TOPIC-1: A sordid
record in Chhattisgarh.
Adivasi rights activist and Aam
Aadmi Party leader Soni Sori was attacked by motorcycle-borne assailants in
Chhattisgarh on February 20. They threw an acid-like substance on her, which
left her in deep pain, and her face swollen with chemical burns. This was not
the first physical attack on Ms. Sori. As international human rights watchdogs
have reported, Ms. Sori was also allegedly tortured and sexually assaulted by
the Chhattisgarh police while in their custody in October 2011. The latest
attack on her comes in the wake of a series of developments that suggests a
government-endorsed clampdown on free
speech and dissent in the State. Earlier
this month, Malini Subramaniam, a journalist associated with the news portal
Scroll, and Jagdalpur Legal Aid, a group of human rights lawyers working with
Adivasis, were allegedly forced out of
the State for highlighting police atrocities against the tribal population. Both the journalist
and the lawyers have claimed that their landlords were intimidated by the police into issuing eviction notices on them. It is worth noting that
Ms. Sori had been trying to lodge an First Information Report against the
Inspector General of Police, Bastar Range. She has been leading a powerful
Adivasi movement that has sought to hold the State administration
accountable for the killing of Adivasis in fake encounters, arbitrary arrests,
and alleged sexual assault and torture of
Adivasi women by the police and security forces. She had planned to highlight
these issues through a 200-km march from Bijapur, set to end in Jagdalpur on
International Women’s Day, March 8, before she became a target of the latest
attack.
For some time now, free speech and
dissent have been on the retreat in Chhattisgarh. The official excuse for this
has been the ongoing civil conflict between
the state and Maoist insurgents. But the fact that individuals who have no
connection with the conflict are being forced out, suggests a larger
anti-democratic agenda at work. And this
is in keeping with the pattern across the world where so-called underdeveloped
but mineral-rich regions have fallen prey
to fierce corporate plunder of natural resources at the expense of the
local population. The Bastar region is rich in minerals as also Adivasi
settlements, and the people are loathe to
giving up their land for resource-extraction. It is their resistance to being
forcibly evicted from their land — best exemplified in the figure of Ms. Sori —
that is the trigger for the crackdown on democratic rights in Chhattisgarh.
Given the current political scene where a perverse
form of nationalism is threatening to shut down free speech, the attack on Ms.
Sori represents another front in the battle against the criminalisation of
dissent. The kind of spotlight that has been illuminating the absurd charges of sedition against the JNU
students needs to also be focussed on the likes of Ms. Sori who have been waging such battles for a long time.
VOCABULARY:
1.clampdown :a concerted or harsh attempt to suppress
something.
2.dissent : the
holding or expression of opinions at variance with those commonly or officially
held.
3.allegedly : used
to convey that something is claimed to be the case or have taken place,
although there is no proof.
4.atrocities : an
extremely wicked or cruel act, typically one involving physical violence or
injury.
5.intimidated :
frighten or overawe (someone), especially in order to make them do what one
wants.
6.eviction : the
action of expelling someone from a property; expulsion.
7.assault : make a
physical attack on.
8.conflict : a serious disagreement or argument,
typically a protracted one.
9.agenda : a list
of items to be discussed at a formal meeting.
10.prey : an
animal that is hunted and killed by another for food.
11.fierce : having
or displaying a violent or ferocious aggressiveness.
12.plunder : steal
goods from (a place or person), typically using force and in a time of war or
civil disorder.
13.loathe : feel
intense dislike or disgust for.
14.perverse :
showing a deliberate and obstinate desire to behave in a way that is
unreasonable or unacceptable.
15.absurd :wildly
unreasonable, illogical, or inappropriate.
16.waging : carry
on (a war or campaign).
TOPIC-2 : Restoring
goodwill with Kathmandu.
Nepal Prime Minister K.P. Oli’s
just-concluded six-day visit to India has come at an important juncture. The visit came after months of turmoil in the Madhes, or plains, region of Nepal
following protests demanding a more federal framework in the new Constitution.
India had tacitly backed the agitations,
which resulted in a virtual blockade and a shortage of essential supplies in
Nepal. After a prolonged period of vacillation,
Mr. Oli committed to amendments in the Constitution that would satisfy some of
the demands made by the Madhesis. This yielded an easing of the blockade after the protestors called off their stir. The net
result of the Indian hand in the unrest, and of New Delhi’s perceived partisanship, had been a resurgence of jingoism
in Kathmandu. It was also damaging for India, as the stand-off drained the
goodwill gained from its commitment to supporting Nepal’s reconstruction after
the devastating earthquake in 2015. The two countries clearly needed to recalibrate their positions, and this is a good
start. Nepal has to maintain cordial relations with India; its economic
dependence, especially as a landlocked state, is well understood and was, in
fact, reinforced during the economic blockade. India too needs a friendly
Nepal, whose geopolitical importance due to the open border between the two
countries cannot be overstated. It is also in India’s interest that there be
political stability in Nepal, to prevent the spillover
effect any turmoil can have for the bordering
States of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh and to secure the republican consensus needed to pull millions of Nepalis out
of poverty.
'To that extent, Prime Minister
Oli’s visit has helped reset some priorities. The emphasis by both sides was on
taking forward the reconstruction assistance that India has promised. A
memorandum of understanding in this regard was signed. Other MoUs covered
economic aid for road projects, enhancing power transmission, and easing travel
and transit of goods. As regards the question of the Constitution, the Indian
government had not budged much from its earlier position on the need for a
consensus through dialogue with the dissenting
Madhesis to take their concerns on federalism on board. But Prime Minister
Narendra Modi did acknowledge that the conclusion of the Constitution-writing
process is an “important achievement”. The onus
is now on Mr. Oli, his Cabinet and his party, the Communist Party of Nepal
(Unified Marxist-Leninist). They could still project the halt in the economic embargo
and return to normalcy in the Madhes as a sign of victory and resist any further
concessions towards a truly federal Nepal. But that would only amount to
further brinkmanship, which could prove detrimental again in the longer run. New Delhi too
should dwell on
the lessons from the recent deterioration in ties and on the need for a
calibrated position that supports inclusive democracy in Nepal yet does not
amount to interference. Mr. Oli’s visit has demonstrated the importance of
high-level ownership of bilateral engagement to return relations to a mutually
beneficial equilibrium.
VOCABULARY:
1.juncture : a particular point in events or time.
2.turmoil
: a state of great disturbance, confusion, or uncertainty.
3.tacitly :
Implied by or inferred from actions or statements
4.vacillation : the inability to decide between different opinions or actions;
indecision.
5.blockade
: an act or means of sealing off a place to prevent goods or people from
entering or leaving.
6.stir :
move a spoon or other implement round and round in (a liquid or other
substance) in order to mix it thoroughly.
7.perceived : become aware or conscious of
(something); come to realize or understand.
8.resurgence : an increase or revival after a period of little activity, popularity,
or occurrence.
9.jingoism : extreme patriotism, especially in the form
of aggressive or warlike foreign policy.
10.recalibrate : calibrate (something) again or differently.
11.spillover
: an instance of overflowing or spreading into another area.
12.bordering : form an edge along or beside (something).
13.consensus : a general agreement.
14.dissenting : hold or express opinions that are at variance with those commonly or
officially held.
15.onus :
something that is one's duty or responsibility.
16.halt : bring or come to an abrupt stop.
17.embargo : an official ban on trade or other commercial activity with a particular
country.
18.brinkmanship : the art or practice of pursuing a dangerous policy to the limits of
safety before stopping, especially in politics.
19.detrimental : tending to cause harm.
