Month-in-Perspective September 2020

New Delhi: So, Prashant Bhushan shall not apologise, not seeking mercy and wants to go down as another Mahatma Gandhi! But Mr. Bhushan, there was only one Mahatma Gandhi, there cannot be another by merely quoting Mahatma from the court records in Champaran. Your personal integrity is not called to question. The fact is you have made serious and frivolous charges on Supreme Court judges. You had also stated as far back as 2009 that half of the 16 former Supreme Court judges are corrupt, in an interview with the alleged sex maniac Tarun Tejpal, an embodiment of corruption himself. Tarun Tejpal is still under trial for the alleged molestation, in an elevator in Goa, of one of his young intern working for his paper TEHELKA. Then recently you lampooned Chief Justice Bobde, for his ‘ride’ on an expensive motorcycle, without helmet. In truth, Justice Bobde was only posing for a photograph and enjoying the sitting on such a bike with a powerful engine. To make it an issue especially because he happens to be the Chief Justice, when truly speaking there was no issue, is rather serious. Then to express regret, not apology, amounts to arrogance on the part of Prashant Bhushan. We have enough and more in India, who talk about ‘freedom of expression, democracy etc. What we lack in the country is advocate of duties. Constitution of India, speaks eloquently on both rights and duties. But we only want to talk about our rights and never on duties. Supreme Court is the ultimate arbiter of justice. We have to keep it that way. None of the system or institution or individual is perfect. There could always be some lacunae here and there. In a family, or between a husband and wife, there may be issues involving trust and faith. There may be millions of families with problems of this nature. But they are not subject of discussion in the market place. If such issue becomes the staple of loose-talks on the road, the institution of family can be destroyed and the whole edifice of a society can collapse. Similarly, if there is issue of corruption, in the higher echelon of judiciary, there have been debates in the press and other forums in generic terms. Surely such debates have had its effects on the judiciary. There is such modus operandi in place to cause vibration. But vibration should not lead to earth quake. To make wild allegation in the discredited press and then not to apologise, tantamounts to clear contempt of court per se. One can disagree with the judgment of a learned judge for different perceptive reasons, but accusation of bad character is very serious. Cecil B. DeMille of the famed film TEN COMMANDMENTS, had reportedly remarked long ago “You can disagree with Ten Commandments but you cannot go against it”. That’s it. Indeed CONVERSATION WITHOUT CONFRONTATION should be the spirit of democracy. But here is a clear attempt by Prashant Bhushan and his ilk at confrontation. No, it’s just not done. He must apologise for his irresponsible statements/tweets. Or he must undergo simple imprisonment of at least 48 hours to send a clear message. Supreme Court should assert itself without disturbing the iconic existence of the greatest Indian of 20th century, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. Let nobody usurp his noble legacy, period. New Delhi:The ongoing “Contempt of court’ proceedings in the Supreme Court against Supreme Court Lawyer & activist Prashant Bhushan, had prompted me to write a piece “PRASHANT BHUSHAN” and post it in the Face Book. It was in the context of his refusal to apologise to the apex court for his irresponsible statements/tweets accusing judges of the highest court of the land. I had also posted it to the WhatsApp numbers of some of the interested intellectuals for their response. Among many, there is a former Professor of Political Science of Bombay University, Prof P M Kamath. He is also the chairman of VPM Group of educational institutions in Mulund, North East Mumbai. Responding to my WhatsApp post he wrote “Excellent, very well written. Why not you go public by sending to Mumbai Mirror?” Mumbai Mirror (MM) is from Times of India (TOI) stable. So I requested Prof Kamath to kindly forward it to MM, since I have no connection in Mumbai. Gentleman, that he is, Prof Kamath forwarded the piece to MM on ‘PRASHANT BHUSHAN’ requesting them to publish it. May be some hours later someone from MM responded “Sir, we do not take articles from outside. It’s only by invitation”. This was the WhatsApp message I received from Prof Kamath. So it was clear, everywhere it is vested interest playing out and we call it freedom of expression of writers, activists etc.etc. Clearly these publishing houses are agenda driven. Only ‘committed’ writers will write to them and get published. Swaminathan Anklesaria Iyer, is a regular columnist with TOI. His name is Swaminathan Shankar Iyer, like his brother Mani Shankar Iyer, but from where and how Anklesaria came into his name is not known. Its little funny, because he must be a Palghat Brahmin and Ankleshwar is in Gujarat. Be that as it may. He wrote a piece in TOI. “What Hindutva trolls can learn from Gandhi”. As usual he is at his vituperative best, when it comes to attacking BJP or any Sangh outfits. Both this Iyer, like his maverick sibling Mani Shankar, and BJP have an ongoing battle of wits. Both, Iyer & BJP, can be funny and unreasonable. While belittling the political significance of temple in Ayodhya, Iyer tries to glorify his mother. She could be a great human being and most sons have great respect for their mothers and could write endearingly. He also wrote good things about his father. But what he failed to understand, may be even with design, that a temple for Lord Rama in Ayodhya has a symbolic significance. Because, this Swaminathan Shankar Anklesaria Iyer is a declared atheist, it is difficult for him, or even refusal, to understand the socio-political significance of Lord Rama. Unlike any Gods in the Hindu pantheon, Lord Rama stands out as Maryada Purushottam, a model human being, an honourable gentleman, finest in all its meaning, such a personality has a reverential quotient, which is clearly beyond the realm of understanding of men like this Swaminathan Iyer. Probably his wonky mindset has something to do with other factors. Look at his brother Mani Shankar Iyer, a kind of evil genius. The question is why it is difficult to be even handed without any baggage of ideology or ism! Because truth is independent, to survive, truth does not need crutches of support. So, in life, or in any vocation that one pursues, to physically survive, either with bare minimum or in style, it is enough to remain with the side of truth. That truth will protect you. This Iyer quotes Gandhi! And Gandhi has reiterated all his life that TRUTH IS GOD. However sadly, both these Iyer siblings do not want to talk about the truth that there indeed was a temple below this Babri Masjid. K.K Mohammed of Archeological Society of India had informed as early on 1976 that there indeed was a temple underneath Babri Masjid, but it was historians like Irfan Habib, a fellow traveler like Iyer, rubbished it. And the vested interest lapped it up. Now you are condemning Supreme Court judges for giving a verdict to construct a temple based on the findings of K.K Mohammed. Probably it was divine intervention, preordained, that it had to be a Mohammed who would assert to the world that hundreds of temples were indeed destroyed to make way for Masjids under the Mongolian a k a Moghal anarchy in India. Therefore it is difficult to expect these media houses and its men and women, to make Prashant Bhushan accountable for his barbs in the name of freedom of expression. This is another sad dimension of ‘liberal’ intellectuals of Yeh Mera India. New Delhi:Taking liberty in celluloid creations is a done thing in the name of freedom of expression, or what is vaguely called as artistic freedom. We had heard in the past about, films PADMAVATHI, MENTAL HAI KYA, or the Deepika Padukone starrer BAJIRAO MASTANI or her latest film CHAAPAK on acid attack victim and many others. Most of these films are made not in the exercise of freedom of expression or artistic freedom. In the name of freedom the creators of these films want to sell their products not just to cover the cost but to make money and more money. So its lucre that drives these film makers to peddle lies and call it freedom. If it creates chaos, lead to protest by the aggrieved section of society, so be it. Left unchecked, these guys and their actors give a damn, as long as it does well at the box office. There was this WhatsApp story that Padukone was paid Rs. 4 crores to appear with some group at JNU protesting CAA enactment, she had appeared in the protest venue just around the time film CHAAPAK was to be released. So her appearance at CAA protest venue was more of a film promotion attempt. The film was based on the real life acid attack survivor Laxmi Agarwal but makers of the film distorted the truth on the attacker giving it a communal dimension. This could even be an agenda of the film maker Meghna Gulzar. Thus, most film makers take liberty of telling lies, in the name of artistic freedom, for granted. And comes this film “Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl”. The film is a bio-pic on former IAF officer Flight Lieutenant Saxena who was the first woman helicopter pilot to fly in combat area to evacuate wounded soldiers during the Kargil conflict in 1999, with Pakistan. Despite assurance from the film maker Karan Johar that the film will portray only authentic representation and shall inspire youth to become air warriors, the Indian Air Force (IAF) higher-ups have alleged that there is distortion galore. IAF has reportedly complained to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) against the ‘negative portrayal’ of work culture in the air force. According to sources in IAF certain scenes and dialogues in the trailer submitted for a preview has shown IAF in poor light, as if IAF has institutionalized gender bias. It says further, that ‘IAF is gender neutral and has always provided an equal opportunity to both male and female members of the force’. Thus clearly IAF is unhappy and disturbed. Taking liberty with general public is one thing, but taking liberty with armed forces is quite another. These films, based on false portrayal should not lead to upsetting our armed forces in the name of artistic freedom and freedom of expression. Film should be called out for correction before released for public exhibition. UTTAR PRADESH: So, after all, temple in Ayodhya is a near reality with foundation stone laying ceremony having been peacefully conducted. Not that there was no politics as usual, but fortunately, since Congress party itself, a confirmed opponent of everything that this government led by BJP does, has raised its symbol ‘hand’ in support of temple, there was hardly any hue and cry by the ‘secular’ brigade of ‘liberals and intellectuals’. Of course, it is a politics of another kind. Congress cannot change the contemporary history, where its former Prime Minister Rajeev Gandhi himself had asked the lock of the Ayodhya temple to be removed, making it open for worshipping by the faithfulls of the deity in question. Having done the unthinkable in the evolving context, it is difficult for the Congress party to retract its steps, since it was Rajeev Gandhi himself the causa proxima, entire Congress party had to fall in line, despite PV Narasimha Rao was the Prime Minister when Babri Masjid was razed. Is the temple right thing to happen! There have been many suggestions in the past about educational institutions, hospitals etc, for the general good. Unfortunately, even those, who represented Babri Masjid, did not put forward any such proposal for a compromise, much before Supreme Court was seized of the matter and a voluminous material was made available in support of temple being in existence below the Babri Masjid. This development in particular made it difficult to deny the claimants for Mandir in Ayodhya, for the obvious raison d'être. However, the ease with which the whole issue of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya has evolved, it is unbelievable. Where is the violence of post 1992 December demolition period, and where is the uneventful ‘bhoomi poojan’ for the temple at the once disputed place! Indeed India is changing, hopefully for better. Let’s not speculate why and how of it. Let’s give credit to all, that Indians are coming to terms with the changing ground conditions of less and less violence to settle disputes. Hope India will emerge a better place for all Indians to live and die among the comity of nations. JHARKHAND: So, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (MSD) has retired. That was the front page news in the print media across the country. For whatever MSD has achieved with his willow, a place in the cricketing history of India is well deserved. But for most part, it is the media who generally make or break an individual in the public space, and more often than not it is the financial success that makes the media take note of anybody. So, money matters. Big money matters more. One summer short of 40, MSD came into Indian cricket around 2004 that was when he was all of 24, and for almost 16 years he strode the Indian cricket scene like a colossus. His captaincy from 2007 to 2016 has been splendid for its sheer quality, entertainment and leadership skills. His ability at finishing has been certainly a stuff of legend. In this one department he was certainly a class apart. In public speaking, there are three ups-stand up speak up and shut up. Speaker certainly stands up to start with, and then starts speaking. But he has to know when to shut up, before he is jeered and forced to shut up. This applies to most serious activities and first class cricket is no different. More often, when the success is an ongoing happening, any passing failure can be a wake-up call, to call it quits, before failure becomes more often. However when it comes to Indian cricket, it’s not just name and fame alone, it’s also big money that is at stake, and therefore most men do not like to give-up their place for someone waiting in the wings. It is a public knowledge that India has huge talent available in abundance of highly skilled cricket playing youth; some are still in their teens. But the tragedy is many of them are not getting their formal due, due to the vested interest of established players with connections in the corridors of BCCI. Due to this selfish interest of seniors, many of these teenage cricket sensations would grow into 20’s and 30’s, without showcasing their skill with bat and ball and are lost into the wilderness and national amnesia, without realizing their potential. In August 2018 India was playing England two one-dayers where MSD struggled with his bat. If first was bad, the 2nd was worst. He scored a painstaking 37 off 58 balls. It was very much unlike MSD. But then time is a great leveler. He had already crossed 37 and not as young as he was. Witnessing his laboured efforts, former England skipper Nasser Hussain had remarked “What happened to Dhoni?” Slowly MSD was slipping, but was not ready to take the call to say it’s enough. He had made a huge name, fame and fortune for himself, yet wasn’t ready to leave the crease for someone younger and waiting. Come 2019, 11th April to be precise, the IPL match between Rajasthan Royals led by Ajinkya Rahane and Chennai Supper King led by MSD was in the finishing stage. In fact it had travelled to the wire. It was the last ball that decided the match, which truly belonged to Rajasthan Royals. The decision not to give the no-ball decision by umpire Ullas Gandhe got MSD worked up so much, that he came marching on to the pitch itself. The fracas on the field, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium Chennai exposed comprehensively his ‘cool as cucumber’ image. He made a spectacle of himself. For once his image as Mr. Cool of Indian cricket lay shattered to bits. Reacting to the incident, Shaun Tait, an Australian fast bowler had reacted “You don’t walk into the field; it is not village cricket or under-10 cricket. It was really bizarre”. Stephen Fleming, the Chennai Supper Kings (CSK) coach, had remarked “MS was waiting for some clarity that didn’t seem to come. So he took the opportunity to go out and discuss with the umpire. I can’t say whether it was right or wrong. It is above my pay grade to go further than that”. While the Australian bowler Shaun was forthcoming CSK coach had his limitations, in his own works, ‘my pay grade’ does not allow him to say if the fracas caused by Dhoni was right or wrong. Clearly, it was money that spoke. Anyone with some knowledge of first class cricket would agree that Dhoni was patently wrong in walking on to the ground and then to the pitch to argue with umpires. This incident spoke volumes of the scale of money power. No wonder Virender Sehwag had remarked “Dhoni didn’t do any such protest when India mattered. But for IPL, which doles out huge pay packets, Dhoni would do anything for franchise CSK”. So, it was not cricket but the moolah that mattered. Now that he has bid good-bye to first class cricket, there will be more opportunities for both Dinesh Karthik and Rishab Pant, both wicket keepers and explosive batsmen by their own right. So, it is wishing all the very best to MSD as he hung up his wicket keeping gloves. Hope he will go back to his roots to give back to the youth of Jharkhand part of what he received for all the 16 years from the world at large. Hope it happens. MADHYA PRADESH: Most journalists think that they have solutions to all the problems of the world. Or at least they think that what they say or write is invariably right. This Suman K Jha is no different. He wrote a piece in the Times of India “One Nation Many Barriers: Reserving jobs for locals incompatible with- Make in India for the world”. He starts with hammering M.P Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, a BJP man, for announcing that ‘all government jobs in the state would be reserved for locals’. He also mentions that his predecessor Kamal Nath of Congress had stated that 70% of jobs in the private sector in the state would be reserved for locals. Then he quotes Shiv Sena in Mumbai, Telangana’s 80% Semi-skilled jobs to locals and 60% skilled jobs to locals as also many other states. There are states and their leaders, who understand the need and aspiration of their men and women. They have to perforce live up to the expectations of their electorate. Or else, they are not needed there. A job that gives income, either daily or monthly, is the basic yardstick of empowerment and the goal of all 5 year development plans and their redistributive exercise. If Donald Trump can declare from White House, ‘America First’ he clearly means, first jobs for Americans and then foreigners. What is wrong with this rhetoric! If America does not live for Americans, who else it should live for! India has not reached that state of development as US or other western nations; therefore support for locals in every state is a must so that the migration of job seekers is minimum. Some 20 years ago, New Mangalore Port Trust had given a Rs. 2000/- gardening job contract for a contractor from Andhra Pradesh. Of course, NMPT is a public sector organization, they were not wrong in awarding this petty contract to an outside the state contractor. But a Trustee of NMPT wondered, in the Board Meeting, will the local contractor who could have done that job at the same price has to go to Hyderabad to get similar job of like sum! NMPT was established in Mangalooru, in coastal Karnataka, as a part of a development plan. If it does not help local population, why it is there? Locals have lost their land and may be even suffered some environmental damages. Shouldn’t they be helped in their economic life by giving non specialised petty jobs and other employment opportunities? In fact Shiv Sena was born for the same reason and today it runs the government in Maharashtra, since they upheld the interest of Marathi Manoos. Of course all these should happen within the law of the land, and without violence. MAHARASHTRA: There was a print media report “If actors who are 65-plus are hale and hearty, why should they not be allowed to work & earn a living? It’s not an irrelevant question, but is it the right question? Answer is a capital NO. These actors, who have made enough and more, do not need to work for a living. There are hundreds waiting in the wings for a break into the celluloid world. We have heard lot of stories on why Sushanth Singh, a promising and upcoming Hindi film actor committed suicide. Stories include, how well placed seniors created hurdles in his growth trajectory. The above report quotes some names in support of 65+ and they are Kabir Bedi, who is 74, Prem Chopra, who is 84, Naseeruddin Shah, who is 70, Dharmendra who is 84, Rohini Hattangadi who is 65 and the actor turned politician Hema Malini, who is 72. All these ‘who’s who’ of Bollywood of yesteryears have made name, fame and fortune and it is shocking they are still angling for “earn a living”. Sixty years, as a retirement age has been prescribed, earlier it was 58, to not only let those who worked for some 35/40 years continuously to relax, not to rush every morning to the work place and instead enjoy a peaceful life, but also to create space for others, vacancies for those who are waiting to be usefully employed. So, with the twin objectives of social commitment for the empowerment of youth as well as to ensure healthy and pleasant walk towards the inevitable sunset for those who have worked for 35/40 years. Of course, retirement from employment, per se, need not stop these ladies and gentlemen from keeping themselves occupied according to their likes and passions within the available economic constraints. Options and choices are far too many. Writing, travelling, teaching, workshop to share experience, visiting faculty in institutes of higher learning, getting involved with orphanages, schools for specially-abled, empowerment of vulnerable and marginalized women and children, the choices are umpteen. Under the circumstances, it is rather strange that these Bollywood biggies including 72 year old Member of Parliament actress turned politician, Hema Malini too making a beeline to support these selfishly driven move by the IMPPA (Indian Motion Picture Producers Association). Of course there are many areas of big money generation, where such selfish agenda is being pursued by those who are already having more but ever on the lookout for more and still more like Oliver Twist asking for more, without any thoughts for those who are perennially waiting on the wings for opportunities. Electoral politics, big time cricket organized by BCCI, board room politics of continuing to remain as directors on board of public limited companies, judges and bureaucrats looking for crumbs of power and pleasure after retirement are some of the areas which can be written about pages after pages, the never ending saga of Indians' selfish streak of Yeh Dil Maange More. KARNATAKA:Communally driven riot on Tuesday (11/08/2020) in Bengalooru, is a shame on a section of Muslim faithfuls. The way they went about their destruction spree is clearly organized with intent to destroy public and private property. Whatever be the cause to protest, it does not give anybody license for destruction of property, which belongs to state and other private citizens. Prima facie, the perpetrators and those who incited have to be jailed and their private property seized to pay for the loss. On this there should be absolute clarity and no compromise. Like it happened in Mangalooru, with former minister MLA UT Khadar inciting the gathered crowd there has been violence targeting mostly police, even in Bengalooru similar intention was clearly visible. Of the over 100 injured, more than 70 were policemen. All those who resort to violence and destruction should realize that it will lead to more violence. And with UP going tough with such anti-social elements it has to become a new norm to NAME & SHAME such characters publicly, with their passport cancelled. There should be no mercy to such breakers of law and order. Such lumpen elements are truly a liability for any open society like India. They must suffer jail term and suffer the financial cost. Coming to the so-called blasphemous post by an MLA’s nephew Naveen it is not clear what has he really posted, since the same has been deleted by him. But there is an FB post by one Avanthika D Singh, and it says “How many of you know that the “objectionable” post that led to the Bengalooru riot was not a post but a comment in response to a post with PM Modi morphed (sexually explicit) pictures with Hindu Goddess? Hindus didn’t come to the streets rioting after the post. Since morning (12/08/2020) media have been showing Naveen’s face as though he was the rioter, projecting the real rioters as victims. Not once did any media channel that I have seen pick on the original derogatory post featuring a Hindu goddess and the Indian Prime Minister. Shame on such media houses, Shame. Shame. Shame”. If what is posted by Avanthika D Singh is to be taken on face value, not only the authorities have failed to go after the alleged post, but it is a reflection of some seriously sick minds to even think of such sickening morbid visuals of debasing objects of worship. Therefore it is to the credit of those who are certainly hurt by those morphed pictures, for not having resorted to violence or destruction of public properties, as a violent reaction to it. Clearly, those who incited and indulged in destruction and violence in Bengalooru, have a serious problem on their hand. This uncontrolled destructive anger will only cause the nemesis of such diabolic leaders and men who follow them. It’s written on the wall. India is changing. None can/ should get away with mayhem. ANDHRA PRADESH:With Tamil Nadu embroiled in a fierce debate of shifting the state capital to Trichy from Chennai, the relevance of Andhra Pradesh wanting to have 3 capitals is slowly dawning to be recognized as the need of the day. After all why is there the political governance, if not, it is people centric! The whole exercise of adult franchise is intended to elect a body of people’s representatives to govern the resources available or to organize resources when not enough is at hand, for the benefit of its people, if not Sarve Jana Sukhino Bhavantu, at least John Ruskin's Greatest Good of Greatest Number. You have a state capital with its complete infrastructure of roads, buildings, provision of services like water, electricity, drainage, a place to sit and deliberate, a secretariat or Vidhan Soudha, to legislate laws of do’s and don’ts in the interest of all its people, and whole lot of infrastructure for allied activities like police, judiciary, etc. All these infrastructure creation, to manage and to maintain entail the useful employment of thousands of people and for them residential quarters, provision stores, markets for essential goods and services, schools, hospitals, are the normal economic spin offs that would lead to increasing demand for supplies and services. So, it is very clear that, how organized government machinery leads to a dynamic multiplier effect. So if the development has to take place, someone somewhere has to start spending big money. But, look at, Delhi, Mumbai, Bengalooru, or any other such state capitals. They experience pressures of all kinds like migrant population, who have come for useful occupancy, pressure on housing, pressure on water availability, pressure on electricity availability, pressure on drainage bursting at the seams. These are the problems of centralization, but such places will always attract more and more migration from places where such development has not taken place and therefore has less and less gainful employment opportunities. Therefore the solution for this is decentralization. At least on the paper, the move by the Andhra Pradesh government is a socio/political master stroke. So that such development leads to more opportunities for those who are looking for economic opportunities of employment, opportunity for small independent trading, self-dependent services provision of umpteen kind and then the multiplier effect of housing, health, education etc. in those places. This automatically leads to distribution of pressure on land and other resources. In the ultimate analysis this exercise of decentralization of administrative apparatus by having three capitals lead to creation of more middle class population and less of upper income-can also read crony capitalists-group and ultimately to the reduction in absolute number of poorer section of the population. May be one day, it may not lead to Sarve Jana Sukhino Bhavantu, but certainly to the greatest good of greatest number. And here is wishing all the very best to our brothers and sisters in Vishakhapatnam, Amaravathi and Kurnool, the proposed new capitals of Andhra Pradesh. Coming to the movement in Tamil Nadu about shifting the state capital from Chennai to Trichy, it makes eminent sense. Even in Tamil Nadu, the state leadership can think of at least two capitals, may be Trichy & Coimbatore or any other, having Chennai as the commercial/ financial capital of the state. Similarly even Maharashtra can shift its capital from high pressure Mumbai to some other place, which need development push so that the government goes to people rather than the other way round. Hope the experiment of Andhra Pradesh has more takers in coming days. WORLD:Some 3/4 days ago WION TV carried the news that authorities in Xinjiang, China have built a public toilet on the site of a demolished mosque. The mosque in a place called Suntagh, a village, was demolished in 2018, two years down the line a public toilet has come up on the site. Reportedly, all homes in Suntagh have toilets and hence there is hardly any need for public toilets. Suntagh is not a tourist destination either, so that these public toilets would ever be used. But clearly the idea was to hurt the feelings of its Muslim population by the Chinese authorities. It is indeed a new low in a Chinese humiliation of Islam. Something the authorities in China should refrain from doing. But clearly it is becoming more and more assertive to suppress Muslim minorities in its Xinjiang region. Reportedly some 70 percent of mosques in Xinjiang have been destroyed and this construction of a public toilet has only added insult to injury. Sadly, no-body is making noise, not even the Saudi Arabia, Pakistan or Turkey, the speakers on behalf of Muslims in general. Iran appears to be justifying with Chinese action, since toilets are needed as public utility, a possible fall-out of the recent economic co-operation between Iran and China. It’s incredible how the entire Muslim world have gone dumb over this open humiliation by Chinese. No wonder the anchor in WION TV ended the report saying “China has demolished a mosque and world has flushed its conscience”. Indeed a sad day for Islam. Strangely even Indian print media and other TV channels are silent, for whatever reasons, giving an impression of blatant double standard. J.Shriyan