Whats wrong with few states forming a union for greater economic prosperity??? Mohan's article is filled with fallacious reasoning and illogical arguments.It was only states like Punjab,Kashmir and few north-eastern ones which want to be indepenedent,there has been no case of southern states wanting to be independent.The whole idea is ridiculous and absurd.Grow Up Mr.Mohan!!!! And think before you make such kind of irresponsible statements.
What is Mr. Mohan Guruswamy doing now ? Obviously out of favour with the BJP i guess :) Anyway, too many assumptions and generalisations in the article and smacks of bias.
When the author speaks of Scuttling moves , it shows his typical bureaucratic mentality..When r u guys ever going to look for improving the economic advancement of states within India.Now u have a South Indian grouping which looks for economic cooperation this will only lead to more cohesion and cooperation and may possibly lead to solutions for pbms like Kaveri waterpbm which is an issue which can affect national unity down the line.They also give impetus to nOrth and North eastern states to strive to advance economically rather than crib of being weak ducklings in the system.All it requires is an attitude to strive and Advance..and not complain..
I for one fully support that 'southern economic union'!Not because Hindi speaking states are supposedly pulling India back economically.But because of the shabby treatment Delhi's Hindi speaking national leaders has traditionally meted out to south Indian states.Can you think of a single political figure more capable and cleaner than SM Krishna,Naidu and AK Antony in India?(Or even Jayalalitha!)None!But these leaders will never have a say in Indian politics,just because they are from South India.How many South Indians have held important cabinet positions in the last 50 odd years?Many of those in the corridoors of power in Delhi don't know that there are indeed non-Hindi speaking states to the south.The country is run by Hindi speaking politicians and what SOuth has to do is to supply them with some Loksabha seats for number games.You have to hit where it hurts.
RE:the southern economic union
by Borges on Jun 14, 2003 10:01 PM
Its pathetic to see people write about the incapability of the Southies to learn Hindi! Crazy, as if all the southies had a 'Hindi learning part' in their brain from prehistoric ages and it was later chopped off! They speak their own language from time immemorial, and let them do it! They don't learn Hindi because they don't need to. They find enough opportunities in their states, and when they decide to migrate to Mumbai or some Northern State, they can learn. It's not Greek or Latin. Nobody needs to learn Hindi just for making a bargain in Sattar Bazaar! OK, how would one feel if Telugu was imposed in Orissa and Kannada in Maharashtra so that we can develop national integrity from thereon? It's not crooked logic, but why not this way? I'm proud to have an Indian identity, but please explain: How learning Hindi is going to develop us? Going to write software programs in Hindi after this and catch up with the world? Does Hindi have all the scientific terms used in English? No Indian language does. I believe that I will have my mother-tongue for my cultural facet and English for development. The Northern psyche is a blinkered-horse psyche. That's what I infer from the replies!!
RE:the southern economic union
by sulakshan mandke on Jun 14, 2003 03:29 AM
its laughable to call someone like jayalathitha a clean politician..another important point tht i'd like to make is tht southie schools have never made hindi compulsory as a language..come to think abt national integrity.. well id say its negligence on part of central gov to impose this when it is compulsory in other states like gujurat and maharashtra and eastern states...why not the south...i ask? 50 % of the south indians who are in the south dont know hindi..why not..if a non-southie comes to visit the south..he HAS to know tamil or english..the main point is tht they are not in sync with the nation...when i was in the states..i went to a south indians place.. and guess wht..he did not know even a single non-southie family..but knew 200 southie families. he did not know hindi.wht sort of national community are we talking here now??? the southern economic union is extremley harmful from a national integrity point of veiw...and if that is inevitable then i can see russia replyed here..and urge the govts of gujurat and maharashtra to form western conference..and so on ..to hell with the nation ...!!!BUT THT IS NOT RIGHT..!!
RE:the southern economic union
by Nik on Jun 13, 2003 08:07 PM
Open your eyes... have you heard about India? Your narow minded attitude is only going to hurt yourself.. got over it. BIMARU states may be slow in modernising, but it is our duty to help them catch up. And dont even start about 'Hindi speaking states' crap - I as a Maharashtrian am happy to speak in Hindi - it gives me an edge, but I havent givenup my mother tongue and am proud of it. It is perhaps your insecurity that leads you to believe you are being discriminated against. If I am not mistaken, the current and previous presidents have been 'South Indians' and so was the last Prime Minister. Now.. if you are referring to Tamils by 'south Indians'... hmm.. theres food for thought!
RE:the southern economic union
by Ketan Dand on Jun 13, 2003 10:31 PM
The Southern Economic Union will have to be studied before determining whether it is divisive or progressive. However, Sir, if you call Jayalalitha clean, I suggest you sorely need medical help. With respect to paucity of Southern leaders in Delhi, the south itself may be to blame. There does not exist any policy to discriminate against southies in Delhi. Unlike in the South where if you talk in Hindi, people deliberately ignore u even if they understand, while they reply to English, our old masters' lingo. Your mail is excatly the kind of divisive forces we should be fighting. I am a Mumbaite. We have never complained that inspite of our generating more revenue for the country than your entire state, we have not had a PM from Maharashtra. Learn from us to ask what you can do for the country.
RE:the southern economic union
by Borges on Jun 14, 2003 09:46 PM
I don't understand why so many people lament that the 'Southie' states do not interact with the Northern states, and so worried that the Southies don't learn Hindi and do not mix with the northerners, and somebody is so concerned that we're speaking the 'master's lingo'. My God, ONE THING INDIANS SEEM TO BE SO WEAK IS IN THEIR KNOWLEDGE OF HISTORY. Come on, everybody knows that the there was a Dravidian culture in the south long before the Aryans came - if I say this, I will be blamed as an inflammatory divisive guy, but I believe that after all these years of foreign rule, none of the Indian culture or languages were destroyed just because of their diversity, and no foreigner could ever control this lovely tower of Babel. What is wrong in learning English rather than Hindi? I can still speak Tamil, my children will speak Tamil? Wake up; the world won't become dark if the cat closes its eyes. Just leaf through top scientific journals like Science, Nature, PNAS, JBC etc etc - see how many Japanese, Chinese and European groups publish in them. If we keep saying English is "theirs" - we are the losers. Those who understand the power of English will not make such irresponsible comments
RE:the southern economic union
by Krishna on Jun 13, 2003 08:20 PM
Please, enough with partisan politics. I come from the south myself (Madras) but I consider myself Indian first. I also think that the lack of hindi knowledge in the south is a limitor in our growth. I consider myself Indian first and think that we all should.
RE:the southern economic union
by Chatur Chaman Chooran on Jun 14, 2003 03:51 AM
An excellent point. One of several things to be given due weightage for resolving this affair; but a vital one nevertheless.
RE:the southern economic union
by RAMKUMAR SRIDHARAN on Jun 13, 2003 08:17 PM
I am a southerner too (from Tamil Nadu). I want to say that your observation is skewed. If you want to weild power in national politics you have to achieve it, fight for it and get it. People dont give it in platter to southerners (or for anyone). First thing I want to say is actually there were/are enough people from south who held key positions, like former Finance Secretary Geetha Krishnan (you know how important that position is) and so many others. and let me tell you something if you think numbers of bureacrats in cabinet are the key for economic development, then Bihar should have been the most developed state in our country and UP second and so on. But as you see, it is not the case. It is the attitude which matters, the politicians/brcrts should have the attitude to improve the state in order to improve their net asset (more project more money for them) or true improvement or whatever logic they choose, eventually it should benefit the state.
RE:the southern economic union
by SS on Jun 13, 2003 09:23 PM
Do you think all the development in the South has happened without supprt from the Central Government??? Pity your thinking.
This guy seems to be baised against the government! He quotes that a lot of people have died under the BJP's rule (not NDA!!) fighting agains "so called" terrorists! Ofcourse people have died b'coz his government decided to do something about it and the terrorists didnt like it - they retliated. What can you expect Mr.Guruswamy? Wake up and look at the reality too before giving your baised opinion.
RE:Baised Against the Government?
by Somdev on Jun 13, 2003 09:24 PM
I find the response much more biased than the article.
1. In the article, everywhere we find "BJP led Government". We thought BJP is the main thing in NDA. Isn't it so, Mr. Prabhaker?
2. So NDA government is doing something and terrorists are hitting back and it's a credit of the NDA government. Now who is responsible for not allowing the terrorists to hit back or to hit them so hard so that they cannot come back? Sonia Gandhi? Ajim Premji? Me?
As for Mr. Advani, this article tells that while he shouts on the top of his mouth about wiping away Pakistan from the map, what happens in reality is that 100 sq.km. of Indian land has been under Pakistani control for years. What does that tell about our home ministry? Isn't Mr. Advani somewhat responsible? And isn't it funny when someone brands him "Iron Man"? Isn't "empty vessel" is a much more appropriate term?
As for the Southern States, is this kind of grouping allowed in constitution? If yes, then what is the problem? The states are intelligent enough(they are not allowed also) not to break away from the union. Seeing seditious motives in this is extending your imagination a little too far.
RE:Baised Against the Government?
by phalaksh on Jun 13, 2003 08:46 PM
what a stupid reply?? govt tried to do something thts why so many people died?? so in this sense u expect no bloodshed if u pull out all the military from kashmir n do nothing?? come on congress was a bad govtment, i think BJP is the worst govt ever. filled with ,guys who know how to deliver speeches n create tension to kill our own people so tth they come to pwer again.
ne way i support the souhtern union, everybody is welcome to do whatever they want to in a democratic country,let nothern or hindi spaeking people create ther own union. its a open fact tht if southern statef wer an independent nation ,they would have been a highly developed nationby now.
RE:Baised Against the Government?
by Ketan Dand on Jun 13, 2003 10:49 PM
Kindly indicate what the Govt has done to fight the terrorists other than declaring ceasefires and issuing empty threats that " our patience is running out". The Rao govt. had the spine to blow up the Charar E Sharief. This govt has no spine and the PM is on is knees.
Mr. Guruswamy's sentiments regarding Southern Economic Union are admirable. Whatever be the benefits/ justification the southern states need to undertand that they cannot enter into bilateral arrangements with multilateral agencies or form a parallel forum. These will later give rise to seditious thoughts and need to be nipped in the bud. The country's interests are paramount.
MY success, our success
by Sudhir Sadanand on Jun 14, 2003 03:26 AM
We are talking about economic developmental aid. WB aid is mainly for infrastructure development. Any move which improves the living condition of people and within the framework of the constitution should be appreciated, not opposed. Morover, there is the support of central govt and our fractious political parties ! I agree that such far-reaching decisions should be taken up giving more thought about its consequences in the long run. But to stop this effort on the assumption that this move will lead southern states to form 'political unions' and threaten the 'country's independence and national identity' is really stretching it too far.
This article is certainly written by a bureaucrat. Any developmental effort is sure to be opposed for some paranoid national security reasoning.
