COMMONWEALTH GAMES AND THE PEOPLE
We are publishing below a translation of an Open Letter to the Chief Minister of the Madhya Pradesh government issued on 14 September 2010 by Shiksha Adhikar Manch, Bhopal, the chairman of which is Dr. Anil Sadagopal—social activist, scientist and eminent educationist.
First of all we thank you for your statement, in which you called the Games a sign of slavery and questioned their appropriateness.
It is a well-known fact that the aim of the Commonwealth is a British Commonwealth, that is, an association of countries enslaved by the British neo-colonial empire. An enormous amount of money of this poor country is being spent on its organisation. Ordinary citizens are not aware of the extent of the tremendous and irresponsible looting and destruction that has taken place for its sake. We estimate that about 1 lakh crore of rupees will be spent. Can we justify such an outgo on the Commonwealth? Is it not a national shame for a country, which has crores of poor, hungry, shelterless and illiterate people deprived of healthcare facilities? Is it not a crime to organise such an extravaganza in this country?
What is the message that we wish to convey to the world by organising these Games? By spending around 1 lakh crore of rupees are we not hitting at the fundamental right to education of those crores of children who still are not able to go to school? Are not the rights of villagers hit, for whom there is ostensibly no money for roads and electricity? Are not the rights of athletes being snatched away who do not have the facilities for sports or training? Is this not a joke, when there are no teachers to teach in the schools? Under these circumstances it would not be wrong to say that our government has made the organisation of these Games purely into a “question of prestige.” True prestige will come when Kendriya or Navodaya quality schools are available for every child, no child would be seen scrounging in dustbins on the roads, or be seen washing dirty glasses in hotels, malnutrition had been put an end to, clean drinking water had been made available to the people, all the persons talented in sports have been given training and made capable of winning gold medals in Olympics. Then our country’s prestige would on its own begin to shine all over the world. We would not have to lobby anyone to become a permanent member of the UN Security Council etc. etc. Apart from these there are umpteen other issues, on which volumes could be written.
Organising the CWG under these circumstances this show of prestige will benefit no one. Can the government give an answer as to who benefitted and how from the Asian Games organised in Delhi in 1982? The reality is that, by organising such obscenely expensive shows, sports do not develop nor is there any gain for sportspersons. If our government is thinking that by organising such extravaganzas it will gain praise in the world, then it is its own wishful thinking. Because the truth is not hidden from any one. Our government cannot gild mud idols and pretend they are gold and silver ones. But our government is using superficial cosmetics in almost every sphere. It suffers from the disease of thinking that its duty ends by pouring incense into gutters instead of cleaning them.
Everybody sees through India’s projected internal and external image. Recently there was a report on the realities of the CWG organising country, India. In this it is reported that about 8 States of India are in a worse condition than those very poor African countries where people are dying of hunger.
Yes, behind these opulent and expensive games another game of loot is being played, which is not only known to the people but which was exposed by the British government itself. Those people who have set new levels of loot through these games are certainly benefiting. And they have distributed wealth amongst themselves ensuring a comfortable life for their next seven generations. If this huge wealth had been spent in an honest way on education then ‘illiteracy,’ which is our national shame, would have disappeared.
Our Forum would like to prohibit the entry into Bhopal of this Queen’s Baton—this symbol of slavery—which has now become a symbol of loot, and which is being carried all over the country. We request that all preparations being made for welcoming the Queen’s Baton on 17 September be stopped...