Thursday, August 18, 2011

Our response to the ‘Response from CSDS’

You may want to look at our initial article, followed by response from CSDS.

[Reprint of the response to Yogendra Yadav of CSDS].

Looks like Yogendra Yadav and his CSDS is pulling a Manmohan on us.   When CSDS says: “Such an impression arises partly from a misreading of the survey findings,” we would like to point out that our objection to the survey is not just the results or its interpretations but the means and methods employed in the survey which according to us are clearly biased and fraudulent.  The question here is ethicality and validity of employing a person who has publicly professed his loyalties to a cause that is in essence anti-Telangana to conduct a survey within Telangana on an issue that dwells upon creation or non-creation of Telangana.  

The flimsy and intellectually dishonest response from CSDS tends to insult our intelligence.   We are not ready to buy their specious argument that: “Our survey clearly shows that within the Telangana region nearly two-thirds of those who have an opinion support a separate state.”  Our contention is that it is highly improbable that 27% of the people of Telangana would have no opinion on an all-pervading issue which affects them on a daily basis, especially when the figure for the same question is only 10% in Seemandhra where there are no on-going agitations as intensive as in Telangana.  It is like saying 27% Iraqis living in Iraq are either ignorant or carry no opinion on the subject of American invasion of Iraq, while only 10% are ignorant in the nearby Iran.  


While we are not contesting that the “basic finding cannot possibly be read as propaganda against separate Telangana,” we do contest that the survey in Telangana was carried out by the people who have publicly expressed strong bias against Telangana, and we have strong reasons to believe that their bias has crept into the survey.  It would be wise if CSDS came out of their self-professed claim to reputation of credibility to acknowledge the same.  We do understand that “there still is a small section of people within the region (more in Hyderabad and some other districts) who do not support this demand”, but their survey does not indicate this opposition in the right proportion, either because of the sampling bias or because of the vested bias of the surveyors. 

CSDS responds that they “have no reason to believe that the political convictions of our coordinator or the composition of the survey team has compromised the quality of the data on the Telangana question. Our preliminary internal consistency checks on the data do not reveal anything unusual.”

The above response smacks of Manmohanism because, not only does CSDS not realize its mistake, they are ready to cover up their bungling of the issue with weak-ass excuses like our beloved Prime Minister who doesn’t know that integrity also means owning up the mistakes.  While coming up with this extremely insincere excuse, they go on to describe one of the arch enemies of Telangana as a person of ‘formidable reputation for professionalism and integrity’.  A military General of Israeli Army can be described to have ‘formidable reputation for professionalism and integrity’ within Israel or in North America but no Palestinian would ever believe in a survey conducted by this General concerning the issue of statehood for Palestine.  Patriotism, regionalism and other affiliations of identity tend to dominate one’s professionalism especially when that person is publicly known to espouse the cause of that identity-based-struggle.   CSDS must be out of its mind to think that the honorary convener of Samaikhyandhra JAC who has led and participated in so many agitations against formation of Telangana would somehow act without bias.   

CSDS should take a look at various agitations that P Narasimha Rao has participated in.   Here are some of the links:

[News 1] Honorary president of Samaikyandhra Political JAC Narasimha Rao said bifurcation of a State would lead to social, political and economic problems.  MPs of all parties should exert pressure on the UPA government against bifurcation.
[News 2] In a press release on Tuesday, honorary convener P. Narasimha Rao and convener N. Samuel lashed out at the BJP for making pro-Telangana comments and said that these statements smacked of political opportunism.
[News 3] ...honourary convener, P. Narasimha Rao urged Centre to take a decision keeping in mind the larger interest of the state.

The response given by CSDS that they ‘would therefore carry out an independent verification of these survey findings and report the findings to the public within the next two months’ is not good enough to compensate for damage they have already caused to the mass movement of nearly 35 million people.  They did not take necessary precautions while appointing the right people to conduct their survey.   Instead of owning up the mistake, which any organization of ‘high credibility’ would do, they are coming up with intellectually dishonest excuses.   If they would like to remain an organization that is ‘absolutely fair in recording opinion’, they should publicly retract the findings on Telangana immediately citing ‘a probable or potential bias, though unverified, must have gone into our survey in Telangana because it was conducted by an avowed activist of the cause that is opposing the formation of Telangana’.   

Anything less, they are succumbing to the same venality and corrupt methods most other organizations in India of ill-repute stoop down to.  In future, when we look at Yogendra Yadav, we will be reminded of Kalmadi, Raja, Kanimozhi, Ramalinga Raju, etc.  And please do not underestimate the passion and will of a people who are struggling for their statehood for nearly sixty years.  We will not leave any stone unturned to ensure that the complicity of CSDS in this matter is recognized and condemned by the international and national bodies that monitor the activities of such organizations.   

15 comments:

  1. Why does it matter what CSDS thinks? Govt is not going to make a decision based on their survey. Sushma Swaraj raised it in Parliament and the whole nation got the idea. Your ignorance of wishes of people of other region is intellectual dishonesty. My way or highway is undemocratic attitude.

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  2. @Aravind

    Why does it matter what CSDS thinks?....

    Govt is not going to make a decision based on their survey.


    Why does it matter what Sujai thinks? Govt is not going to make a decision based on Sujai's argument. Right?

    So can you sit quite with above logic?

    I dont think so. Please dont act tooooo smart.

    ReplyDelete
  3. If such survey is conducted by Prof. Kodandaram on behalf of CSDS......who from SA wants to believe in that survey results?

    బుర్రలో కొంచం గుజ్జు ఉన్న వాడు ఎవ్వడు సమక్య వాద నాయకుల తో చేయిచిన ఆ సర్వె ను నమ్మరు

    ReplyDelete
  4. Aravind,
    Say if all Indians wanted Pakistan to merge with India, do you think that the counter perspective of pakistanis, a intellectual dishonesty just because Indians are in majority by population?

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  5. <<< Field reports from the investigators that went to Telangana drew attention to an unfortunate tendency to censor independent research: our investigators were physically thrown out from two assembly segments.


    Hahhaaa........ Independent Research! are there any Recorded statements of Confession by those NgjUniversity "researchers", that they Screwed with the poll. We can put a nail to the whole Controversy.

    <<<We would therefore carry out an independent verification of these survey findings and report the findings to the public within the next two months.

    Well that would hv been easy, their Survey sample is Tiny(around 1800) , but their Researchers probably took Surveys from people on the Streets with No fixed address or Contact, so i don expect any reply.

    I think the newspaper "The Hindu" has a direct hand in this Conspiracy by purposely over Publicizing the Stupid Survey.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Say if all Indians wanted Pakistan to merge with India, do you think that the counter perspective of pakistanis, a intellectual dishonesty just because Indians are in majority by population?

    Replace Pakistan with Kashmir. Its surprising that you are searching for hypotheticals where there are real examples.

    A lot like the TG agitation I must say. . .

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  7. The statement "We have no reason to believe that the political convictions of our coordinator or the composition of the survey team has compromised the quality of the data" smacks of naivety at best. You would not use a CPM block leader in a survey on West Bengal elections, would you? You would not use a Pepsico executive to research Coke sales, would you?

    No research organization can entrust an opinion poll to a person who has taken a strong stand on the issue being polled. In fact, one would go to extreme precautions to avoid systemic bias in an exercise that is expected to be objective.

    Because CSDS knew of Rao's activities "in his private capacity", this amounts to an ethics issue. Apart from retracting these specific findings, an independant investigation by an external panel from the industry. This investigation must also include the 2009 poll (given that the same guy led the team then and the Nielsen findings were dramatically different)

    CNN IBN & Hindu must carry the news. The fact that there is a reasonable doubt on the original report must be reported in equal prominence.

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  8. @Arvind: What is important here is not what CSDS thinks but what it claims people think. As a research organization, CSDS can not think.

    @Sravan: In the hypothetical (and highly unlikely) case of every single Indian wanting India and Pakistan to merge, there is no need for a survey. Surveys are useful only to find opinion breakup, not total unanimity.

    ReplyDelete
  9. in another survery conducted by ma foi randstand, number of jobs created in the period jan-juune 2011 is 55 k in delhi, 53k in mumbai, 30 k in chennai and just 7.5 k in hyd.

    source andhra jyothy dated 19/8/2011

    now plzz dont say "seemandhrulu delhi and mumbai lo kooda kutra pannaru"

    ayina maa prantham(SA) nayakulaku konchamina budhi gnyanam unte samaikyandhra lanti silly udyamamaalu chese badhuu maa orrulalo infrasrtucture develop cheyyamani govt meeda pressure techevallam.
    our leaders would have made hyd's loss as vizag's gain if they had any common sense

    ReplyDelete
  10. @Green Star:
    "So can you sit quite with above logic?

    I dont think so. Please dont act tooooo smart."

    It is you who is acting smart by rudely interfering and responding to my views that were meant for Sujai to respond. Just SHUT UP.

    ReplyDelete
  11. It is you who is acting smart by rudely interfering and responding to my views that were meant for Sujai to respond. Just SHUT UP.

    So,,,,,that means you cant answer to your own logic, that's all I want to know....

    :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. గురువారం స్వాతంత్య్ర సమరయోధుడు, టీఎంసీసీ ఛైర్మన్‌ కొండా లక్ష్మణ్‌బాపూజీతో ఆయన నివాసంలో మాజీ మంత్రి జేసీ దివాకర్‌రెడ్డి భేటి అయ్యారు. అనంతరం జేసీ మాట్లాడుతూ తెలంగాణ నిజంగా వెనుకబడిన ప్రాంతమని, పెద్దమనుషుల ఒప్పందాన్ని అమలు పరచడంలో అప్పటి నాయకులు వివక్ష చూపారని పేర్కొన్నారు.

    Source: Eenadu, 20 Aug 2011

    ReplyDelete
  13. Most of the Indians in the echelons power are manipulative looters. That set unfortunately includes both Telangana & Andhra people.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Here is great source of information.

    http://www.pressacademyarchives.ap.nic.in

    Golconda patrika archives have details on demand for separate Telangana before merger.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Its not related with topic.But with CNN-IBN.

    Mainstream indian media never presented both sides of views.Never taken up real issues.

    I feel that interests of CNN-IBN is about keeping american interests in india or americanization of india viewers.
    That's why we saw them aggressively during nuclear deal.but not in posco or anderson issues.
    Indian viewers does not have any choice like AlJazeera in MIddle East where Arabic versions of CNN and BBC failed
    to keep their interests due to AlJazeera.Role of aljazeera's engagement in Arab Spring is undeniable where Twitter
    and facebook are only tools.Even hillary clinton does not hide her praise of AlJazeera.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zW4AKrOIak

    We really need a very engaging media in India.I have some hope on 'Tehelka' or 'The Hindu'.But Tehelka need to
    raise their standards beyond Sting Operation.

    Anyway your views on 'Telegana' issue got some real picture about issue.

    ReplyDelete

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