimed, it is largely due to the decline in oil prices. Yet, food items such as Milk and pulses show a steady increase in prices while no savings from the oil have been passed on to the consumers.

While the economic conditions largely remain intact for ordinary citizens, Modi’s government has slashed social spending by Rs. 1,75,122 crores in one year alone, undermining the very concept of inclusive and equitable development. All sectors including Agriculture, Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, Panchayat Raj, Women and Child development and Education suffered cuts including UPA’s flagship program for the rural poor called MGNREGA.

After soaring through the political landscape by accusing the Congress of corruption at high places, BJP has done very little to allay the concerns of the ordinary citizens on this count. 30 per cent of the Council of Ministers have criminal charges pending against them. These include attempted murder, accusations of rape, inciting communal disharmony and electoral violations.

What happened to the promise of transparency and clean governance? “Whenever the PM sees an institution that is constitutional, that people have faith in, he wants to end it as he wants all power with himself and corporates” said Mrs. Gandhi, President of Congress party in a rare intervention in a parliament session. She was indeed referring to the power grab by the PMO and alleged undermining of popular institution such as RTI (Right to Information Act)’ by keeping the leading position (CIC) vacant.

Former Defence Minister A. K. Antony, who is known for his integrity, has accused the NDA government of “neglecting national security, ignoring security lapses and ultimately compromised national security”. He questioned the wisdom of surrendering Rs. 29000 crores from the current budget cycle while slashing the manpower by half of the “Mountain Strike Corps” which was created to face increased Chinese buildup. He also faulted the Modi government of dragging its feet on the One-Rank – One pension scheme that should have been effective from April 2014.

Prime Minister Modi has been widely acclaimed for his successful foreign travels. Previous Prime Ministers have done the same without this much pomp and ceremony. At the end of the day, one would have to ask ‘where is the beef’? The purchase of Rafael jets from France is surrounded by hypocrisy and double talk! The ‘Make in India’ slogan was given away to make in France, eliminating the public sector HAL probably for the sake of a future tie-up with preferred corporations!

On his visit to Korea, the Prime Minister declared that Indians were ashamed of their nationality until he became prime minister! I do not know about you; as for me, I was always proud of my motherland yet willing to see its problems and shortcomings from a resolution perspective. The efforts of Non-Resident Indians over last three decades have contributed so much to the transformation of the world in the field of Technology, Science and Medicine, earning the respect for mother India, particularly from the people from the west. It is sad to see any politician taking away the fruits of their hard labor!

Finally, is what we see with this government is perception or reality? About five years ago, the campaign of the ‘Gujarat Model’ has surfaced building up the image of Modi who is said to have transformed Gujarat into a modern miracle. Today, the Comptroller & Auditor General (CAG) report, which was published recently, tore apart the tall claims of the state government led by former the Chief Minister Narendra Modi, particularly in terms of agricultural growth, social indicators, as well as public spending on social infrastructure, fiscal discipline, right to education, and law and order. Gujarat is ranked 12 among states for its Human Development Index, and has a permanent underclass mainly consisting of minorities. Unless the citizen on the street is vigilant, he may be once again swallowed up by the ongoing hoopla of an imaginary world! When it comes to ‘achche din’ let reality be real!

George Abraham is a former Chief Technology Officer of the United Nations and Chairman of the Indian National Overseas Congress, USA.

Delhi rejects licence applications of Uber, Ola and TaxiForSure

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uber-cab

New Delhi/ Gurgaon: New Delhi’s transport authority rejected the licence applications of US-based taxi company Uber, its local rival Ola and TaxiForSure, citing violation of ban orders imposed by the government last year.

Indian government had asked unregistered web-based taxi services to halt operations in December after a driver contracted with Uber was accused of rape. Both Uber and Ola applied for licences in New Delhi but kept operating while approvals were pending.

A spokesman for Ola, which is backed by Japan’s SoftBank Corp, declined to comment. Uber said the license rejection was ‘unfortunate’. It was still possible to book a taxi using mobile applications of Uber or Ola in New Delhi late on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, police seized the taxis of the three companies as they were banned from plying on Delhi roads.

Earlier this week, a driver contracted with Uber was arrested near New Delhi after a woman passenger accused him of sexual harassment when she hailed his cab. The driver was later released on bail.

(Agencies)

Rs 2.4cr bill lands Karnataka governor in controversy

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Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala

Bengaluru: Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala has landed himself in a controversy after an RTI query revealed excessive spending by him. The RTI reply shows that the Governor’s office had claimed Rs 2.3 crore for renovation and Rs 10 lakh more were spent on chartered flights for his official visits, sources said.

The bill says that Rs 40 lakh was spent on providing interiors in the Governor and his ADC’s chambers. This included wooden false ceiling, wooden wall paneling, glass doors among several others. Additional sum of Rs 30 lakh was spent on the interior works in the offices of Officer on Special Duty (OSD), private secretary and main lounge.

Alterations worth Rs 25 lakh were made in the telephone exchange, computer section, dispensary and university section in the Raj Bhavan.

Rs 35 lakh was also spent on asphalting internal roads and providing kerbs at the front. Another Rs 50 lakh were also spent on widening of pathway near the main building, alterations to laundry and dispensary.

The amount for renovating the kitchen, dining hall and bathroom of the Governor’s was billed at Rs 50 lakh.

Vala assumed office of the Governor on September 1, 2014. His appointment had been opposed by the Congress government in the state.

(Agencies)

India-US ink defence framework pact, Carter meets Modi, Sushma

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Ashton Carter-Manohar Parrikar

New Delhi: India and the US on Wednesday signed a new framework agreement for closer cooperation in defence as visiting US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and conveyed India was an important strategic partner.

The agreement was signed by India’s Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and Carter.

Carter earlier met Modi, Sushma Swaraj and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval.

During his meeting with the prime minister, Modi expressed hope that the US companies, including those in the defence manufacturing sector, would actively participate in the ‘Make in India’ initiative and set up manufacturing units in India with transfer of technology and link to the global supply chain.

Carter conveyed that India was an important strategic partner for the US and the US policy of rebalance in Asia-Pacific complimented India’s ‘Act East’ Policy.

Carter and Modi also exchanged views on regional issues, including the situation in Afghanistan, and the recent developments in the Indian Ocean and the Asia Pacific region.

The defence framework agreement meanwhile focuses on taking “appropriate measures to enhance India’s defence capability”. Among other things, India and the US agreed to cooperate on jet engines, aircraft carrier design and construction, and other areas.

The two sides also agreed to pursue co-development and co-production projects that will offer “tangible opportunities” for American defence industries to build defence partnership with Indian industries including in manufacturing under ‘Make in India’.

The 10-year defence framework agreement was renewed during the visit of US President Barack Obama in January. The first framework agreement, which expires this year, was signed in the US in 2005 by the then defence minister Pranab Mukherjee and his then US counterpart Donald Rumsfeld.

Speaking after signing the agreement, Parrikar said “further synergies will result in better output”.

An official statement said that in their meeting, Parrikar and Carter discussed the bilateral defence relationship, and the broader India-US Strategic Partnership.

The two sides reaffirmed their commitment to expand and deepen the bilateral defence relationship and also reviewed the existing and emerging regional security dynamics.

The 2015 Framework for the India-US Defence Relationship builds upon the previous framework and successes to guide the bilateral defence and strategic partnership for the next 10 years. It provides avenues for high-level strategic discussions, continued exchanges between the armed forces of both countries, and strengthening of defence capabilities.

The framework also recognises the transformative nature of the Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI).

Both India and the US have finalised two project agreements for joint development of mobile electric hybrid power sources and the next generation protective ensembles.

Engaging bilateral cooperation in areas of mutual interest, such as maritime security and knowledge partnership in the field of defence was also agreed upon.

Carter also thanked Parrikar for the help extended in the search for a US helicopter which went missing during the relief operations in quake-hit Nepal. He also invited Parrikar to visit the US for the next meeting which Parrikar accepted.

Earlier, Carter, who was on his first visit to India as defence secretary, laid a wreath at the Amar Jawan Jyoti memorial at India Gate, the World War I monument.

Carter, who arrived in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday, has visited the Eastern Naval Command and the indigenous stealth frigate, INS Sahyadri.

(Agencies)

20 armymen killed, 11 injured in insurgent ambush in Manipur

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MANIPUR-ARMY

Imphal/New Delhi: Using rocket-propelled grenades (RPG) and automatic weapons, a group of insurgents today ambushed a military convoy killing at least 20 army personnel in the worst such attack in recent years.

Eleven armymen were also injured in the ambush, an Army spokesman said.

A team of 6 Dogra Regiment was on a road opening patrol (ROP) as part of its daily routine along Tengnoupal-New Samtal road, about 80 km from Imphal, when it was attacked by an unidentified insurgent outfit first with a powerful Improvised Explosive Device (IED), a police official said in Imphal.

After the IED blast, the insurgents resorted to heavy firing at the convoy of four Army vehicles with RPGs and automatic weapons, Army sources said in Delhi.

“20 armymen were killed and 11 injured in the attack,” Army spokesman Col Rohan Anand said in Delhi.

A suspected insurgent was also killed, police said.

The attack occurred at 9 am(EDs correct) when the convoy reached a place between Paralong and Charong villages. More details are awaited.

Manipur Home Secretary J Suresh Babu suspected the involvement of Manipur rebel outfit Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) in the deadly attack.

“This seems to be the work of PLA, with suspected support by the ‘KYKL’ group also. We are still waiting for more inputs to come in,” he added. Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL) is a Meitei revolutionary organization in Manipur.

A reinforcement party of the security forces was rushed to the spot for combing operation to nab the militants, police said.

(PTI)

PFI hails Congress government for withdrawal of cases; BJP calls it minority appeasement

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PFI

Mangaluru: Popular Front of India has hailed Chief Minister Siddaramaiah led Karnataka government for deciding to drop cases against dozens of Popular Front of India activists, accused of involving in communal riots in different parts of the state in recent years.

Mohamed Shakib, PFI state president, has welcome the step and described it as a bold decision of the state government to withdraw cases booked against “innocents” by the erstwhile “communal regime” in Karnataka in the past.

“We see this as a very bold step second in the series, taken by the CM Siddaramaiah after the decision to conduct the caste wise survey in Karnataka,” said Mohamed Shakib, PFI state presided. “We congratulate the chief minister for this courageous step,” he added.

K Pratapsimha Nayak, president, DK district unit of BJP, said the decision to withdraw cases smacks in face of fact that PFI and Karnataka Forum for Dignity volunteers indulged in large scale arson, and caused damage to public property in Udayagiri and Narasimharaja police station limits of Mysuru in April 2009 besides attacking the policemen on bandobast duties. Mysuru City Police had registered 40 different cases in this connection and named 241 persons as accused.

Hassan and Shivamogga saw communal clashes over a Kannada daily publishing a translated version of Bangladeshi writer Tasleema Nasreen’s work Parda Hai Parda resulting in serious loss to public property. While 114 cases were registered in Shivamogga, 21 cases were registered in Hassan, Pratapsimha said adding 1,400 persons were considered as accused in these two districts. The state cabinet decision to withdraw these cases is appeasement of minorities, he noted.

Mr Nayak said the move further erodes the morale of the police force, which had already been dented with political interventions in illegal cattle transportation and other kinds of smuggling. The government was resorting to cheap publicity tactics. It had not thought about the long-term impact of the decision, he added.

(Agencies)

An Interview With Akhil Bharathan (Ambedkar-Periyar study circle, IITM)

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Ambedkar-Periyar study circle

by Shreela, Venkat, Sathish and Alok, Sanhati

[Ambedkar-Periyar Study circle is an independent student body at IIT Madras which ever since its inception in 2014, has carried out a number of activities aimed at initiating discussions on socio-economic issues. These activities range from organizing seminars, discussions and distribution of Pamphlets. APSC was unilaterally de-recognized by the IITM administration after receiving a letter from MHRD. Akhil has been a member of APSC since the beginning and talks to us about a number of issues related to APSC and caste issues on IITM campus.]

Q: What was the idea behind Ambedkar Periyar Study Circle?

A: For many years IITM has had various student organizations based on Hindutva Ideology. One example is Vivekananda Study circle (VSC) which was founded in late 90’s. They have had talks which advocate Intelligent design and which claim the existence of Quantum Physics in Vedic Sciences. Such organizations have a complete support of IIT administration and they certainly play a role in making the environment in IITM very regressive. There is also little understanding of Caste based discriminations inside the campus. Keeping the dominance of such ideas in the campus in mind we thought of forming a collective which will introduce rationalist thinking in the campus and open up a dialogue on caste based issues which continue to plague Indian society.

Q: Can you tell us a bit about the History of APSC ?

A: APSC was founded in April 2014. In last one year we have conducted seminars on effects of genetically modified seeds on agriculture and environment, on Relevance of Ambedkar in contemporary society, A talk by Prof. Chaman Lal on the relevance of Bhagat singh in today’s society and a seminar on massive coal-bed Mithane Project in Tanjore district. We also held discussions on imposition of Hindi in campus and tried to make students aware about dangers of imposing vegetarianism in our society. I should also perhaps mention how we tried to counter an interference in the IITM campus from the MHRD(ministry of Human Resource and Development) which had sent a letter seeking action report to all the IITs regarding consumption of non-vegetarian food items on campus. We distributed pamphlets against this letter. The average audience in our talks is 30-40 people. We believe that even though our presence is rather limited on the campus, the awareness about our activities have slowly grown in past one year.

Q: Where does the funding of APSC come from?

A: In the initial stages, the members of APSC pooled their own money to start the circle. We now get some funding from other (non-member) students as well. In any case the funding is all completely from within campus. Our expenses are rather limited. Most of the time, our faculty advisor books a hall which is free of charge and we usually get our speakers from within Chennai, so only have to pay his/her commuting charges. By far the most expensive event for us was when we had a speaker from Dravidian University who spoke about Ambedkar and we had to pay his train fare . On this occasion, we even asked the audience for some donation to cover the cost.

Q: Were there any previous standoffs with the administration prior to the current issue?

A: There were no prior issues except that at the time of inception, the Dean of Student Affairs asked us to change the name to something else as he said Ambedkar Periyar Study Circle sounded “too radical”. After a rather lengthy discussion among the members of the circle, we decided to keep the name as APSC.

Q: So why this name?

A: Ambedkar and Periyar are two of the foremost social reformers in Indian History. The issues that they addressed and fought against are relevant even today. By discussing their ideas in the context of contemporary issues we aimed to establish a platform which would resist Hindutva Ideology. Our main aim is to increase the awareness of student population in the campus as regards caste , religious and economic issues.

Q: Can you tell us a bit about the institutional guidelines which student organizations in IITM have to adhere to?

A: Every independent student organization in IITM like APSC have a faculty advisor assigned to them. Every time we organize an event, we go and talk to the advisor. Sometimes he will give an input as to what kind of pamphlet should be prepared or notices be written etc. He then books a hall or auditorium for us.

Q: Where does the Dean of student affairs come in the picture?

A: He doesn’t.

Q: But it has been reported in the press that he was your faculty advisor?

A: No our faculty advisor, was and continues to be a faculty member from Humanities department (name withheld for consent reasons). We have been informing him of our activities and he has guided us on most occasions. Usually he forwards our requests and books the hall for our events. The Dean has appropriated the role merely to lay blame on us for not consulting and taking prior approval from him.

Q: Can you explain a bit about the guidelines which have been talked about in media a lot?

A: On 28th January, 2015 there was a set of guidelines passed by the SAC (Students Affairs Committee) , which however was amended by Dean of student affairs as he is also chairman of BOS (board of students) and it is within his rights to amend the guidelines. These amendments were proposed sometime in February.

Q: IITM has had student organizations for a long time, then what was the need to introduce guidelines in 2015?

A: Prior to 2015 the prerogative of recognizing or banning an organization was completely with the Dean. It was up to him to allow or disallow a student organization. However in 2014, when Chinta-bar (which is not a recognized student’s collective) organized a kiss of love event in the campus, the institute decided to introduce certain guidelines to keep various recognized organizations in check.

Q: So which among this amended guidelines is an issue according to IIT?

A: Dean of student affairs claim that we have used Institute’s name in one of our pamphlets which violates one of the guidelines.

Q: And what is your response to this accusation?

A: We reject this accusation on two counts. One, we have never used IIT’s name in any of our events. During the event under spotlight (in which it is claimed that we used IIT’s name) one of the lines in our pamphlet was that we are an initiative of IITM students. It is not clear to us how this implies we used IIT’s name to promote the event. I mean this is just trivially true! More importantly, organizations like Santhulan even used IIT logo in one their pamphlets (which was incidentally about a talk that opposed evolution and promoted idea of intelligent design). Even Vivekananda Study Circle hosts their site on IITM domain and also use IITM logo. However these organizations have not been de-recognised. Thus we do not think this accusation stands on any firm ground. Secondly, after we got the mail from the Dean of student affairs which informed us that APSC was temporarily derecognised, two of our members, Ramesh and Swaminathan went to see the Dean. They were told nothing about the guidelines issue and were just shown a letter from MHRD which asked what action was being taken against APSC for criticizing Modi government. Thus initially we were de-recognised due to the MHRD letter. It is only after MHRD denying any involvement in the issue, that IIT is now accusing us of not sticking to the guidelines.

Q: What is your understanding of this de-recognition and MHRD’s letter?

A: In our opinion, IITM has long been comfortable with presence of organizations which promote Hindutva Ideologies. Now we have a group which democratically protests against the importance of Sanskrit etc. The right wing organizations are increasingly uncomfortable. As far as MHRD’s letter is concerned I think it shows their paranoia. We are such a small group in one Institute and our membership count is below fifty, hence it is remarkable MHRD is concerned with our activities which are by the way completely democratic.

Q: Is this a de-recognition or a ban?

A: First of all I would like to say that this de-recognition is unjust and biased as I explained in the answer to the question above. Secondly, de-recognition means we cannot use Intra-net servers like Smail to invite students to an event. We cannot use notice boards to put up our notices, and we cannot book auditorium for any event. Hence it severely constrains our activities and is effectively a ban.

Q: How do you plan to oppose this de-recognition?

A: We do not even accept it! As I just said it is unjust and biased and based on an assertion which has no grounding. Thus we know that the de-recognition is to stifle any sort of dissent and critical discussions on the existing policies of the central government. We are demanding the following from the institute. An Immediate re-recognition of APSC, an unconditional apology from the Dean of student affairs for misuse of official powers, an unconditional apology from MHRD for it’s biased move and overturn the undemocratic code of conduct which is against article 19(A) of the constitution. We are also demanding that a commission be set up which investigate the use of IIT Madras funds which promote Hindutva activities inside campus.

Q: What has been the response of the student community on the campus?

A: Student community is highly divided on this issue. On one hand many students have approached us and expressed their solidarity but on the other hand the right wing organizations have been very vocal in their opposition ever since the issue flared up.

Q: Is there a caste problem on IIT campus?

A: When we started APSC, we received a number of hate messages on our Facebook page, written by students of IITM some of them stating Dalits should not even be there on campus. So yes I would say there is a serious caste issue on the campus. If we even look at the caste composition of the institute at various levels. According to a recent RTI, 87 percent of faculties are from forward caste. In last seven years only 3 ST students have been admitted to the MS program. I think this clearly shows the magnitude of the problem.

Q: What is the future of APSC?

A: Once we fight off this de-recognition, our aim in near future will be increase the number of activities in a given semester and increase the membership. Most importantly, we would like to keep the public discourse and debate alive on caste, communal and socio-economic issues.

The lesser known story of India’s role in Ethiopian land deals

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India has become the biggest land investor in Ethiopia. There are concerns at the behaviour of Indian firms in the Gambela ecological hotspot. Shutterstock

India has become the biggest land investor in Ethiopia. There are concerns at the behaviour of Indian firms in the Gambela ecological hotspot. Shutterstock

by Mohammad Amir Anwar, The Conversation

The global food price crises between 2008 and 2009 led countries that bore the brunt of the catastrophe to look elsewhere for agricultural land to mitigate the effects.

In 2008 prices of some foods, including wheat, soared by 130% in a single year and the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organisation’s food price index shot up 40%.

The result was a frenzied scramble that saw countries acquire an estimated 40 million hectares of land in foreign countries, most of it in Africa.

A great deal of attention has been paid to the role of the US, the largest investor in land in the world, China and Middle Eastern countries. Much less attention has been given to the role of India. A global land monitoring initiative, Land Matrix, ranks India as one of the top 10 investors in land abroad. It is the biggest investor in land in Ethiopia, with Indian companiesaccounting for almost 70% the land acquired by foreigners after 2008.

Indian land deals in Ethiopia are the result of the strong convergence in the two countries’ domestic political-economic policies. Both advocate the privatisation of public assets and increasing reliance on free trade and open markets.

India’s investment in land has been driven by the need to obviate the effects of spiralling food prices by outsourcing food supply. Ethiopia’s decisions are driven by its development policy based on commercialisation of agriculture and reliance on foreign investments.

Rough estimates suggest Indian firms have acquired roughly 600 000 hectares of land in Ethiopia. This is more than ten times the size of land acquired by firms in India under the country’s special economic zones policy. India is followed closely by Saudi Arabian firms, with 500 000 hectares of land, in Ethiopia.

What drives Indian firms to Ethiopia

India’s ability to feed its 1.22 billion people is under increasing strain. This is due to a rapidly growing population, low agricultural productivity, reductions in farm sizes, declining water tables, increasing control of the seed sector by multi-nationals and a gradual withdrawal since the 1990s of the farm support system.

India introduced special economic zones in 2005 hoping it would lead to agricultural development through the consolidation of land holdings. The intention was that this would lead to industrialisation.

But the policy exposed the oldest contradiction of capitalism – primitive accumulation which includes privatisation of land, the forced expulsion of peasant populations and the conversion of common, collective and state property rights to exclusive property rights.

Widespread resistance movements began in many states, stalling some of the biggest zones, most notably in Nandigram. The protests led to the fall of the Left Front state government of West Bengal in 2011 after 34 years in power.

To meet consumption needs the Indian government started encouraging firms to seek land abroad for growing crops. This was driven by two factors: it was struggling to make more land available for investors and the spike in global food price crisis in 2008.

The lure of Ethiopia

The Ethiopian agricultural sector lies at the heart of the government’s development strategy. It has set out to attract more foreign investment in large-scale commercial agriculture as outlined in its 1993 policy which was later reformulated in 2005.

The policy marked a move towards a more trade-orientated approach, and a desire to attract foreign investors. Over 3.5 million hectares of land has been earmarked for investment by foreign firms.

Need for caution

Foreign investors need to tread carefully when acquiring land in Africa. This is best illustrated in the Gambela region of Ethiopia which I visited earlier this year. The area has been the centre of large-scale land acquisitions by Indian as well as other foreign investors.

According to the Ethiopian constitution, land is administered by the regional government. However, the federal government’s move to govern land investments through a centralised agency called the Agricultural Investment Land Administration Agency has led to discontent among Gambela regional government officials.

The concern is that the behaviour of foreign companies is not being managed adequately. There is a strong sense that land deals in Ethiopia have benefited both the foreign investors and domestic private capitalists with close ties to the ruling party.

A recent study found that foreign investors are farming less than 8% of the land they have acquired. During my visit I learnt that Karuturi Global Ltd, an Indian firm which has 100 000 hectares of land in Gambela, had only 1 000 hectares under production.

A lack of consultation with people living in the area is also a problem. Gambela is an ecological hotspot with Gambela National Park at its centre. It is home to Nuer and Anuak people whose livelihoods are threatened by investors illegally clearing trees in the park. These clearances happen mostly without consultation. This has led to conflict in the region.

Given the political nature of international land deals and the role states play in shaping policy and practice, there must be scrutiny on the role governments play in such deals because of their close alliance with private capital.

This is especially so for India. It can ill-afford to be tainted by accusations of complicity in land deals that disadvantage the people of Africa given the role it sees for itself in promoting co-operation among countries in the south to mitigate the effects of skewed power relations with the north.

Mohammad Amir Anwar is a Post-doctoral fellow at University of Johannesburg.

The Conversation

Full text of Kobad Ghandy's letter to the press explaining why he has gone on an indefinite fast

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Kobad Ghandy

Kobad Ghandy, who was arrested in Delhi in 2009 on charges of being a member of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist), has been on hunger strike in Tihar Jail since Saturday to protest what he has described as harassment by the authorities.

Sixty eight-year-old Ghandy said that the jail authorities had transferred him three times between different wards of the jail  over the past nine months in what he viewed as a bid to target his failing health. He says that he suffers from a heart problem, blood pressure, a slipped disc, arthritis and a kidney condition, among other illnesses.

He has been booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and Indian Penal Code for a variety of offences, including impersonation, cheating and forgery. He is facing trial in 20 other cases around the country.

Ghandy had been arrested from Bhikaji Kama place in Delhi in September 2009. At the time of his arrest, he had been undergoing treatment for a kidney ailment. His lawyers alleged that he had been illegally detained and tortured for four days before he was officially shown as arrested.

In March, an additional sessions judge in Delhi had directed the jail superintendent to facilitate medical treatment for the ailing Ghandy.

An unlikely rebel

Ghandy was born into a wealthy Parsi family, which owned an ice cream factory, among other businesses. He studied in Doon School and Mumbai’s St Xavier’s College before heading to London to study chartered accountancy. It was in London that he first saw Marxist groups fighting racism and got attracted to the ideology. After returning to India in the 1970s, he began working with tribals and the rural poor in various parts of the country. He was a member of the Maoist People’s War Group but claims he was expelled from it in 1987.

In a letter to the director of the National Human Rights Commission in November 2011, Gandhi appealed that he should be treated like a political prisoner and not a convicted criminal., “In the entire chargesheet there is no charge of violence,” he said. “There is no charge of any criminal activity or criminal intent, which is normally accompanied with charges under the UAPA. I have merely been put behind bars for my views and my work amongst the poor, who comprise 80% of our people.”

He added, “Incidentally the views (Maoist or Marxist) are not banned and freely available!”

This is the full text of Kobad Ghandy’s statement, released on June 1.

“I am 68 years and I have spent five and a half years in Tihar with the Delhi case nearing completion. Though routine (3 to 5 months) transfers of High Risk Ward prisoners have been going on for 4 years, I was subjected to this only from August ’14. This is the third time in 9 months. Earlier, jail transfers were done only as a form of punishment.

I have a heart problem, B.P., slip disc, arthritis, spondylitis, kidney, and numerous other health problems – all of which are increasing specifically after August ’14.

While transferring we have to carry our bags ourselves (some 10-15 kg) go through set of detailed searches of all items, made to hang around at the jail gates for 4-5 hours waiting for the transport, packed like sardines with baggage into a single van and taken to the new jail gate.

In the two more detailed searches, again to carry all items ourselves to the ward etc. One has to go through mulaaza (medical check) done for a new entrant. Then a scramble for cells, with the later arrivals getting the worst. Then at least 2-3 days goes in cleaning the filthy cell and arranging the baggage (no help given).

In the new jail all medical treatment gets interrupted, medical diet and other permissions have to be applied anew as also the bed and western toilet. This can take from a few days to months. Also, the Vodaphone facility has to be started anew. Barely has one settled in, and adjusted with the new lot of criminals (some of whom can be pretty nasty) when the next transfer comes and the whole process repeated.

The May 30th transfer [was] done in the midst of examination for a heart problem at the GB Pant Hospital.

Since the 2012 High Court order to Tihar to take better care of Senior Citizens (above 65), I have been applying to be put in the Senior Citizens’ ward, or given similar facilities in the High Risk ward – but to no avail. On the contrary, while at first they never transferred me, they resorted to this since Aug ’14, obviously as a method of harassment and to destroy my health.

As all the appeals, on both humanitarian and legal grounds have been ignored, I, as a last resort, have had to go on an indefinite hunger strike since the last transfer on May 30th.”

Kobad Ghandy
Tihar Jail 8/9
High Risk Ward (Ward 5)

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