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THE TIMES OF LEAGUE

Issue - 11 Muharam 1434 November- 2013 Pages - 8 Monthly Price : Rs. 10/Annual Subscription : Rs. 120/-

Volume : 3

Resurgence Of Muslim League In The North

Prof:K.M.Khader Mohideens whirlwind tour to the National capital

The Muslim League after a period of hibernation has reemerged in the north as a force to recon with. The resurgence of the party suggests the notion of reviving practices and ideas and notion of renaissance and renewal of thought and it does not reflect the notion of threat and challenge to the established order, communal harmony and social tranquility. The resurgence conveys a clear message to the Muslims of India. United We stand Divided We fall. The appearance of the crescent in the northern political horizon perfectly explains the emergence of Muslim League in the testing time of Indian Muslims in the national politics. The party hopes through the attachment of Muslims to the Muslim League they can regain their self esteem and dignity. This indicates clearly that Muslim League has become important again in Indian Muslim lives. The partys National General Secretary prof. K.M.KhaderMohideens bold and undaunted attempt to revive the party in the North tantamount to a political activism and a sincere attempt to recreate a Muslim political ethos to establish unity among diversity, communal

amity and social tranquility. His whirlwind tour to the Nations capital hectic election campaign for the partys official candidate KhurramAneesUmmer the All IndiaSecretary and largely attended public meetings speak loud of the need and necessity of the party in the North. Where ever he went the shouts of Allaho-Akbar, Muslim League Zindabad rendered the air thick and the green crescent flags majestically greeted him everywhere . Apart from the okhla constituency in Delhi the party

has put up its candidates in Indore, Burhanpur, Jabalpur east, Jabalpur middle in the state of Madhya Pradesh and KavonMadhpur in Rajasthan. The election campaign in Rajasthan was led by the National Vice President Advocate Iqbal Ashamed and in Maharastra by the National Asst.SecretaryH. AbdulBasith.The party candidates are contesting in the ladder symbol allotted by the Election Commission of India after granting recognition to the party.

After its formation in 1948 the IUML had roots only in the Southern states particularly in the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. For a brief period it was in the ruling coalition with its seven members in the West Bengal Assembly and had a few members in the Maharastra assembly. After 2004 general election the IUML became a partner in the UPA government and the partys lone minister E.Ahamed spared no efforts to carry the partys message to the nook and corner of the north and he was instrumental in the budding of the party in the northern belt. He charmed even the adversaries by his congenial temperament and harmonious approach to solve the problems. He made IUML to become a blue eyed blonde to be loved and liked by the people in the south, north, east and west. The deception and disappoint ment of the past provide the required fodder for the vibrant emergence of the party in the northern belt. To cross a thousand mile one has to take a first step and that humble step has been taken. The party hopes to successfully complete its long journey to reach its desired destination. The party is waiting for the spring after autumn.

December - 2013

THE TIMES OF LEAGUE

Dont divide secular votes, Indian Union Muslim League says

KISHANGANJ: Minister of state for external affairs and Indian Union Muslim League(IUML)s national
president E Ahamed has said the IUML has always fought to maintain the secular fabric of the country and foster good relations among different communities. Addressing a MilliBedari conference organized by the IUML on the campus of Russel High School at Bahadurganj, 27km from Kishanganj, on Saturday, Ahamed said at a time when communal forces were rallying around and BJPs PM candidate NarendraModi, the need was to avert any division in the secular forces. Any split in the secular forces will only strengthen the communal and divisive forces, he said. Ahamed, who came by Rajdhani Express to Kishanganj and rushed to the conference site, was cheered by the IUML leaders from Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal. Making a clarion call to the people to stand like a rock behind the secular forces, he called upon them not to forget the sacrifices made by the nationalist and patriotic leaders for the country. Talking to newsmen at Kishnaganj earlier, the minister said Indias relations with the neighbouring countries like Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan on the eastern side were good. We are doing everything possible to strengthen our ties with our neighbours, he said. Replying to a query, Ahamed said, The minor irritants like sharing of Teesta water was something which will be taken care of and India was doing all that is possible to remove the misconceptions. He said a committee constituted by the external affairs ministry was exploring the possibility of opening passport offices in as many districts as possible across the country. IUML national secretary Syed NaimAkhtar and TariqueMatin, Syed Amjad Ali and Shahnshah Jahangir, state IUML chiefs of Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal respectively besides former MP PappuYadav and former Tamil Nadu MLA Abdul Basit were among those present on the occasion. Talking about the objectives behind the Bedari conference, Bihar IUML chief TariqueMatin said, Our objective is to spread awareness among the Muslims so as to prevent split in the secular votes.

Muslims should create Rs.50,000 - crore educational fund

Affairs Minister K. Rahman Khan Saturday urged the Muslim comm unity to draw up its own roadmap for the future and define its own priorities, adding that a Rs.50,000 crore educational fund should also be created. Khan was inaugurating a national seminar on Professionalisation of Education: Problems and Opportu nities for Indian Muslims, organised by the Centre for Promotion of Educational and Cultural Advance ment of Muslims of India at the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU). He said India had achieved a lot of progress through the planning process and such type of planning is needed for the Muslim community by its own intelligentsia. Paying rich tributes to Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, founder of the AMU for his vision and mission, he suggested Muslims should make an effort to mobilise their own resources and establish educational institutions on their own. Khan lamented that Muslims were equally responsible for their backwardness. He said in south India, Muslims have established 16 medical colleges and more than 100 engineering colleges to provide professional

Aligarh, Nov 30 (IANS) Minority

education to the community. He said lack of awareness is a major cause of backwardness of Muslims. Delivering the keynote address, Syed ZafarMahmood, IRS (retd) said Muslims are the most backward community in education and their share in job market is the lowest. He pointed that the National Minority Scholarship Scheme was not implemented in Gujarat while it was implemented by other BJPruled states like Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh. He suggested ITI courses should be extended to the Muslim-dominated areas and these professional courses should be extended to Madrassaeducated children. Khan said Muslims should adopt a positive attitude. He said that since Muslims form the second largest majority, the country cannot progress without their active participation. Brigadier (Retd.) S. Ahmad Ali, Pro-Vice Chancellor, AMU, in his presidential address, said we live in an age of competition and in job market the demand of professionally and educationally competent and skilled persons is more as compared to merely

skilled workers. Professional education seems a better option especially for Muslims who are blessed with multi-faceted skills yet lag behind in getting coveted jobs due to lack of formal education, he added. Brig. Ali urged the Muslim community to provide quality educa tion. He suggested the government should fix accountability from Delhi, establish community targeted centres, provide girls hostels in Muslim-centric areas and demanded secularisation of education at the school level. Earlier, Shamim A. Ansari, Director of the Centre, said this centre is one of the most important centres of the university working for the promotion of Muslims. He said knowledge without use is worthless with regard to professionalisation of education. He said educational institutions must have their fingers on the nerve of market where most demanded jobs are available. Ansari observed that Muslim institutions fail to visualise the changing scenario of the world with regard to conditions and nature of job opportunities attracting people. As a result, Muslims students are generally

December - 2013

40% of Kerala prisoners not guilty: DGP

Says Kerala DGP in reply to RTI query How many innocent people are lodged in prisons across Kerala? About 40 per cent of the inmates are not guilty of any crime, says a reply from the office of the Director General of Prisons and Correctional Services to a query asked under provisions of the Right to Information (RTI) Act. The Director General, Alexander Jacob, said at a public function in Kannur on September 13 that 20 per cent of the inmates were innocent. The State Public Information Officer of Prisons and Correctional Services, Joy Sebastina Pushpam, however, said the actual figure was 40 per cent. The DGP is a man of few words and he kept restraint in revealing the whole picture. He limited the percentage at 20 to keep restraint. The actual figure is 40 per cent, the reply issued by him says. Many innocent people have landed behind bars because circumstantial evidence turned against them, it says. Another significant section of innocent prisoners are volunteers recruited by political parties and other The RTI reply says the number of prison inmates in Kerala was 4,663 till September. The conviction rate in Kerala is 65 per cent. We have information that 1,632 among the 4,663 prisoners are innocent. Among the under-trial prisoners, 98 are mentally challenged persons. Their trial would be started only when their doctors certify that they are fit for trial. Families of mentally challenged accused often refuse to get them on bail. These mentally challenged people can be considered innocent, the reply says. There are 60 people in different jails under provisions of preventive arrest. As per law, they cant be called criminals. So they too are innocent. There are eight children in different jails and two of them are living with their convicted mothers. Six are with under-trial mothers. They also come under the category of innocent in Kerala jails. Asked about the steps taken by the Director General of Prisons to get the innocent prisoners freed of charges, the information officer said the Kerala Prison Rules did not allow him to sort out innocent people and to release them. Freeing them is the prerogative of courts. Lawyers and social workers can play a role in it, the reply says. Keywords: Kerala prison inmates, Alexander Jacob, RTI query, Human Rights Defence Forum

THE TIMES OF LEAGUE

Alexander Jacob - Director General of Prisons and Correctional Services

organisations to undergo jail term on behalf of the culprits. D.B. Binu of the Kochi-based Human Rights Defence Forum used the RTI Act to get clarity on the statement made by Mr. Jacob when addressing a meeting organised in Kannur by a cultural organisation, Alaap, to distribute prizes to winners in a literary competition for inmates. Twenty per cent of the jail inmates have committed no crime. Lack of proper legal aid, along with strong circumstantial evidence, has landed them behind bars. There are many who opt for a jail term on the dictates of political parties which want the real culprits to go scot-free, Mr. Jacob said at the meeting.

CONSTITUTE WAKF BOARD WITH ELECTED MUSLIM MEMBERS

Punjab State IUML appeals to the President of India

Apathy of Muslims largely responsible for present plight

ALIGARH: Apathy of the community itself is largely responsible for the present plight of Muslims, especially in the field of education, a senior government official has said. National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions Chairman retired Justice M S A Siddiqui said that the Muslim community in the country was not serious in improving its social and educational backwardness. Addressing a seminar on Social and Educational Empowerment of Indian Muslims organised by a group of social bodies, Siddiqui said the apathy of the community was largely responsible for its present plight, especially in the field of education. He said its sad that though the government had introduced a large number of schemes for the minorities but they were being squandered away in absence of an organised infrastructure within the community. Siddiqui also said that there were virtually no Muslim NGOs in north India, which were seriously committed to the cause of the social uplift and those existing are only for namesake. The chairman said that Aligarh was supposed to be an educational hub for the Muslims in northern India, and he found that there was a very lacklustre response to different social and educational schemes at the grassroots level in the city too.

and the Board should be constituted by the elected members of the Muslim community, The Punjab state IUML appealed to the President of India. In a letter addressed to the President the Punjab state IUML presidentMuhammedAhamedDhin mentioned that the wakf board was established in the state after the partition to supervise the wakf properties. The income from the wakf should be utilized for the benefits of the Muslim community. But there was some problems in electing the members to the wakf board. However the practice in the state was that the president and the members of wakf board were elected by the ruling party. Wakf board has become the property of the ruling party. He appealed that the members to the board should be elected from the Punjab state Muslim community. The copy of the letters were sent to the Prime Minister, Minority Affairs Minister the IUML National President and the Minister of state for External AffasirsE.Ahamed, Punjab Governor, Punjab Chief Minister. ShrimanjitsinghMann the president of Akali dal and the former Member of Parliament supported the demand of the Punjab state IUML.

Wakf Board should not become the property of the ruling party

December - 2013

THE TIMES OF LEAGUE

Who betrayed Sardar Patel?

Sardar Patel persuaded the Constituent Assembly to guarantee payment of Privy Purses and preserve the rights of the erstwhile rulers. But the Congress betrayed him. In the recent media coverage on Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, there was not one word about the greatest insult to his memory: the abolition of the Privy Purses, first by a Presidential Order and, later, by a constitutional amendment. Article 1 of the Constitution states that India, that is, Bharat, shall be a Union of States. No person can claim greater credit for the creation of Bharat than Sardar Patel, ably assisted by V.P. Menon (Constitutional Adviser to Lord Mountbatten). In 1947, princely states numbering 555 covered 48 per cent of the area of preIndependent India and constituted 28 per cent of its population. Legally, the princely states were not a part of British India and the people of these states were not treated as British subjects. But, in reality, they were completely subordinate to the British Crown. The Indian Independence Act, 1947, provided for the lapse of paramountcy of the British Crown over the Indian states. Each ruler had the option to accede to the dominion of India or to Pakistan, or continue as an independent sovereign mini-state. The rulers were often seen, perhaps rightly, as lackeys and stooges of the British Empire. Even in the mutiny of 1857, many of them actively assisted the British. Lord Canning acknowledged their role as breakwaters in the storm which would have swept over us in one great wave. From the beginning, therefore, several members of the Congress were totally opposed to the payment of Privy Purses. Integration The tireless efforts of Sardar Patel and V.P. Menon resulted in the princes agreeing to the dissolution of their respective states. They surrendered several villages, thousands of acres of scattered jagir land, palaces, museums, buildings, aircraft, and cash balances and investments amounting to Rs.77 crore. In addition, there was the railway system of about 12,000 miles which the states surrendered to the Centre without receiving any compensation. In consideration of their agreeing to integrate with India, the princes were to be paid a Privy Purse, which was approximately 8.5 per cent of the annual revenue of each princely state. The amounts varied from Rs.43 lakh a year to the Nizam of Hyderabad to just Rs.192 a year to the ruler of Katodia. Of the 555 rulers, 398 were to get less than Rs.50,000 a year. The total cost to the Indian exchequer in 1947 was Rs.6 crore, which was to be progressively if the settlement with them would not have been reached on a negotiated basis was far greater than could be imagined at this stage. Let us do justice to them; let us place ourselves in their position and then assess the value of their sacrifice. The rulers have now discharged their part of the obligations by transferring all ruling powers by agreeing to the integration of their States. The main part of our obligation under these agreements is to ensure that the guarantee given by us in

Arvind P. Datar
Privy Purses case In the 1967 election, several rulers had joined the Swatantra Party headed by C. Rajagopalachari, and many of them defeated Congress candidates. Indira Gandhi was, therefore, determined to abolish the Privy Purses. On June 25, 1967, the All India Congress passed a resolution to abolish them. The Constitution (Twenty-fourth Amendment) Bill, 1970 was introduced and passed in the Lok Sabha by a majority of 332:154 votes, but it was defeated in the Rajya Sabha by 149:75. Having failed in Parliament, Indira Gandhi asked President V.V. Giri to derecognise all the rulers. This derecognition was successfully challenged by N.A. Palkhivala before the Supreme Court in the historic Privy Purses case. Indira Gandhis landslide victory in the 1971 election enabled her to amend the Constitution that abolished the Privy Purses and extinguished all rights and privileges of the rulers. In Parliament, Indira Gandhi stated that the concept of Privy Purses and special privileges were incompatible with an egalitarian social order. Thus, just 20 years later, the Congress Party, of which Sardar Patel was a member, betrayed the solemn constitutional guarantee given to the rulers by the Constituent Assembly. It was primarily on the assurance of Sardar Patel that the rulers signed the Instruments of Accession that created a united India. In the end, the abolition of Privy Purses will remain one of the most s`hameful events in our constitutional history. The nation saved Rs.4 crore annually but lost its honour. It is equally regrettable that neither the Janata Party in 1977 nor any subsequent nonCongress government did anything to redeem Patels pledge. What purpose will, then, be served by spending Rs.2,500 crore to build the tallest statue in his memory? (Arvind P. Datar is a senior advocate of the Madras High Court.) Courtesy : The Hindu 19 Nov 2013 Chennai

reduced. At the time of abolition in 1970, the total amount payable to all the erstwhile princes was just Rs.4 crore a year. On October 12, 1949, Sardar Patel persuaded the Constituent Assembly to include Articles 291 and 362 in the Constitution to guarantee the payment of Privy Purses and also preserve the personal rights, privileges and dignities of the rulers. His brilliant speech bears clear testimony to his statesmanship and deserves to be carefully read: The privy purse settlements are, therefore, in the nature of consideration for the surrender by the rulers of all their ruling powers and also for the dissolution of the States as separate units Need we cavil then at the small I purposely use the word small price we have paid for the bloodless revolution which has affected the destinies of millions of our people? The capacity for mischief and trouble on the part of the rulers

respect of privy purses are fully implemented. Our failure to do so would be a breach of faith and seriously prejudice the stabilisation of the new order. He also informed the Assembly that if the cash received from the rulers of Madhya Bharat alone were invested, the interest would cover the payment of Privy Purses to all the princes. Nobody but Sardar Patel and V.P. Menon could have negotiated such a settlement with them. After Patels death, there were repeated demands to abolish the Privy Purses, but Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru refused to do so. Appalled at these demands, Menon remarked: As an honourable party to an agreement, we cannot take the stand that we shall accept only that part of the settlement which confers rights on us, and repudiate or whittle down that part which defines our obligations. As a nation aspiring to give a moral lead to the world, let it not be said of us that we know the price of everything, and the value of nothing.

December - 2013

THE TIMES OF LEAGUE

The Chief Secretary and Politica Consultant of US Embassy New Delhi calls on the IUML Nation General Secretary and TN State President Prof. K.M. Kader Mohideen in the IUML Head Quarters at Chennai. Senior Officials from US consulate Chennai Mrs. Kalpana Moorthy, Mrs. Rabak Benny and Mr. Jacob accompany him. Kayal Mahaboob the News Editor Manichudar Tamil Daily, K.T. Kizer Mohamed Asst. Editor The Times of League Monthly and Ibrahim Mackey Manager - Pirai Medai Fortnightly are seen in the picture.

Mohallah Jamath integration Conference On Saturday December 28, 2013 at Ulavar Chandai, Trichy, Tamil Nadu at 3.00 pm : Cresent Resurgence Rally to fight against Terrorism & to Strengthen Communal Amity. at 5.00 pm : Ceremony to award Model Mohallah Jamaths at 6.30 pm : Political awareness Conference. IUML President Central Minister E. Ahamed, National General Seceretary Prof. K.M. Kader Mohideen, Ministers from Kerala, MPs & MLAs and other IUML dignitaries from the various States of India grace the Conference. It is an Exclusive IUML Conference. The Conference will emphasis on National Integration, Communal Amity and Preservation of Minority Identity. All are Welcome.

Kolkata/Malda: Waqf property is not only associated with Muslim, Waqf property is a national property and should be used to end the plight of the poor, said Minister for Minority Affairs K Rehman Khan during a recent visit to Kolkata on November 21. K Rahman Khan had come to Kolkata to attend a Chartered Account Convention at Science City Auditorium in city. But before the convention, he attended a meeting with the state Waqf Board Chairman Justice (Retr) Abdul Ghani and members of the Board at the office State Waqf Board. He said that the amendments of the national Wakf Act are very

Waqf properties must be protected, says K Rehman Khan

significant and now is the time to make maximum advantages of these amendments. He spoke on how with the intervention of the Apex Court, several prime location properties could be either taken back or rent/lease amount could be rationalized. He gave the examples of how two five stars hotels in Bangalore and Delhi were only paying 12 thousand rupees, but now the rent is substantially being increased. He said that vast Waqf land or money incurred through rents could be utilized in the educational and other developments of the community. Central Waqf Board has set up a legal cell to recover the illegal occupied Waqf properties, he added. He also said that the Government of India will make central development fund with an amount of 150 Crore. There are sveral prime location proteties in Kolkata, illegally occupied, like the office of liquor company Shaw Wallace near Writers Building, Gulf Club at Tollygunge, Martin Burn at Ballygunj, etc. Besides Union Minority Minister K Rahman Khan, and WB state Waqf Board Chairman Justice (Retd) Abdul Ghani, Members of the Board Union Minister Abu Hashem Khan Chowdhury, MP Haji Nurul Islam, MLA Dr. MdNuruzzman, Ahmed Hassan Imran, MLA Abu Taher Khan and Afakuzzaman were also present in the meeting. After the meeting a Memorandum, comprising of several proposals, was handed over to Union Minority Affair Minister on behalf of West Bengal Waqf Board.

French court orders to serve Halal meals to Muslim inmates

prison in France has been ordered to make halal meals available to its Muslim inmates in a landmark legal ruling. By Sam Ball, The administrative tribunal in Grenoble in southeastern France ruled that the nearby Saint-Quentin-Fallavier prison must begin serving halal meals in its canteen, citing French laws guaranteeing free exercise of religion. A Muslim inmate at SaintQuentin-Fallavier, known only as Adrien K, made a request to the prisons warden in March this year asking for Muslim detainees to be offered the option of halal meals, according to French media reports. The request was denied, prompting the inmate to appeal to

the administrative tribunal. In a decision dated November 7, the court ruled in favour of the inmate and ordered the prison to provide regular menus with halal meat options within three months. It is the first time a French legal institution has ruled that a prison

must provide certain food to accommodate inmates religious beliefs. It is a major breakthrough, lawyer Alexandre Ciaudo, who is representing the inmate, told France Info radio. The decision will likely be applied to all prisons that do not already provide halal

meat to Muslim detainees, he added. In its ruling, the court said that by refusing to supply halal meals, the prison warden had violated Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which guarantees freedom of religion. The court also stated that Frances secularism laws, in addition to enforcing a strict separation between church and state, require that the Republic guarantees the free exercise of religion. Making halal meals available would come with no prohibitive additional cost to the prison, nor would it present any particular technical difficulty, said the court.

December - 2013

Problem of Alcoholism Riding a Tiger in Tamil Nadu

is becoming widespread problem in the Indian society and Tamil Nadu is no exception. The age of first exposure to alcohol in the state has dropped to 15 years. Added concern is the increasing numbers of women specially girls becoming addicted to alcohol. This trend is causing socio-economic problems but little is being done to arrest this social trend. On the contrary, the state government is encouraging alcoholism to gain revenue. Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC) is a company owned by the Tamil Nadu government which has a monopoly over wholesale and retail vending of alcoholic beverages in the state. The state government, for years has been adding a huge amount of money to its exchequer by licensing and selling the liquor through its 2500 government controlled TASMAC shops. Liquor sales in 2011-12 has touched 18,081.16 crore rupees, registering a 20.82% increase. Every year during the New Year and Pongal festival, TASMAC is making around Rs. 500 crores selling liquor in wholesale and retail market. Whether GDP rate grows or not, the alcohol consumption rate has been growing at 8 per cent every year, says Lakshmi Vijaykumar, head of the department of psychiatry at the Voluntary Health Services, Taramani, Chennai. No government is willing to stop it because they get revenue from it, but the costs are higher she says adding, dealing with problems caused by alcoholism costs three times more than the amount of revenue the government gets from liquor sales. In order to understand the magnitude of the problem and to feel the pulse of the society, Nandini Voice for the Deprived, a Chennai based NGO conducted a survey in Tamil Nadu to ascertain the views of the people about the TASMAC shops, believed to be the root cause of this social problem This study was necessitated because in recent times, there have been number of agitation by

THE TIMES OF LEAGUE

Alcoholism

group of people in several places in Tamil Nadu, demanding that TASMAC shops to be removed from the residential areas. There were also protests that the TASMAC shops should be barred near the places of worship and educational institutions. Judiciary have also given instructions that the highways should be free from the TASMAC shops. However, all this is having little impact on checking the sale of liquor in the state. The sales turnover of TASMAC shops are steadily increasing and proportionate to it the number of liquor addicts is growing among various age groups. Methodology of study The study was conducted to find out what the common man thinks about the proliferation of TASMAC shops in the state, given the fact that the government itself is managing such liquor shops. The study was conducted on the basis of primary survey that was randomly spread all over the state. Around 243 men and women were interviewed both in rural and urban areas through questioner method. The respondents include; higher secondary and college students, youth, software professionals, senior citizens, domestic maids, etc. Findings of the study There were respondents who regularly take liquor did not feel guilty about their habit. They view consuming liquor nothing differently from taking other beverages. They cannot visualize their life without consuming liquor. To a question, in the event of government imposing prohibition, the respondents had no hesitation in saying they will opt for liquor from the black market. Some even justified the TASMAC shops as they were necessary to prevent illicit liquor trade. The NGO Nandini- Voice for the Deprived found that the liquor habit is fairly well spread throughout the state. However, its impact is clearly evident in the rural areas, where more than 40 % of the male population are addicted to consuming liquor regularly. The study has also found that

serving liquor has become a fashion in marriage parties and in funerals, particularly amongst lower income groups in Tamil Nadu. What was noticed that for sake of social status, even those who do not consume liquor, arrange liquor for others during such events. Its not uncommon site to find students stacking liquor bottles in their rooms at college hostels with the warden keeping a blind eye. Much to its surprise, the study has found out the students of higher secondary schools are getting addicted to liquor. The study has also found that women from affluent families are also taking liquor, though occasionally. Some girls are also picking up this habit, especially those living in hostels. Seeing women in the lower income group visiting TASMAC shops is not an uncommon site in Tamil Nadu, though their numbers remain microscopic. Effect of liquor consumption on the society With men increasingly becoming alcohol addicts, large numbers of poor families in Tamil Nadu are suffering economically and emotionally. Women getting beaten up by drunken husband and sometimes even by drunken sons and sons in law, desperate women hitting back the drunken men to protect themselves , children unable to concentrate in their studies in such disturbing conditions and sometimes women even committing suicide, unable to bear the torture, have become a regular feature of Tamil Nadu society. As alcohol addicted men seem to lose values in life, the trend of promiscuity and Illicit relationships is growing, leading to breakdown of marriages. This phenomenon is common both in the lower as well as upper income groups, the study has found. What is even more disturbing is that while such matter is regularly reported in the media, they no more shock the people. Everyone seems to be reconciling to the fact that it is inevitable development of modern times.

By Syed Ali Mujtaba In many poor families, the household is mainly run by the earnings of women. With the men folk frittering away the earnings in liquor and several of them not going to jobs regularly, due to poor health condition and indiscipline, life has really become hard for women in such households. Mothers shoulder the responsibility and are seen pleading with NGOs and others for financial support for the education of the children, particularly due to the increasing realisation that imparting good education to the children, especially to their daughters, is the only way to protect their long term economic and social well being. There was an overwhelming response from the non alcohol consuming people, particularly among the women in lower income group that the TASMAC shops have encouraged liquor consumption in a big way. They also blame political parties in power for many decades in the state in providing legitimacy and sanction to such social evil. The respondents widely felt that the Tamil Nadu government alone can set the conditions right. The best way to do so is to gradually close the TASMAC shops and create a climate where liquor consumption is once again seen as a taboo. Such response mainly came from the poor women who are not informed about the revenue earned from liquor sales and have high hopes that government may educate the people of its ill effects. However, well informed people responded that the government will not close the TASMAC shops as it is one of the main sources of its revenue. Without it several social measures and freebies offered by the government may be withdrawn. This may create social unrest and may lead to mass agitations and protests among the poor people. This may also have an effect on the vote banks particularly from lower income group, who are the recipients of the freebies. In such case, no government may like to face such conditions and think about clamping prohibition.

December - 2013

THE TIMES OF LEAGUE

Minority mantra
By TeestaSetalvad
t is the voter that is the ultimate arbiter and it will be the politically shrewd and savvy north-Indian voter of Uttar and Bihar Pradesh that will unequivocally decide the nations future in 2014. Unlike the two party options available in western India, the north has, post the BJP-driven bloody politics of the 1990s carved itself viable options that allow discontent to be channelized elsewhere. One divide or laxmanrekha that seems non-negotiable is the secularcommunal divide, never mind the BJPs Goebellian talent for anointing a lies, several times spoken, as their version of the truth. Five thousand caps and burqas we are reliably informed went waste as none, or very few Muslims turned up for Modidarshan last Saturday. Kanpur where the rally was held has eight lakh Muslim votes. The BJP desperate and wily, in playing its double-games cannot escape the harsh questions that internet, television etc make difficult:- questions like BJP and VHP whats the rishta? Ram Mandir yes or no? But Mandir apart what do Shah or Modi or Rajnath Singh or Jaitley have to say about the demolition of the Babri Masjid, an iiilegal and criminal act under Indian Law? Any answers? What about the partys defiance of its own assurance to the Supreme Court? In short does the BJP believe in the rule of law and the writ of the Constitution? To win minority hearts and minds, a pamphlet is doing the rounds in UP that attempts to paint more Goebellian lies about Muslim safety, Muslim development and Muslim growth (not population!!) in Gujarat. As a counter, here are some interesting facts:The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) assessing the goals for poverty reduction in India among different sections of the population (February 2013) has analysed that the poverty head count for Muslims is very high in

states of Assam, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Gujarat. In these states, nearly 50 per cent of agricultural labourers and 40 per cent of other labourers are below the poverty line in rural areas where households with primary level and lower education have the higher poverty ratio. This certainly does not absolve other parties especially the Congress, Communists but it does not show the BJP or Modi up well either. More specifically, there are recent studies that are interesting. Comparing the literacy rate of Gujarats Muslims which is at 73.5 per cent to Andhra Pradesh where it was 68 per cent, KanchaIliah attributes to the fact that in Gujarat, Muslims study in Gujarati whereas in AP, education is divided into two languages. Telugu and Urdu. Hence while the basic literary level of Muslims was slightly better overall, in terms of each level of education Muslims in AP were doing much better. Up to primary school, in terms of school attendance, the community in both states were at the same level 74.9 per cent in Gujarat and 74.7 per cent in AP. Those Muslims who made it to middle school in Gujarat constituted 45.3 per cent whereas in AP it was 52.6 per cent. Worse, as they move upto matriculation, only 26.1 per cent of the Gujarati Muslim population passed Std X whereas in AP, 40.6 per cent succeeded. The dropout rate in Gujarat was higher but most surprising was the fact that barely 5 per cent of Gujarats Muslims completed graduation whereas in AP the figure was higher at 9.6 per cent. Gujarat surprisingly given other economic growth indicators emerges as a state with high levels of hunger while at the same time boasting of higher per capita income and consistent income stability. Gujarats hunger levels stand side by side with Orissa and Bihar, only Jharkand, Chhatisgarh and Madhya Pradesh having worse levels. Abu SalehSharief evaluating comparative data from the NSSO

and NCAER sets right the false propaganda put forward by the BJP related to Muslims, Sachar Committee and Gujarat. Poverty among urban Muslims is eight times i.e.800 per cent more than high caste Hindus, about 50 per cent more than Hindu OBCs and the SC/Sts. Over 60 per cent of Gujarats Muslims live in urban areas and they stand today as the most deprived social group in Gujarat. Rural poverty amongst Gujarat Muslims is 200 per cent more. While Muslims have bank accounts proportionate to the size of the population, the depth of institutionalised bias and prejudice is evident from the figures related to access to bank loans, microcredit. Poor financial inclusion is evident from the fact that of the total, barely 2.6 per cent loans dished out by banks are the beneficiaries Muslims. So much for equality, fair play and a level playing field. Muslims are also much more vulnerable to theft and burglary. The most successful way to assess security and integration is through the quality of life for one and all, the depth of societal integration, mixed neighbourhoods and classrooms. The schools within urban Gujarat, especially in the majority dominated areas rarely allow admission to a child from this minority. Ghettoised existence has become a reality within large sections of urban Gujarat as the term borders is used to define to segregation of neighbourhoods. Pertinently, lets ask, how many Muslims are part of Modis government, how many Muslim candidates did he field in 2012? Modi has not a single Muslim Minister; in fact during his 12 year old term in office in Gujarat, he has never trusted a Muslim as a ministerial post. But then how could he? When he has never fielded a single Muslim candidate in the three elections in Gujarat that he has lorded over!! Though 9.1. per cent Gujaratis are Muslim, they play no part in Modis government or state legislature party. It is arguable

and debatable how many actually support him and his policies (this column will bring details on this one). Today, as he desperately runs to keep in the race for 2014, a moot question to him would be, why not a law to prevent targeted communal violence? A law that punctures the culture of impunity for the perpetrators of hatred and violence? A law that helps victims and complainants access the law and ensure that the guilty are punished? A law that actually recognises the culpability of public servants and modifies the limiting provision under section 197 of sanction that acts as a barrier against prosecuting public servants guilty of criminal acts? (Under the proposed law deemed sanction will be given by a judicial authority if s state government does not act; in 2002, Modi as Gujarats home minister, despite the recommendations of senior police officers like his own ADGP Intelligence RB Sreekumar and SP Bhavnagar Rahul Sharma, refused to grant sanction for the criminal prosecution of the VHP/RSS pamphlets containing hate speech and the Sandesh newspaper for spreading hatred and venom and violating sections 153a and 153b of the IPC) ? A law that recognises command responsibility of political, bureaucratic and non-state actors? Will Modis BJP support such a law? To ensure that no Muzaffarnagars, no Gujarats, no Bhiwandis, no Hashimpuras, no Dellhis (1984) ever happen? So far he has not let on what he thinks of such a law when violence could be prevented and the guilty readily punished. So far he has said not a word on the violence perpetrated by BJP elected representatives in the four districts of Muzaffarnagar, Shamli, Baghpat and Meerut. No prizes for guessing at the motives behind Modis mysterious silence. Teesta is a co-editor of magazine Communalism Combat.

December - 2013

Published : 4th of Every Month.

THE TIMES OF LEAGUE

IUML National President and Minister of State for External Affairs E. Ahamed participates in the Kaba Cleaning Ceremony

IUML National President and Minister of State for External Affairs E. Ahamed discusses the Haj arrangement with rubbath Ismail The President of South East Asia MOSASA

Bollywood Actress MamtaKulkarni embraces Islam

beautiful and sizzling Indian actress MamtaKulkarni has accepted Islam as best religion. She converted to Islam recently and is living with her husband Vicky Goswami, who has already converted to Islam. MamtaKulkarni got married on 10th May, 2013 and is living in Nairobi, Kenya with her husband. In this modern age, the non-Muslims are converting to Islam considering it the best religion in the world. The Indian Bollywood Actress, who got fame due to her movie Ghatak has converted to Islam. MamtaKulkarnis husband Vicky Goswami was arrested by the UAE police in 1997 in drug smuggling case. Vicky Goswami was sentenced 25 years in jail, but released in November 2012. His conversion to Islam was the main reason of major reduction in his punishment. MamtaKulkarni got married with Goswami, when he was in jail. She was managing her husbands hotel business outside during his punishment. She was in a relationship with Goswami, and their relation has turned into a long lasting relation, as the couple has got married. In 90s MamtaKulkarni came up as a hot and bold actress of Indian film industry. Her bold and hot pictures were published in several magazines and fashion tabloids. She worked in Bollywood movies for almost 11 years, and after that she left the showbiz and Indian film industry i.e. Bollywood. She has rejected a lot of film offers from several directors and producers. She has also received many offers from the dance programs and reality shows, but she has decided to keep herself out of this business.

Former

Mr. shaik Aslam Resigned from YSR Congress Party and Joined Indian Union Muslim League & Declared as President of Ranga Reddy District Working Committee by Mr.S.H Quadri President [Telangana Zone Committee IUML and Moin khan President [Ranga Reddy Dist Committee IUML] on 25th Nov 2013. Courtesy : Eenadu
The Times of League - English Monthly - R.Dis. No. 1765/10 published by Mohamed Ismail on behalf of Muslim League Publication Trust, published at 36, Maraikayar Lebbai Street, Mannady, Chennai - 600 001 and printed by K.A.M. Muhammed Abubacker at Madras Media Press No, 36, Maraikayar Lebbai Street, Mannady, Chennai - 600 001. Editor : Prof. K.M. Kader Mohideen,