http://www.indianexpress.com/story/210635.html

Bravo ! Gujarat and Modi for displacing Maharashtra from the number 1 slot. As a helpless Marathi manus, i am still proud of you.

Barkha Dutt, as usual, is obsessed with Modi and Gujarat. In fact, Gujarat is one of the states that are most free of fear and repression.

But she could have done without these –

“Yes, fear and repression may be permanent citizens in Narendra Modi’s Gujarat.” (How does Modi come into picture?)

“Yes, unlike the BJP, which was brazen enough to defend the use of violence in Gujarat, the Congress and the Left have been quick with their condemnation.” (How’z Gujarat riots even remotely related?)

“Ironically, but not surprisingly, the only party that called the censorship of Nasreen’s work “undemocratic” was the BJP. A party that has unapologetically hounded artist M.F. Husain out of India for “hurting Hindu sentiments” saw no contradiction in suddenly playing the torchbearer for artistic liberty.” (BJP hounding the millionaire
Husain? I thought it was the Bajranj Dal!)

She is spinning round and round. The language, the tone, the aggression which so passionately comes out against BJP is not be seen this time.

But nevertheless, we lesser mortals, we hindu fundamentalists, blood-sucking Muslim killers will do with this for now. It’s not a 180 deg turn but there was a subtle acknowledgment of what the “Hindu Brigade” and chaddiwalas like me have been saying all along.

BJP is pretty strong in Hyderabad. The usual numbers game comes into play for MIM in Hyderabad – the large non-muslim vote is divided into Congress, TDP and BJP and MIM wins with the entire old city voting for the MIM tugs with Owaisi clans ruling with Saudi money. Saudi patronage, in exchange for a flow of young pre-teen muslim girls for geriatric arabs, is huge, especially to Owaisi family.

There is lot of street battles between the MIM and BJP with Congress bending over backwards for MIM and TDP somewhere in the middle but always worried about Muslim vote. Hyderabad mayoral elections are also taken over by MIM and of course consistent number of Hyderabad MLAs are MIM people. Hence their political clout – for example the 5% reservation for Muslims is championed by MIM. I won’t surprise if this guy has terror links.

In any case, the physical area of Hyderabad was officially greatly expanded recently (was opposed by Owaisi, of course), and MIM power in numbers has just diminished with lot of people migrating to new parts of Hyderabad from other parts of the state and from the rest of the country.

http://www.europe-solidaire.org/spip.php?page=article_impr&id_article=7049

Sandeep…my guess is that the “Cu’bd” and the “Dutt’ed” are reading and following your blog

http://dcubed.blogspot.com/

Wonder why the media is treating this issue with kid gloves….always MIM MLAs..never Islamic fundamentalists..

Take a look at NDTV’s reporting of the Baroda incident and this one.

http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20070011502

“The faculty of Fine Arts at Vadodara’s MS University is up in arms as the Hindu brigade damaged two paintings during the internal assessment at the university on Wednesday.”

“But the saffron brigade claimed that outsiders were viewing the exhibition and that the paintings were offensive.”

http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20070011996&ch=5/15/2007%2011:30:00%20PM

“The attack by BJP activists on the Fine Arts Faculty of Baroda’s MS University is part of a growing evidence that the institute is being sucked into the communally charged climate of Narendra Modi’s Gujarat.”

http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20070012138&ch=5/16/2007%2011:57:00%20PM

“‘It is a state university so can’t say much, but there are certain things that are universal and freedom of expression is one such right and the example set by the university has not been very wholesome. UGC has tried to settle the matter at a very harmonius level. I hope it will get settled,” said Arjun Singh.”

“The Minister also critised the gagging of freedom of expression at the campus.”

OK now on to the Taslima Nasreen attack reporting

http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20070022057

“Controversial writer Taslima Nasreen was attacked by an unruly crowd at the Hyderabad Press club on Thursday.”

Had “Times Now” invited Anil Dharker for a discussion on “freedom of expression”.. or has Barkha Dutt spoken at length and lectured us in “we the people”..

Not sure, was just checking if any one heard something about this…