Five Star Satyagraha Vs Common Person’s Satyagraha

Swami Nigamanand’s death gave media an opportunity to criticize political parties for their apathy to common Indians. One of the channels did raise the issue of discrimination between two satyagrahis belonging to two different classes of society by the media but did not tell why that particular channel was not different. Nor did it assure the viewers that it will in future pay heed to the struggles and problems of common Indian people. In spite of uninterrupted critique of others, these channels have ignored the peaceful satyagraha being waged by the children, women, old-infirm and youth of the villages loosing their land and forests to POSCO. Only one channel gave a short bite showing famished half clad people lying in open in hot summer and volunteers poring water in their thirsty parched mouths. After this we do not hear anything about the fate of this movement.
Similarly these channels focus on corruption is also halfhearted. Granting permission to POSCO in Orissa and not removing illegal stone crushers in Haridwar in Uttarakhand, both show elements of corruption. But this kind of corruption does not make news. Only when there is evidence of huge amounts of money stashed by politicians and bureaucrats becomes news-worthy not the covert corrupt practices used by the industrialists/ capitalists and the MNCs day in and day out in all parts of the country to promote their fortunes at the cost of common Indians and Indian environment.Had the corruption in totality been media’s concern than instances of farmers suicides would have been its top priority. Because farmers are cheated by politician, bureaucrat and businessman including the MNCs at each stages of agricultural production.

People's interests must be protected.

As the young children, women, old-infirm and youth of the region are opposing POSCO in Orissa, the popularly elected governments of the center and the state should give due consideration to their grievances and cancel the agreement with POSCO. Both the governments should remember that they are oath bound to respect the Constitution. The Constitution of India does not give them the right to appease the MNCs by sacrificing the interests of the local people, and local environment It is high time that our popularly elected governments learn summoning courage to protect the interests of the people and environment and respect the provisions of the Constitution. They are in power to serve the people not the MNCs