tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27897487063046874202024-03-06T02:54:35.991+05:30ISSUES AND CONCERNSISSUES AND CONCERNShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17698815830925167776noreply@blogger.comBlogger1163125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2789748706304687420.post-20926010379735362312024-03-02T15:07:00.002+05:302024-03-02T15:07:38.563+05:30MIP - MARCH 2024<P><b>NEW DELHI: BHARAT RATNAS GALORE </b></P>
,P>At five, this is the maximum number of the highest civilian award of Bharat Ratnas declared in one year.
Beginning with former Bihar Chief Minister Karpoori Thakur and then followed by former Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishna Advani. After a lull of a few days comes the announcement of Mankombu Sambasivan Swaminathan or more well known as M.S. Swaminathan, the acclaimed father of Indian Green Revolution, followed by Chaudhary Charan Singh, a former Prime Minister and 2 times Chief Minister of U.P. and P.V. Narasimha Rao, a former Prime Minister.</P>
<P>Truth of the matter is except Lal Krishna Advani, who is past 96 years of age, all others have passed away. This government at the centre is there since last almost 10 years, and attempting to remain continued for another term. This government could have conferred the honor all these years, but it didn’t happen for varieties of reasons. However it’s better late than never. It could even be termed a political master-stroke by NaMo, as someone stated in the media. </P><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Buj_mydq-LmU3Kotpuva2LRGEpJsbgjdRjCcBafPOw38Xz9XXp2-FGP-i536GkCNvW6BOZJjaEzTFYopJlCN8TqUhRfLHD-oLSvicbRZFYpxN3QTG2N23kWmHak9CqXDDY9CISkpKX7wySc4XB2a_m5jtCl0_I7BTEEVbxsAP4aoP3_ull3EExRjS7E/s385/mip%201.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="282" data-original-width="385" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Buj_mydq-LmU3Kotpuva2LRGEpJsbgjdRjCcBafPOw38Xz9XXp2-FGP-i536GkCNvW6BOZJjaEzTFYopJlCN8TqUhRfLHD-oLSvicbRZFYpxN3QTG2N23kWmHak9CqXDDY9CISkpKX7wySc4XB2a_m5jtCl0_I7BTEEVbxsAP4aoP3_ull3EExRjS7E/s400/mip%201.jpg"/></a></div>
<P>Of course, the next election to the Lok Sabha is due within next 3 months and the incumbent government, like all other governments in power anywhere, wants to win another term, and why not!</P>
<P>Having awarded the nations highest recognition, the question naturally arises, as to the background of these significant personalities, who shaped, in some form or the other, certain dimension of India’s socio-political landscape.</P>
<P>Karpoori Thakur was credited with introducing quota for backward classes for the first time in mid 1970s. So also introduced total prohibition of alcohol in Bihar, around the same time. However his quota for backward classes made him a messiah among backward classes. Biharis were happy with this reward.</P>
<P>Lal Krishna Advani having migrated from Karachi in Sindh when Pakistan was created, got into Indian socio-political life through RSS. He is the founding member of BJP, held different positions in political office. Last being that of Deputy Prime Minister under Atal Bihari Vajpayee, besides being Home Minister. He was instrumental in popularizing the Ram Janma Bhoomi issue by his now well-known Rath Yatra and succeeded in keeping the issue of Temple at Ayodhya alive. He must be a very happy man that temple to Shree Ram has ultimately come about. However there is a feeling that he was wronged by the present government of NaMo. He was, by any stretch of thinking, a clean man with impeccable integrity. He could have been India’s President, but didn’t for whatever reasons. This latest recognition as Bharat Ratna would, so late in the day, assuage his hurt feeling, if any. He has been in active politics since over 75 years. He was 11 times Member of Parliament, 7 times in Lok Sabha and 4 times in Rajya Sabha. He was also the 1st President of Delhi Metropolitan Council in 1967 to 1970, when he became the Rajya Sabha Member. It is an acknowledged fact that the temple issue has indeed helped BJP electorally. It is true that there are Indians questioning the Bharat Ratna to LK Advani. But if Sachin Tendulkar, a mere cricketer can be given the highest civilian award of India, then Lal Krishna Advani deserved more than Sachin Tendulkar.</P>
<P>M.S Swaminathan was a global leader of green revolution. As Director General of International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines, he was awarded the First World Food Prize in 1987, supposedly the highest global award in agriculture. Actually his being awarded the Bharat Ratna was long overdue. This too would help electorally in Tamil Nadu.</P>
<P>Bharat Ratna to Charan Singh was for his land reform and for being a champion of farmers. It was also a political move in a sense, to assuage farmers feelings. It can give political dividends, in the short-run.</P>
<P>Awarding P.V. Narasimha Rao, the father of economic reforms of the 1990s, was to, in some sense, to embarrass Congress party. Known as Chanakya of Indian politics, he was very intelligent so also a polyglot. Both Andhra & Telangana are reportedly happy with the award.</P>
<P>Going for the General election due in May 2024, it was indeed a deft move to pick these names or rather personalities for national recognition. This act of being politically correct has touched the emotional chord of people from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Delhi. This is bound to translate at the ballot box in favor of the ruling dispensation in the coming election.</P>
<P><b>NEW DELHI: LIQUOR SHOPS IN PUBLIC SPACE</b></P>
<P.There was this report on 7th Feb in the print media “Where should a liquor shop be located then?” attributing to a question asked by the CJI, D.Y. Chandrachud, hearing a petition.</P>
<P>The report was generally talking about the confusion or the predicament of the highest court of the land and its bench headed by the CJI himself.</P>
<P>We all know, every legislation or statutory measure that is enacted is always well intentioned. But a good number of these enactments slips from the high pedestal of the hallowed objectives onto slippery slopes of crass commercialization and market driven socio-economic compulsions.</P><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizCNgSK_vQMuXgpUUFFkFqb1rQdMoD8brX6QCBpApowT52RIIHSGOPMZLyo2bB1tQayMFoEvMuAXCMz_Uh9c2tLzqqhtiU67m5HLbiVaqKjkYiiWoRSHAYG1l9TQ4DG2TuaIUth2q6ng-WDolwCWhTq37dsce21XeWjI_BKLAw1XN-mczzVuTTbJgIswI/s262/mip%202.1.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; clear: left; float: left;"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" data-original-height="262" data-original-width="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizCNgSK_vQMuXgpUUFFkFqb1rQdMoD8brX6QCBpApowT52RIIHSGOPMZLyo2bB1tQayMFoEvMuAXCMz_Uh9c2tLzqqhtiU67m5HLbiVaqKjkYiiWoRSHAYG1l9TQ4DG2TuaIUth2q6ng-WDolwCWhTq37dsce21XeWjI_BKLAw1XN-mczzVuTTbJgIswI/s200/mip%202.1.jpg"/></a></div>
<P>Denial of permissions or prohibiting liquor outlets on highways or near educational institutions or the places of worship is one such legislation that has been followed mostly by breaking the provisions of the law than by following the regulatory measures in letter and spirit.</P><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP8USN87xreIaxn_-LzGK8sFrxJn1qpU44-U4zoYeoLhzIO8_7S38yq8BBTUi4oEfOvbOS3-GDDc03-8T3CFx7YJ__0NdlJMKM1Y7S_EPUHcVaQMHv3ZIC7WDbTb4xlRYmjKK199VZ_hAR-Vx0Gq80pDQXtl97vkun-XwM1a1UEPZfR0lrfZINRRFvq2U/s373/mip%202.2.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; clear: right; float: right;"><img alt="" border="0" width="200" data-original-height="135" data-original-width="373" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP8USN87xreIaxn_-LzGK8sFrxJn1qpU44-U4zoYeoLhzIO8_7S38yq8BBTUi4oEfOvbOS3-GDDc03-8T3CFx7YJ__0NdlJMKM1Y7S_EPUHcVaQMHv3ZIC7WDbTb4xlRYmjKK199VZ_hAR-Vx0Gq80pDQXtl97vkun-XwM1a1UEPZfR0lrfZINRRFvq2U/s200/mip%202.2.jpg"/></a></div>
<P>This writer need not go far at all. He is a resident of Surathkal, a suburb of Mangalore city and is within the Mangalooru City Corporation (MCC) limit. The town of Surathkal is also on the National Highway – NH/66, which was earlier NH/17.</P>
<P>Surathkal is well known for NITK, Surathkal, which was formerly KREC that is Karnataka Regional Engineering College. This institute of higher learning is also on the NH/66. However this deemed to be University is at the end of MCC limits. In the vicinity are 2 high schools.</P>
<P>Coming to the town centre, where the main bus stand is located, there are many educational institutions, all within the radius of 200mts. There is a First Grade College imparting both UG & PG degree education. There is also a Pre-University college. There are 4 high schools and 3 primary schools of upto 7th standard. But the joke is there are not less than 7 outlets selling liquor over-the-counter and those catering to alcohol drinking consumers & diners.</P>
<P>There are also places of worship within this area, a Temple, a Church and 2 Mosques.</P>
<P>In fact, of these 7 outlets, 4 outlets – 2 opposite a mosque and 2 behind the same mosque, are in the close proximity of less than 50mts, selling liquor.</P>
<P>All these places are in existence almost next to each other since decades and no qualms about the proximity or similar issues ever bothered about the existence of liquor outlets near places of learning or worship.</P>
<P>And the law says these outlets should be beyond 500 meters of each other.</P>
<P>Like all other statutes or legislations, this legislation regarding the restriction of distance is loosely applied and allowed to co-habit, take it or leave it.</P>
<P>This is Yeh Mera India or can we call it Mera Bharath Mahaan! </P>
<P><b>KARNATAKA: St. Gerosa School</b> </P>
<P>Mangalooru based St. Gerosa School was in the news since last week or so for all wrong reasons.</P>
<P>Allegations against a teacher, a nun, having made some derogatory remarks on Shree Ram and Hindu customs besides some remarks on Prime Minister Modi, in one of her classes, were flying thick. </P><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi65lSunUOAUhGOr8QN5NUbCyOKYqTARxP8CqKzP3_AwWBrNLQIUbBG-prdcsNKMBijYoNVGWGzOpSbTiXFN5kMTDrRF_wg2VOsDaO035Qd4dVGCFJShpgcJB-0YRYf7shfC3mCBe7YRFI1S8HGnXaXpYnenpku6RpFhzL_AH64MGnpvH711puVGF1Tmog/s640/mip%203.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi65lSunUOAUhGOr8QN5NUbCyOKYqTARxP8CqKzP3_AwWBrNLQIUbBG-prdcsNKMBijYoNVGWGzOpSbTiXFN5kMTDrRF_wg2VOsDaO035Qd4dVGCFJShpgcJB-0YRYf7shfC3mCBe7YRFI1S8HGnXaXpYnenpku6RpFhzL_AH64MGnpvH711puVGF1Tmog/s320/mip%203.jpg"/></a></div>
<P>Acting on protest by some parents of Hindu students, the school management has reportedly suspended the concerned teacher. </P>
<P>Primarily, the issue was purely a matter for the PTA (Parents & Teachers Association) of the school to discuss and resolve. But somehow it was blown into a full blown political slug-fest by some BJP MLAs looking for issues, where there were none.</P>
<P>Matter could have been sorted out between parents and teachers of the school. But BJP MLAs, Vedavyas Kamath and Bharath Shetty forced themselves into the matter and reportedly instigated students belonging to Hindu Communities into sloganeering - Jai Shree Raam !Etc.</P>
<P>It was patently political for BJP MLAs to interfere, especially asking those non-political innocent students to sloganeer.</P>
<P>The involvement of these BJP MLAs has invited the involvement of another jobless politician. This is the multiplier effect of such incidents. Former MLA Ramnath Rai, is again trying to muddy the already ruffled water.</P>
<P>It was like the infamous Amnasia Pub Attack, some 15 years ago, which was internationalized by the media to bring bad name to Mangalooru.</P>
<P>Mangalooru is a good city and let's all try to keep the fair name of our Namma Kudla.</P>
<P><b>MAHARASHTRA: ASHOK CHAVAN</b></P>
<P>There was this report in the print media “Former Maharashtra Chief Minister joins BJP” a week ago.</P>
<P>The report was about Ashok Chavan, who was 2 times Chief Minister of Maharashtra. He is the son of Shankarrao Chavan, who was also a two times Chief Minister of Maharashtra. Shankarrao Chavan was also Union Finance Minister in Rajiv Gandhi government besides being Union Home Minister in both Rajiv Gandhi government and that of P V Narasimha Rao government. </P>
<P>Father Chavan was in power both as Chief minister as well as Union minister for over 25 years. To be his son and end-up as Chief minister of Maharashtra two times besides other ministership Ashok Chavan is clearly politically a very powerful heavy weight and influential person.</P>
<P>For such a person to desert his party, the Indian National Congress, which gave him and his family, enough and more for over 50 years to both his father and himself, it's patently an ungrateful act.</P><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnjuvOqdS-z7o6MBm8N9X1GOaIYlw8cKUnTURR_hHu9G-p1zpeuqTPMYWZ5kgDij6YYcSa6FIwDVLDdHYEu8_XKYmqcAlEOv8jsDy3C42H3u_n-TZUpdn04jo-qjJUxHNsOqdueJCkAEwb5pjgE9vOTgRuj0rz0dIAb-crz0j0tpmHbmhdgf9qU6ttmaQ/s255/MIP%204.1.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; clear: right; float: right;"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" data-original-height="255" data-original-width="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnjuvOqdS-z7o6MBm8N9X1GOaIYlw8cKUnTURR_hHu9G-p1zpeuqTPMYWZ5kgDij6YYcSa6FIwDVLDdHYEu8_XKYmqcAlEOv8jsDy3C42H3u_n-TZUpdn04jo-qjJUxHNsOqdueJCkAEwb5pjgE9vOTgRuj0rz0dIAb-crz0j0tpmHbmhdgf9qU6ttmaQ/s320/MIP%204.1.jpg"/></a></div>
<P>While giving up the Congress to join BJP he has reportedly remarked “I had taken this decision in the interest of my district, interest of Maharashtra, my state and interest of India, my country ". Sounds very laudable but very hollow as well. </P>
<P>He is in his late sixties, enjoyed the best as a youngster during the days of his powerful father and then he himself became Chief Minister of the richest state of Maharashtra. After having experienced and enjoyed decades of power and pleasure that comes with it, he never felt ' why not allow some youngster to have a political future. Ofcourse he is not alone in wanting to serve the state and the nation despite having lots and lots. </P>
<P>It was during his Chief Ministership in 2010 that he had quit in disgrace the office of Chief Minister of Maharashtra due to the infamous Adarsh Housing Society scam.</P>
<P>Adarsh Housing Society, a 31 storey building in a posh up-market South Mumbai's Cuffe Parade area. The land for the building belonged to Indian Navy. Defence Ministry had planned a residential building for Kargil war veterans. The plot was clearly in the vicinity of the Maharashtra seat of power, the Sachivaalay. So politicians led by the then Chief Minister of Maharashtra Ashok Chavan operating from the same secretariat got together along with some senior babus and some senior army brass planned to deny the housing for Kargil heroes. They indulged in all kinds of irregularities to usurp the premium property. </P>
<P>Of the 103 flats reportedly only 3 flats were allotted to Kargil veterans, rest of the 100 flats were usurped by politicians, bureaucrats and some army glitterati. Ashok Chavan himself and in the names of his family members 3 flats were alloted.</P>
<P>As luck would have it became a juicy media stuff. Over heated by the media exposure Ashok Chavan was forced to resign as Chief minister, in disgrace. </P>
<P>So likes of this Chavan have made enough and more for themselves, their family and friends besides cronies all in the name of service to the nation and its great public. Now that his party, the Indian National Congress is in doldrums, he ditched it and called it quits. He joins BJP, the arch rival of INC.</P>
<P>The irony is, the BJP which talks about anti-corruption, day in and day out, has welcomed this Chavan and even made him a Rajya Sabha MP!</P>
<P><b>KARNATAKA: JUVENILE TRAFFIC OFFENSE </b></P>
<P>There was this print media report “Parents fined 25000 each for allowing minor sons to ride bikes".</P>
<P>Reportedly there was an adult suffered injuries and hospitalized due to a bike accident. A minor boy was riding the bike and hit the guy around Sunkadakatte in Bengalooru. Members of public took the injured person to a nearby hospital where the minor boy pleaded with the injured person not to complain to the police. But that didn't stop him from complaining to the police. </P>
<P>Police investigated and found that the minor was riding the sports bike registered in his mother's name. She was made a party to the case. Reportedly court closed the case after fining the mother of the minor Rs.25000</P><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgQVlcZZECdYBD-iPQkK_3vEj09i8Kh4ViJE2-K0dhHJv7dnrSWUUkIcJPAnZYXwPDTpb9-ql43JEv_Wj52tUAIA9lWnV33YV0dw6YopyhzDej9Ax18VVv6RCmPljLdD86ToIAODYUleA_n_1Gb4RwIN21G3wlKulPGJ4mREsXCzH1Q8zZ9L22kc0rgO4/s266/MIP%205.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; clear: left; float: left;"><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="190" data-original-width="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgQVlcZZECdYBD-iPQkK_3vEj09i8Kh4ViJE2-K0dhHJv7dnrSWUUkIcJPAnZYXwPDTpb9-ql43JEv_Wj52tUAIA9lWnV33YV0dw6YopyhzDej9Ax18VVv6RCmPljLdD86ToIAODYUleA_n_1Gb4RwIN21G3wlKulPGJ4mREsXCzH1Q8zZ9L22kc0rgO4/s320/MIP%205.jpg"/></a></div>
<P>However there were others as well, some 6 of them, which were clubbed together. All Parents/Guardians were also fined with similar amounts. </P>
<P>What the police have done or the courts have decided to fine is only a portion of the solution to this menace of minors riding the bike as well as driving father's 4 wheelers.</P>
<P>There appears to be no fixed treatment of the problem. Just fining 25000 simply cannot stop the menace. There has to be more stringent measures to curb this youthful misadventures. </P>
<P>Police along with judiciary must have a meeting of minds with parents and their wards to discuss the problem of unregulated juvenile automobile adventures </P>
<P>Long ago in Mangalooru a brand new Scorpio was being driven by an unlicensed minor youth who hit a laborer walking by the roadside to his worksite near Netravathi river front around Thannirbhaavi. The young laborer died in the accident. </P>
<P>Both vehicle and the youth were detained. It made news on the first day. Then it was never heard. Probably all loose ends were fixed and in all probability the matter ended with no case. Even newspapers or media didn't rake-up the issue.</P>
<P>Thus the issue of JUVENILE TRAFFIC VIOLATION is a life threatening problem which authorities must take up seriously. Not only vehicle should be seized but also make both parents and minor children caught in action should spend time behind bars as a token measure only to ensure accountability. Only then the issue can be viewed seriously. </P>
<P>Hope authorities act on the issue with a sense of purpose.</P>
<P><b>ST. GEROSA SCHOOL AFTER EFFECTS</b></P>
<P>The unfortunate and completely avoidable escalation of the happening in the Mangalooru’s school has found reverberation equally unfortunate and avoidable in another school.</P>
<P>While what happened at St Gerosa English Higher Primary school involving a teacher is reprehensible and the later development involving politicians who dragged minor students into the controversy was eminently avoidable. However what happened later as a repercussion was more blatantly and openly reprehensible.</P><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh03hs0LYs_rJ4AWMcQt-LTzm3JV2g2BymbpSCfH1mkAvobX2kgw3BiK03Fvr0OxPcPKNZMu4oQqRKkd4eUNKolPq85dbNFrJzEU3eaAxjvXjDBUPSl2v1-VsSmlE0TQCkDuuUNyjQflhzWeOtS1RCiioHBYIYw1SeKDzuA60FX7AMCTnd3IF1CTSLVMSI/s262/MIP%207.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; clear: left; float: left;"><img alt="" border="0" width="200" data-original-height="192" data-original-width="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh03hs0LYs_rJ4AWMcQt-LTzm3JV2g2BymbpSCfH1mkAvobX2kgw3BiK03Fvr0OxPcPKNZMu4oQqRKkd4eUNKolPq85dbNFrJzEU3eaAxjvXjDBUPSl2v1-VsSmlE0TQCkDuuUNyjQflhzWeOtS1RCiioHBYIYw1SeKDzuA60FX7AMCTnd3IF1CTSLVMSI/s200/MIP%207.jpg"/></a></div>
<P>There is this Kavita, a parent of a child from St Gerosa School had reportedly publicized a video about the St. Gerosa teacher making derogatory remarks on Hindu Gods etc, which had gone viral. She was also working in a privately managed Holy Angel Primary School at Thokkothu on the outskirts of Mangalooru. As if to pay back, the school, in a tit-for-tat act, terminated the services of Kavita.</P>
<P>It could be that the management of this private school was irked by the actions of Kavita in making the alleged happening in St. Gerosa School viral since both are Christian institutions. But by sacking the parent of the St Gerosa student by the Holy Angel Primary School, where she was a teacher too, clearly smacks of communally driven revenge. Even if they wanted to sack her they could have either asked her to resign or could have waited for some more time, so that, it is not apparent that it is a tit-for-tat action. By this, the school management reduced itself to a very low level, to appear very small in its own eyes.</P>
<P>Response of the manager of the school that it was not tit-for-tat, but she was to have been removed since it was purely a temporary job. But, as Kavitha herself has admitted, it was only for a month’s leave vacancy. How the school had continued her services for over a year and a half! So clearly they needed her services but with the St. Gerosa development, they appear to have taken the call, to put her in place.</P>
<P>This development is indeed very sad with some allegations of threatening calls from some Indian faithfuls working in Middle Eastern countries.</P>
<P>However, now that two teachers have lost job for whatever reasons, right or wrong, they need to be rehabilitated. Of course, Sister Prabha, the teacher from St. Gerosa School will find it without any problem in other church managed schools within Mangalooru diocese. But Kavita would find it difficult. To her rescue, these MLAs, who got involved with over-enthusiasm, should show the same enthusiasm in finding job for Kavita, who probably needs the job for economic reasons. Hope MLAs, both Vedvyas Kamath and Bharat Shetty would do their job as peoples representatives in being helpful to Kavita in finding a job.</P>
<P><b>WEST BENGAL: SANDESHKHALI</b></P>
<P>Naokhali and Sandeshkhali, don’t they sound similar! Naokhali is in present Bangladesh or former East Bengal and Sandeshkhali is in present West Bengal. If Naokhali is notorious for looting and arson of Hindu properties by the Bengali Muslims in 1946, Sandeshkhali is becoming notorious for the same reason, same communal attack by the mostly migrated Bangladeshi Muslims, on Bengali Hindus, led by a man called Sheikh Shahajahan. He has on record claimed himself to be a Bangladeshi Muslim, but an elected MLA (Member of Legislative Assembly) of West Bengal in India. He is representing Trinamool Congress (TMC).</P>
<P>Mamata Bannerjee is the boss at TMC and she decides who gets MLA tickets. So she is fully aware of the man, Sheikh Shahajahan and his antecedents. He is a law unto himself and surely this Mamata Bannerjee is also aware of his nefarious activities of land grab and grabbing non-Muslim women of the area to use and throw. Police unfortunately is doing nothing. No wonder Calcutta High Court (CHC) had remarked, “Surprising that Sandeshkhali main accused not yet arrested”.</P><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp1x5_PAHSc4BoWmn1FCz4yKyS8VuMUmoH2j1EOmpAXwUibLV2qGxeXGeWIofW99o65N2EMlUwpy4SjY6kX-0UXoqVIadjB9q1ogARxXm-80WRNtAfPp5uNzpnA7VEAdurR0jPb9YHfKrAZowSjuffj1L9lgchDyfHVKcLyaMERcU89qXhotjZn3Ag9S4/s300/MIP%208.1.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp1x5_PAHSc4BoWmn1FCz4yKyS8VuMUmoH2j1EOmpAXwUibLV2qGxeXGeWIofW99o65N2EMlUwpy4SjY6kX-0UXoqVIadjB9q1ogARxXm-80WRNtAfPp5uNzpnA7VEAdurR0jPb9YHfKrAZowSjuffj1L9lgchDyfHVKcLyaMERcU89qXhotjZn3Ag9S4/s320/MIP%208.1.jpg"/></a></div>
<P>The CHC had reportedly observed expressing its surprise that this Shahjahan Sheikh, the main accused and ‘core’ of the Sandeshkhali unrest has not been arrested by the state police so far and remarked, court does not know “whether he is being protected”, while also observing “If one person can hold the entire population to ransom then that person should be controlled by the ruling dispensation”.</P>
<P>Sandeshkhali, a village on the river front, has been in the news since sometime over the accusation of sexual atrocities and land grab by some ruling Trinamool Congress leaders. Reportedly, there is enough material to show that the local MLA Sheikh Shahjahan has done enough damage to the public instead of doing good as an elected representative in North 24 Panagavas Zilla Panchayat.</P>
<P>The Division Bench of CHC has nailed it succinctly by stating “It is rather surprising that the person who is to be the core of the problem being precipitated cannot be apprehended still and is on the run, defying law. It could mean that the state police machinery does not have the wherewithal to secure him or he is outside the jurisdiction of the state police”. It is a serious indictment of the West Bengal Police and the state government of TMC.</P>
<P>But the fact of the matter is Shahjahan Sheikh, the MLA, has openly admitted to him being a Bangladeshi. Hence in all probability, when Enforcement Directorate (ED) had raided his location and ED officials were attacked by his goons, he had fled the spot. He could be in his Bangladesh location. Thus, he is clearly out of bounds of WB police range. So, may be an Interpol notice, has to be issued to get this fugitive from Indian laws.</P>
<P><b>KARNATAKA: STORY OF PAYTM’S RISE & FALL</b></P>
<P>.Bengalooru based Paytm, with headquarters in Noida, was in the eye of the storm since last some weeks. Reportedly Paytm, which is an acronym for PAY THROUGH MOBILE, is a financial technology company specialized in digital payments and other financial services founded in 2010. Among the products it offered is Paytm Payments Bank, where it undertakes money transfer. During the last 13/14 years, it has grown. But like all those who are in a hurry to make a quick buck Paytm too ended up compromising on many aspects of regulations. Paytm reportedly had multiple accounts-running into 100s- on one KYC, meaning hundreds of accounts on one PAN Card. Grapevine has it that it also has some Chinese connection, besides accusation of money laundering.</P>
<P>Reserve Bank of India, the India’s banking regulator is one of the respected institution of the country. It is professionally managed and has impeccable record of its integrity and efficiency. As a banking ombudsman, it has its hawk eye everywhere, and had found glaring infirmities in the affairs of Paytm. Reportedly, it has been continuously warning Paytm to mend its ways. But, as claimed by RBI, due to its ‘persistent non-compliance’ it has asked the banking unit of Paytm to stop operations from March 1, 2024. That’s rather a very serious step.</P>
<P>Ever since the RBI came on board to warn the Paytm, there have been reactions that led to the boards, outside thousands of shops across the country “No Paytm, Pay cash.”</P><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvzVgdN-At0VXXeS2O-sMmhMdy4OqFkSXJaEzMeXlkMEx0OpVVNb9_zhxZm4M8dIOHmiGt-sKPksGa-o6v-RObZxBI1x_OKClSSKEuZfTRxm2c-GHWOSZlBMEEId14Q8lrrx2hGqBDuat98qOAFwj6VhxAhgVTO3d4qvsoKN9CMrMmahy1WT8o0rIfrmw/s299/mip%209.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvzVgdN-At0VXXeS2O-sMmhMdy4OqFkSXJaEzMeXlkMEx0OpVVNb9_zhxZm4M8dIOHmiGt-sKPksGa-o6v-RObZxBI1x_OKClSSKEuZfTRxm2c-GHWOSZlBMEEId14Q8lrrx2hGqBDuat98qOAFwj6VhxAhgVTO3d4qvsoKN9CMrMmahy1WT8o0rIfrmw/s400/mip%209.jpg"/></a></div>
<P>And comes this appeal from a group of startup founders to reconsider the decision of RBI to impose severe restrictions on Paytm Payments Bank’s operations. The group of some 12 entrepreneurs have written in their appeal that “RBIs decision will have far reaching and detrimental consequences for the entire Indian fin-tech ecosystem”. According to the appeal “The directive could potentially stifle innovation and entrepreneurial spirit”. The appeal also brings in ‘global business community ‘for the likely negative signal that could come out of the latest RBI directive, which is seen as punitive by the group. However the group accepts that “safeguarding financial stability remains paramount.” They have also represented to the office of the Prime Minister we are told.</P>
<P>Probably this is the first time that any vested interest group has approached the RBI directly for the ‘RBI directives to be reviewed’. Quite frankly, what is their ‘locus standi’! A chamber of commerce, a trade and industry body or some such organizations could possibly take up the issue. But here is an issue of blatant misuse of the established norms, which even chambers of commerce would think twice before embarking on a ‘course correction’ appeal to the Central Bank of the country!</P>
<P>Paytm or any other institution cannot be allowed to fiddle with the nation’s financial mechanism and RBI is fully within its domain of banking ombudsman in calling out the wrong being committed and continued to commit despite warnings. There are no two opinions on that.</P>
<P>These startups, which includes 13 years old Paytm as well, should know in no uncertain terms, that they cannot take the system for a ride in the name of ‘innovation and entrepreneurial spirit’, period.</P>
<P>The trust and confidence Indians have in RBI’s capacity as a regulator has to be retained and maintained at all costs.</P>
<P>Actually it was in 2017 that RBI had pointed it out, the wrong doings of Paytm, but Paytm persisted with its unlawful practices. In 2021 RBI imposed Rs 1 crore fine to Paytm and repeated it in Oct 2023, by imposing a fine of Rs 5 crores +. Yes Paytm had grown exponentially due to varieties of factors. Demonetization came as a huge blessing. It was a growth that made the founders mad and they gave a damn to the regulations. But then, it’s a universal truth that “LAW CATCHES UP – NO MATTER HOW BIG YOU ARE”! This is the story of rise and fall of Paytm. </P>
ISSUES AND CONCERNShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17698815830925167776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2789748706304687420.post-59724670463783615402024-03-02T14:41:00.001+05:302024-03-02T14:41:33.431+05:30FOCUS - MARCH 2024<P><b>ELECTION - 2024
IS IT A CAKE WALK TO NDA! OR IS IT A MISLEADING CAMPAIGN!</b></P>
<P>There is this social media post circulating with loaded wisdom, what happened in 2004 could happen in 2024, 20 years later, with 2 different governments having ruled the country for 10 years each, but presenting contrasting picture.</P>
<P>In a democratic political system, like we have in India, government comes and government goes, sometimes every five years, sometimes before that. Sometimes same governments repeat.</P>
<P>From 2004 to 2014 – UPA had ruled India with Congress in the driver’s seat. From 2014 to 2024, it was NDA, but without the baggage of coalition HEADACHE. For the first time in about 30 years BJP managed to remain in absolute majority, hence coalition partners couldn’t arm-twist the main party unlike UPA, where all and sundry called shots, although for record Sonia Gandhi was the UPA chairperson and was the remote control on the then Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, the reluctant politician.</P><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaKboYs1sGUQ1j4qgpGrrzBqC7HpHJdVz3sTfMZBG99vNVd_gNf8wL_jpiOo5M32sLRpXB01T1QcQDWb1zmcuM-v47lSBjk9Jii2yNy3gP2ut3eeWiN8GDLBv8V7-vM5zO4EukTsH4Ap-GZwffk3HHEFtR4_84XpuZ4KoUgyV093xinERISm-e7LFjsyw/s416/focus%201.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="410" data-original-width="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaKboYs1sGUQ1j4qgpGrrzBqC7HpHJdVz3sTfMZBG99vNVd_gNf8wL_jpiOo5M32sLRpXB01T1QcQDWb1zmcuM-v47lSBjk9Jii2yNy3gP2ut3eeWiN8GDLBv8V7-vM5zO4EukTsH4Ap-GZwffk3HHEFtR4_84XpuZ4KoUgyV093xinERISm-e7LFjsyw/s400/focus%201.jpg"/></a></div>
<P>In 2004, it was NDA government in coalition with the members of National Democratic Alliance. It had ruled for the previous full term, of four and a half years, since the Loksabha election was advanced by 6 months. The then Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayei, along with his coordinator George Fernandes, preponed the election on the basis of general perception that NDA would romp home to form the government. But its calculations had all gone topsy-turvy, and NDA lost rather badly.</P>
<P>So going back to what really triggered the reversal of fortune at the hustings, there appears to be combination of different factors that went against NDA and its affiliates.</P>
<P>While it was true that the ‘voters have spoken’, who spoke and why or who should have spoken but did not speak, could be the ‘raison d'etre’ of the entire exercise.</P>
<P>There are many relevant questions that needs to be examined to come to a reasonable conclusion as to what really happened as the voters started turning up at the polling booths across the nation.</P>
<P>The government was basking at the feel good INDIA SHINING, before it advanced and announced the date of polling. However we all need to recognize that objectives of development exercise should be to create more jobs, improve health sector, expand basic education and making lives of poor more secure. Yes its only when people’s lives are made secure can we truly say we are developed. Only then shall India be truly shining.</P>
<P>And comes this post in the social media, “Media has now started to hype up 2024 elections as Modi win thereby ensure false complacency, among BJP voters. Overhype and possible easy victory can curb the excitement to vote. This happened in 2004 General Elections when BJP voters went on vacations and didn’t turn-up to vote in urban constituencies where it was expected to win.</P>
<P>This is the most dangerous game being played psychologically which the voters and party needs to be vary of. Complacency is being pushed through careful propaganda so that cadre and voters don’t feel the energy at all to work hard for the win. Such complacency was seen in Delhi LS elections, Delhi MCD elections, Mumbai BMC elections in 2017 when there was a reduced voter turnout or no-mood to vote by urban middle class as the winner was expected. This dimension can become costly in 2024 like what happened in 2004.,/P>
<P>Came 2014, ‘Abki Baar Modi Sarkar’ slogan took home with 284 seats, clear 12 seats more than the 272 needed for the simple majority. Yes ‘Modi’ wave had made it possible for the BJP to make it to the rope on its own.</P>
<P>Came 2019, voters had clearly reposed greater faith in the leadership of Prime Minister Modi. BJP romped home with still greater number than what it had in the outgoing Loksabha. BJP won 303 seats on its own, 19 seats more than 2014 Loksabha election. NDA parties added another 50 seats to make the total 353 in the house of 542 seats, almost 2/3rd of the total strength. It was a magnificent show.</P>
<P>So what can happen in 2024! Will the Narendra Modi juggernaut roll once again! But more importantly will India win!</P>
<P>A doyen of English journalism in India, who is also referred to as Bheeshma of Indian journalism late Dr M.V. Kamath was commenting on a book ‘Jana Gana Mana – Reflections of a Sadak Chaap’. It was a collection of letters to the editor and to those in power, besides some articles by one of his respectful admirers. Writing an introduction to the book, he wrote “This collection contains an occasional article as well (besides letters) which are in the nature of public appeals. There is for example a piece that warns his fellow citizens, not to be confused at election time. His advice is simple ‘DON’T BE CONFUSED, MAKE-UP YOUR MIND, COOLLY BUT DECISIVELY; VOTE FOR POLITICAL MORALITY MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE VOTE FOR INDIA: And that is beautifully put”, Dr Kamath had concluded. The book was published in 1991.</P>
<P>The above reference came to mind since it was in 2014, some 23 years later Narendra Modi had given a call “BHARATH JITHAAVO”, and Pranab Mukherjee was the President of India.</P><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgBnVTOh81DnMaOIyA2f7fONXCdv8u6DcDl-d3tHcPrRFSWTr6at3U47eiobYkO-EfsdN-nqO88DEFPYNWASVQKeRBxLh6gLwDC3i5waafT0qL1dmzaPpbdksnfNdoaKye3UpsND-XmLcZJD-gqYVpuOFFljGZDqSalICH64RjwxCboPHgO_OP0nMWf5o/s300/FOCUS%202.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; clear: left; float: left;"><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgBnVTOh81DnMaOIyA2f7fONXCdv8u6DcDl-d3tHcPrRFSWTr6at3U47eiobYkO-EfsdN-nqO88DEFPYNWASVQKeRBxLh6gLwDC3i5waafT0qL1dmzaPpbdksnfNdoaKye3UpsND-XmLcZJD-gqYVpuOFFljGZDqSalICH64RjwxCboPHgO_OP0nMWf5o/s320/FOCUS%202.jpg"/></a></div>
<P>Speaking to the nation, on the occasion of 65th Republic day on 25th Jan 2014, President Pranab Mukherjee had observed among other things, “2014 is a precipice moment in our history. We must rediscover that sense of national purpose and patriotism, which lifts the nation above and across the abyss and back on the road to prosperity. Give the young jobs and they will raise the villages and cities of 21st century standards. Give them chance and you will marvel at the India they can create. This chance will not come, if India does not get a stable government. A fractured government hostage to whimsical opportunists is always an unhappy eventuality. In 2014, it could be catastrophic. Each one of us is a voter. Each one of us has a deep responsibility. We cannot let India down. It is time for introspection and action.”</P>
<P>As luck would have it, a single party government came to power in 2014 and repeated again in 2019. Although it was an alliance of some 12 parties, BJP had the majority on its own, with 284 seats in 2014 and 303 seats in 2019, when the simple majority needed is 272 seats. Thus, a fractured government hostage to whimsical opportunists was sent on a ‘leather hunt’ by NaMo and looking to repeat in 2024.</P>
<P>Coming to the I.N.D.I. Alliance, it is difficult to have a common manifesto with each state having its own peculiar need and aspiration and the national ambition of regional leaders. Seat sharing can be the biggest stumbling block for I.N.D.I Alliance.</P>
<P>Looking back, despite multi-dimensional improvements in peoples life, due to the initiatives of NDA II – from 2014 to 2024, there are still areas needing attention and intervention. It still has major problems in education, health, unemployment and pollution. But then every government at the centre, in the past, have failed to cope with fundamental problems of education, health, pollution and jobs. ‘Yet, India has become the fastest growing major economy’ writes Swaminathan Anklesaria Aiyer in Times of India. Unfortunately the growing economy does not automatically translate into welfare improvements. It has not reduced the inequity prevailing in the society.</P>
<P>However, it is also true that this 2014/2024 period of 10 years has witnessed greater progress as compared to the previous 10 years of UPA government. There is no denying this truth. There are any numbers of socio-political and economic thinkers who could agree that the leadership of Narendra Modi as Prime Minister of the country, did make the country more vibrant, while admitting there are still issues which needs to be tackled for the share of the economic progress to reach all sections of our myriad society to the last man out there on the development ladder. After all we are a nation of over 1400 million population of mind boggling diversity!</P><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnzSPA3c6vQB7eUiOWP0cG7pmrySsk5TzgVrGW7JnJqOKjZ8ldOxIoM6BDWgp5llT0ge6NQu9ZiP28cJHRFTsD44TYYKb4oq4L_cV7gcugfuqh1JRirMpGcyvwzwiEd26Tj39qePy0z8xqob90-LJJdheht5JRfvyV6rHuCAeGnece78uJLgtzaA5ThUg/s275/FOCUS%203.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; clear: right; float: right;"><img alt="" border="0" width="200" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnzSPA3c6vQB7eUiOWP0cG7pmrySsk5TzgVrGW7JnJqOKjZ8ldOxIoM6BDWgp5llT0ge6NQu9ZiP28cJHRFTsD44TYYKb4oq4L_cV7gcugfuqh1JRirMpGcyvwzwiEd26Tj39qePy0z8xqob90-LJJdheht5JRfvyV6rHuCAeGnece78uJLgtzaA5ThUg/s200/FOCUS%203.jpg"/></a></div>
<P>Of course opposition politicians will have all the reasons to cry hoarse. But the recently held assembly elections have proved that BJP has been voted to be in power in more states than all opposition parties put together. It is however true that state election victories do not decide national election results, since it has it's own permutations and combinations.</P>
<P>The recent consecration of Shree Ram Temple in Ayodhya has only helped the ruling NDA led by BJP to become increasingly acceptable to the Vox Populy. It is also true that NaMo has been extremely confident or rather over confident that NDA will romp home with huge number at the 2024 General Election. His Deputy Amith Shah, the Home Minister has only added to the verbose by declaring "Loksabha poll results - a foregone conclusion". These types of ‘tongue-in-cheek’ statements will not win friends nor influence people. Commenting on the 2019 election, Prof. Valson Thampu, a former principal of St. Stephens College in New Delhi had remarked "would there be a genuine alternative to the boisterous hollowness that currently afflicts the nation?”</P>
<P>Fortunately for media to have gone to the market with their findings that NDA would win some 370 seats is a positive development. Generally most pollsters have predicted the victory of NDA for the 3rd term. However are these orchestrated talk about NDA winning and difficult to defeat Modi etc, is designed to see that NDA does not return back to power!? </P>
<P>Indeed we have to wait for the next 3 months for the election to take place and for the result to be announced. In 2004 too NDA-I was confident of winning the election and pollsters had the same story then, but suffered a shock defeat.</P>
<P>It is true that the atmosphere of 2004 and 2024 is not the same. There has been a fresh approach to the developmental paradigm ever since NaMo took the reigns of power at Delhi. The digital revolution through UPI has been on universal trend setter. Many developed countries found it difficult to even think in such a massive scale! Besides there have been fresh initiatives in different reach-out efforts at the common man. These have resulted in the change in the mood of the nation. Of course, the Hindu Vote bank seems to have unmistakably moved towards NDA regime led by NaMo in larger number, reflecting in figures at the hustings.</P>
<P>Another area where NDA II under NaMo has scored well is the foreign policy area. The personal foray of PM Modi has been very well received. His every visit abroad has been a spectacular success. Pakistan is very uncomfortable with NaMo leadership. Similarly China has taken him far more seriously than any other former Prime Minister of the country. Relationship with Arab nations have seen an unmistakable change with NaMo being welcomed with embrace. There appears to be a clear signal that India can play a more constructive role in the security of Gulf region.</P>
<P>Under the circumstances, the opposition Mahagathbandhan appears to be in disarray. Nithish Kumar has left the Bihar Coalition to join NDA, asserting that he will never leave NDA again. Although he has jumped the boat many times in the past, his latest move appears to be final. Besides he is a clean politician, not just by Bihar but even by national standard. He is educationally better qualified than many politicians. An engineer by qualification. He has no case against him in financial misconduct unlike his peer Lalu Prasad and his afflicted family. He has not promoted any of his family members in his political journey. His non-acceptance of Modi as the leader of NDA was his ‘beite-noire’. But little late in the day, he seems to have accepted the leadership of Modi, however disagreeable in many respects, for his own political future and that of Bihar and the nation as well. Its good for NDA. After all there are more grounds to agree than to disagree in society, as Barack Obama had famously observed.</P>
<P>After the Bharat Ratna to Chaudhary Charan Singh, his grandson's party RLD too has broken rank with I.N.D.I. Alliance and joined hands with NDA led by NaMo. With P.V. Narasimha Rao being awarded Bharat Ratna even TDP from Andhra seem to be planning to join hands with NDA. Thus NDA is getting stronger and stronger.</P>
<P>All these adds up to the promotion of NDA and therefore if the market intelligence tells about NDA wave in the coming 2024 Lok Sabha Elections, they may not be far from the truth.</P>
<P>Actually, when we refer to NDA often, it’s the leadership of Narendra Modi which really walks away with the credit. It has to be accepted that in to-days polity there is no one in the BJP or in the entire opposition who comes anywhere close to PM Modi in popularity stakes. Indeed whether we like it or not, in any democracy winning election is the first and foremost test of a leader.</P>
<P>When media or pollsters predict about the return of NDA led by NaMo, their survey generally covers public at large. But there are professionals and business community. Both these sections are affirmative in their preferences. They want the return of NDA for the stability it has offered during the last 10 years, which has managed the economy to a higher growth trajectory. Clearly they do not want ‘khichdi’ government of I.N.D.I. Alliance.</P>
<P>However this time round, unlike in 2019 it is interesting to note that there is no politician who has remarked disparagingly with extremely uncivil personal comments against PM Modi. Sharad Pawar had stated “Narendra Modi is a national calamity.” “Even if an NDA government under PM Modi is sworn in it won’t last more than 15/20 days.” Rahul Gandhi had remarked “Modi’s face is showing BJPs defeat” “Chawkidar Chor hai.” Priyanka Vadra had uttered “Never seen a more cowardly PM”. HD Devegowda had said “If Modi wins 2019 election and became PM again, I will give up politics.” There were many others who had flung all kinds of uncharitable remarks on PM Modi then. But having won more seats than 2014, all of them had to swallow their un-parliamentary barbs, and HD Devegowda is hankering to join hands with NDA in general and Modi in particular.</P>
<P>But the concern can still persist with extreme over-confidence tinged with arrogance to affect the eventual outcome! Media and pollsters are in their routine job working to find out the state of the socio-political climate. It could as well be true. But statements of arrogance that “I will address the nation on 15th August 2024 from the ramparts of Red Fort,” “My government will have 3rd term”, “Even foreign governments too think BJP will win”. These are statements of ego, whether right or wrong. These can influence the course of the apple cart.</P>
ISSUES AND CONCERNShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17698815830925167776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2789748706304687420.post-57057927514579142462024-03-02T14:31:00.001+05:302024-03-02T14:31:39.004+05:30MIP - February 2023<p><b>Tamil Nadu: A sick man called Dayanidhi Maran</b></p>
<p>When thoughts of Bihar comes two very contrasting personalities come to my mind invariably. This is my personal opinion. There will, for sure, different views on the combination of different personalities, according to each one’s knowledge of people they have read or have come across.
One of these two persons is a joker of a politician called Lalu Prasad Yadav, a former Chief Minister of Bihar, the notorious Chaara Ghotala criminal and the one who sold Indian Railway jobs for land from the beneficiaries of job with Indian Railways when he was the Railway Minister. Besides the above, he is credited with other misdeeds too.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil7snTzb-xDE3pOpDODyjUDe50kmPbeE0BCezIKzBNXYXdYEO8fUF-P0w-k-uuG_YAeRDbZAN3YSdoMXo6g-URD-4yVTXmyjX7cKOMJALq5ILNamROczeKUA63V7uHdGLQRTgC_aczwtcz7QsLut3sfuNbQLlaG_JbquUiMtqpFFdWBw1b9A4PYAJIwK0/s259/mip%201.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; clear: left; float: left;"><img alt="" border="0" width="200" data-original-height="194" data-original-width="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil7snTzb-xDE3pOpDODyjUDe50kmPbeE0BCezIKzBNXYXdYEO8fUF-P0w-k-uuG_YAeRDbZAN3YSdoMXo6g-URD-4yVTXmyjX7cKOMJALq5ILNamROczeKUA63V7uHdGLQRTgC_aczwtcz7QsLut3sfuNbQLlaG_JbquUiMtqpFFdWBw1b9A4PYAJIwK0/s200/mip%201.jpg"/></a></div>
<p>The other person is a gentleman of rare qualities, Prof (Dr) Pashupathi Nath Singh, a former Principal of Karnataka Regional Engineering College (KREC) Surathkal, Karnataka, so also the first director of National Institute of Technology Karnataka, Surathkal. He recently passed away with impeccably clean record of service, commitment and integrity.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOfx-TxllSCeUhe4tdgvjXJm3oh2ic3npjfN-0MtsIu8d0SejuqbQPbHxy2W6_zFvRACK_kke0rN7PePHgKjchHHuflZV3fyIgJobkMoV7EPu8EPCmIyZOtZMqhyQqVpfYwcuAGCwUX8xKrJz8bZqAsa9aJtU-lQZAuwy1ouqovl85uGjIdBpgYcJr3T4/s194/mip%201.2.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; clear: right; float: right;"><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="194" data-original-width="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOfx-TxllSCeUhe4tdgvjXJm3oh2ic3npjfN-0MtsIu8d0SejuqbQPbHxy2W6_zFvRACK_kke0rN7PePHgKjchHHuflZV3fyIgJobkMoV7EPu8EPCmIyZOtZMqhyQqVpfYwcuAGCwUX8xKrJz8bZqAsa9aJtU-lQZAuwy1ouqovl85uGjIdBpgYcJr3T4/s400/mip%201.2.jpg"/></a></div>
<p>And comes this sick man called Dayanidhi Maran, a DMK politician. He is being trolled in media for the most despicably disparagingly insulting remark for any politician to have made anywhere in India. He is reported to have remarked “those who study only Hindi in Bihar, build houses and clean toilets in Tamil Nadu”, while adding “people of Tamil Nadu who studied English, were earning fat salaries in IT firms”. This joker not only insulted Biharis and Bihar, he has insulted all Hindi speaking people of India. In fact he has insulted all Indians who cannot speak English.
The above statement has completely exposed the rotten mindset of the man. With another joker Udayanidhi Stalin having compared the ‘Sanatana Dharma to dengue and covid’, it appears there is problem in this Tamil Nadu political family’s mindset. It has made all right thinking Tamils to feel ashamed. Sadly not many Tamils were openly outraged by the obnoxious utterance of this joker. Here it is pertinent to mention that there were hundreds of Tamil scholars who studied and worked under the direct supervision of Prof Dr. P.N. Singh, a Bihari himself, all of whom have greatest regard to this giant of a human being.</p>
<p>The question is how anybody in his right senses, could make such a horribly uncivil statement. That this statement was made some 9 months ago in March 2023, does not reduce the gravity of the extremely poor and tasteless remark of this up-start called Dayanidhi Maran.</p>
<p>However what is sad is, media has not reacted with adequate seriousness about the low quality thinking of people like Dayanidhi Maran. Another sad development is the silence of members of Mahaghatbandhan – the I.N.D.I Alliance. Except Tejaswi Yadav, a deputy CM of Bihar, none have reacted publicly. Even his Chief Minister, Nithish Kumar, who want to be the convener of I.N.D.I Alliance, has not publicly reacted, allowing the political opportunism to overtake the sense of self respect of Biharis. In the name of political expediency one cannot mortgage one’s sense of honor! </p>
<p>Fortunately, Chandrika Yadav, a Bihar Congress leader has served a legal notice to this joker from Tamil Nadu, who also happen to be a DMK MP from Chennai Central Loksabha constituency. That is one saving grace for Biharis, while jail bird and the most infamous Bihari Lalu Prasad Yadav has maintained silence. For all it is worth, this sick man Maran should be hauled up before the Courts and force him to publicly apologize for the totally unacceptable barb.</p>
<p>This writer is neither a Bihari nor from Hindi heartland. Being from Mangalooru, Hindi was never opposed, besides as a school student was exposed early to learn Hindi. Let’s face it, whether anybody accepts Hindi as National Language or not, it has to be accepted that Hindi is the spoken language of most Indians, take it or leave it.</p>
<p><b>World- Israeli Reaction to Hamas attack</b></p>
<p>War between IDF (Israel Defense Forces) and Hamas militants/terrorists is ongoing. Despite universal pressure, Israel has been relentless in its pursuit of “teaching Hamas a lesson”.</p>
<p>When the hell broke on 7th Dec, 2023 and a shocked Jewish State retaliated with all its might, most part of the non-Islamic world reacted positively to the strike by IDF. They justified that, it was the Hamas, who in the first place attacked Israel without warning and without any immediate causa proxima. Over a 1,000 were killed and hundreds were taken hostage. Israel was not expected to play it down. They are living in the midst of a hostile environment and they have managed to live there on their own terms for all these over 70 decades.</p>
<p>Of course, there are arguments and counter arguments on what precipitated the conflict and how it can be solved. It’s only a matter of give and take, and the issue can be resolved for a permanent solution. But all stake holders and their supporters must come on board with open mind.</p>
<p>While we are about it, the issue nearer home, the Godhra carnage of Karsevaks travelling from Ayodhya and the resultant reaction in Gujarat has to be seen also in the same light.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP4hR5KNQxKVodbcxPlI9lsqs9G2cV1MpULSn6JH8pba9SiS2GiGwmW5szckjcPAnDFA04XjcPJ6fUj5wKdYk7oRQfk8Jh2oZ_i1XjEOuROqXkuOGBEUgPzR6vrwQGRs7De6MIqeF33DbWkmUFRwb1bHj8jNlkzYk40rJeZPNCPH4hgbW2BNfnLTSk3Ng/s300/mip%202.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; clear: left; float: left;"><img alt="" border="0" width="200" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP4hR5KNQxKVodbcxPlI9lsqs9G2cV1MpULSn6JH8pba9SiS2GiGwmW5szckjcPAnDFA04XjcPJ6fUj5wKdYk7oRQfk8Jh2oZ_i1XjEOuROqXkuOGBEUgPzR6vrwQGRs7De6MIqeF33DbWkmUFRwb1bHj8jNlkzYk40rJeZPNCPH4hgbW2BNfnLTSk3Ng/s200/mip%202.jpg"/></a></div>
<p>If Hamas had not attacked Israele unarmed civilians and the eruption by IDF wouldn’t have been there. Similarly, if the burning alive of some 60 Karsevaks by Islamic militants was not there, the subsequent trigger of retaliation by the affected community wouldn’t have been there in Gujarath either. Of course, the principle that ‘every action would have an equal and opposite reaction’ is possible only in laboratory conditions. In all probabilities reaction can always be more than equal or disproportionate to the action. That’s a reality, which the civilized world has to accept. </p>
<p><b>Odisha: MP Dhiraj Sahu & Black Money</b></p>
<p>When on the night of 8th Nov 2016, demonetization was announced, by Prime Minister Modi it took time to percolate down to the ground level to understand the enormity of the move. He had declared that Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes would cease to be a legal tender from the midnight that day. While it was true that large informal sector, which depended overwhelmingly on cash for transactions was rendered immobile in the short run due to shortage of money supply, but then hoarders of cash, the corrupt and tax evading crowd of societal enemies, were also very apprehensive and had lost sleep on how to save themselves and their hoarded cash. In the event it has indeed hurt them.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIoVUnSCiHmtbrvvhGqGJvvod-_o8bBQZnZyVj71JvIdRVu2ILKXNelendD2WHqeqdGmhZGwmUu76FhheISsOInj6i_W_1J_Dib74wz_g-WvfcA28MT7rvnjfhEsi510C2oJRNu6WJhd9R4DYZnQsa7FF7-SxmzKeM-vd-fgfwk1ISnkARI8b331MUGAU/s299/mip%203.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; clear: right; float: right;"><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIoVUnSCiHmtbrvvhGqGJvvod-_o8bBQZnZyVj71JvIdRVu2ILKXNelendD2WHqeqdGmhZGwmUu76FhheISsOInj6i_W_1J_Dib74wz_g-WvfcA28MT7rvnjfhEsi510C2oJRNu6WJhd9R4DYZnQsa7FF7-SxmzKeM-vd-fgfwk1ISnkARI8b331MUGAU/s400/mip%203.jpg"/></a></div>
<p>Be that as it may, comes the story of Dhiraj Sahu, a Rajya Sabha MP from Jharkhand, who also owns a distillery company in Odisha. He was in the news some weeks ago for the Income Tax raid on the family owned distillery. Reportedly the raid yielded unaccounted cash booty of over Rs 350 crores, supposedly the highest ever haul in a single action by any probe agency in the country.</p>
<p>This MP from Jharkhand had reportedly tweeted sometime in 2022 about rampant corruption prevailing in the country. His post had read “Even after demonetization, my heart is saddened to see so much black money and corruption in the country. I don’t understand from where people are accumulating so much black money. If anyone can root out corruption from this country, it’s only the Congress”. Yes, he happens to be a Congress Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament.</p>
<p>Now this is clearly ironic that in 2022, his heart was bleeding about the corruption and black money in the country. But a year later in Dec 2023, Sahu himself was caught with over Rs 350 crores unaccounted cash in his possession. What could be greater tragi-comedy than this spectacle of speaking about rooting out black money and getting caught brazenly with an incredibly humongous treasure of black money concealed in some close to 180 bags! Reportedly some 60 staff were used with several counting machines from the State Bank of India branch in Balangir.</p>
<p>According to media report datelined Bhubaneswar the counting had gone past Rs 353 crores, even counting machines broke down due to heavy work load. Raids were launched on 6th December by the I.T department men on charges of tax evasion and the ‘off-the-book’ transactions. The department believes that the entire cache of cash was from cash sales of country-liquor by the Odisha based “Boudh Distillary Pvt Ltd” owned by the family of Dhiraj Sahu. As luck would have it, the dubious distinction of being caught with the ‘highest ever’ cache of the unaccounted black money shall belong to this Jharkhand M.P. and his business associates. And the joke is his party, the Indian National Congress, shall root out the scourge of black money in the country!</p>
<p>While we are about it, it is pertinent to mention that demonetization did revolutionize the cash transactions in the country with the introduction of UPI, the Unified Payment Interface, a globally hailed digital move. </p>
<p><b>New Delhi: Tejashvi Yadav & Karti Chidambaram</b></p>
<p>There were two reports on the same page in the print media some weeks ago. One relating to the RJD leader & Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar, Tejashvi Yadav and the other on Congress Member of Parliament Karti Chidambaram. Both reports were emanating from Enforcement Directorate. On Tejashvi Yadav the report titled was “Land-for-jobs case: ED issues fresh summons to Tejashvi. On Karti Chidambaram, it was “Cong MP Karti Chidambaram appears before the ED in money laundering case”.</p>
<p>All political news savvy Indians are in the know that the above two “gentlemen” are the leading lights of I.N.D.I. Alliance. Both of them are second generation politicians. Tejashvi Yadav is the son of Lalu Prasad Yadav, a former Chief Minister of Bihar and a former Union Railway Minister under UPA government led by Indian National Congress. Karti Chidambaram is the son of Palaniappan or P. Chidambaram, a former Union Minister in multiple governments with different portfolios.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAE6Sg-ByKmr02Awmln9NIF-e46A1KqDa0zQW1NaRgQHPh0jt-mlzVox6q0j0N8UJEAyp1kkubjY0cDUM3uv-CxI0j7zIx6srD-3tSoC_ZFx5sGGCihkbM8p-wXRlnkNqKaGvurvlHYTKHq0aNl8tO1IELoYNHutAtZwdqY18p3PQWbCKgRz08NbaT5ec/s259/mip%204.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="194" data-original-width="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAE6Sg-ByKmr02Awmln9NIF-e46A1KqDa0zQW1NaRgQHPh0jt-mlzVox6q0j0N8UJEAyp1kkubjY0cDUM3uv-CxI0j7zIx6srD-3tSoC_ZFx5sGGCihkbM8p-wXRlnkNqKaGvurvlHYTKHq0aNl8tO1IELoYNHutAtZwdqY18p3PQWbCKgRz08NbaT5ec/s400/mip%204.jpg"/></a></div>
<p>While Lalu Prasad Yadav is an MA LLB his son Tejashvi Yadav is only 10th class pass informs Wikipedia, whereas P. Chidambaram is a BSc. LLB from Madras University and an MBA from Harward, and his son is equally well qualified with BBA from Texas and LLB from Cambridge.</p>
<p>The idea of presenting the educational qualification was to think about the banality or otherwise of their scheming minds. Although Lalu Prasad Yadav is MA LLB the environment of his upbringing didn’t help plan his scheme of personal aggrandizement beyond Chaara Ghotala or the railway job scams and the likes. But the savvy Chidambaram clearly appeared far ahead in scheming things to make lucre and then to cover their tracks to leave tell-tale signs as less as possible.</p>
<p>Now going back to the report in the media about being questioned by the ED, it can be safely said that these developments can put paid in their efforts to mobilize support for I.N.D.I. Alliance and in the final analysis, these negative reports can only add to the negative public perception of Mahaghatbandhan to take on NDA led by BJP led by PM Modi.</p>
<p><b>World: Singapore</b></p>
<p>Republic of Singapore is an island country and city state. It has only 735 Sq. kms of land area, but with per capita income of US $ 133,107, which is among the top five countries in the world.</p>
<p>It was in the news the other day, titled “Singapore’s ‘clean image’ hit, minister charged with graft”.</p>
<p>According to a print media report, the Transport Minister of Singapore, S. Ishwaran had resigned, after he was accused of accepting free tickets for a musical concert ‘Hamilton’, air travel and soccer games while in Britain.</p>
<p>Come to think of it, what is the money value of tickets to a musical concert, an air travel within the United Kingdom or enjoying a game of football in the UK!</p>
<p>But Singapore is Singapore, supposedly one of the least corrupt country in the world. It has a clean image, in terms of financial dealings and generally the laws of the country are strictly enforced to maintain the image of a sleaze-free country.</p>
<p>Compare India to Singapore, and how many politicians are there in positions of power and how they have unaccounted wealth and no question asked! Surely all this wealth is not from their regular source of income! Every time, while contesting elections, they are supposed to declare their net-worth. But no question asked about the source - how it is earned. When standing for repeat election they will declare their net-worth many times more than the previous declared amount. But no declaration is required as to the source of income that led to the increased net-worth.</p>
<p>If only the toughness of Singaporean anti-corruption laws are enforced in India, clearly a vast majority of these political office-holders would be in jail.</p>
<p>Singapore has long boasted of its clean image, when it comes to financial wrong doings. The country has consistently been lauded for its absence of graft in public life.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrvZmeDP055Y53fKbKvLARtvCSqf-IUKOpSYEsO_6rVa8ePehkgehRxw8WzQfRgTBCqBgFs4dHFSIpMISRPUV4GetNPt7QmH2NY07EYtAn7P-7IgUEwECcnRpK7yzuhnBQYl0xXfBz5vUkFRSG6cgLD1miHa8rzEPOIKk3gfoshTve5mgJ2wcVpFRQems/s275/mip%205.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; clear: left; float: left;"><img alt="" border="0" width="200" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrvZmeDP055Y53fKbKvLARtvCSqf-IUKOpSYEsO_6rVa8ePehkgehRxw8WzQfRgTBCqBgFs4dHFSIpMISRPUV4GetNPt7QmH2NY07EYtAn7P-7IgUEwECcnRpK7yzuhnBQYl0xXfBz5vUkFRSG6cgLD1miHa8rzEPOIKk3gfoshTve5mgJ2wcVpFRQems/s200/mip%205.jpg"/></a></div>
<p>Reportedly, it was the fifth least corrupt country as per Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index for 2022 and supposedly the only Asian country to be in the top 10.</p>
<p>According to the report, the total value of benefits enjoyed by the minister, S. Ishwaran, was to the tune of US $ 160,000, during the six years period from 2015 to 2021, which comes to less than $ 27,000 per year. By any stretch of imagination, this is peanuts, compared to the huge misdeeds of many of our political leaders, and nothing happens to them. Our politicians truly speaking, revel in exhibiting their money power earned through corrupt means and they act as patrons doing favors to people in general and officials in particular.</p>
<p>Our leaders, in fact most Chief Ministers of Indian states, have spoken for many years in the past to upgrade some of the cities of their respective states to that of Singapore. Will it ever happen within letter and spirit!</p>
<p><b>Is Achhey Din coming?</b></p>
<p>Some 10 years ago, when ‘Abki Baar Modi Sarkar’ was launched post 2014 Lok Sabha Election, Achhe Din was one of the promise.</p>
<p>We all know, all politicians and political parties promise moon before elections. Once the election is over, these promise gets pushed into the backyard only to remember next time round when the election is due. It’s also true that these promises generally take longer time to be addressed for varieties of socio economic reasons.</p>
<p>Like Gareebhi Hatao slogan of Indira Gandhi era has remained on paper, even promise of Achhey Din would have remained in the public memory. But there appears to be some good news coming from NITI AAYOG.</p>
<p>A report datelined New Delhi was “Niti Paper: In 9 years 24.8 crore Indians out of Multidimensional poverty”. So even so late in the day, Gareebhi Hatao is happening due to the efforts of NDA II government in New Delhi.</p>
<p>According to the paper prepared and released by Ramesh Chand, a member of the NITI Aayog and Yogesh Suri, a senior advisor of NITI Aayog, an estimated 24.8 crore Indians may have moved out of multidimensional poverty in the past 9 years, 2014/2023 period.</p>
<p>Multidimensional poverty has 12 parameters, like nutrition, child & adolescent mortality, education, sanitation, cooking fuel, bank a/c, health, housing, maternal health etc. This is projected to have reduced to 11.3% in 2022-23, from 15% in 2019-21 and 29.2% in 2013-14.
Report informs that UP and Bihar have recorded biggest improvements.</p>
<p>The authors of the NITI Aayog report have projected a single-digit level achievement by the end of next financial year. They have stated that India is much ahead of the target of reducing poverty in all its dimension by half by 2030. “All 12 indicators of Multidimensional Poverty Index have shown remarkable improvements during this period”, the paper had stated, while adding “the rate of decline in multidimensional poverty has accelerated during the period 2013-14 to 2022-23. This was made possible due to many initiatives and schemes of the central government targeted at improving specific deprivation aspects.”</p>
<p>Reportedly, based on the overall numbers collected by the National Family Health Survey, U.P managed to get 5.9 crore people out of poverty, followed by 3.8 crore in Bihar, 2.3 crore in M.P, 1.7 crore in West Bengal, 1.6 crore in Maharashtra and 1.0 crore in Odisha among others.
Hope the overall improvement continues to happen in the coming days.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRzBJnohe_0CCmrRL1BVG3n5kB2W39Bzi0eZXF0XKN0cGnP-8x9Bh8dcvy-EgCm14ah0EKfjalyTKqFq0X_CM4kHRExErHpgGCTTeyfI1lIOBNrqZYDUjVbFDlx92m7h0iz04Et4A8AON7AddCY-UQlRTcbBqtjawx1HwzOxF9v4Cla0IDDkYY-npO8ZM/s226/mip%206.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="226" data-original-width="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRzBJnohe_0CCmrRL1BVG3n5kB2W39Bzi0eZXF0XKN0cGnP-8x9Bh8dcvy-EgCm14ah0EKfjalyTKqFq0X_CM4kHRExErHpgGCTTeyfI1lIOBNrqZYDUjVbFDlx92m7h0iz04Et4A8AON7AddCY-UQlRTcbBqtjawx1HwzOxF9v4Cla0IDDkYY-npO8ZM/s400/mip%206.jpg"/></a></div>
<p><b>New Delhi: Global Investment Scenario</b></p>
<p>A report datelined New Delhi, informed “India, 5th most wanted place for investment globally: PwC”.</p>
<p>Price Water house and Coopers & Lybrand, (PwC), is an international consulting firm specialized in financial reporting. They had conducted a survey for the global decision makers to find out the options for investment from global financial institutions and global investors in both large and emerging large economies.</p>
<p>They released their survey report on the eve of World Economic Forum meeting in Davos early 2024.</p>
<p>According to the report. India was seen as the 5th preferred destination to invest after the U.S, China, Germany and the UK, making up 4 places from the position it held last year.</p>
<p>Reportedly India was 4th most favored destination in 2020, but slipped to 5th position in 2021 and to 8th spot in 2022, slipping further to 9th position in 2023.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFBxkiW2NBzTXdtM8RZI6d1TMpdTpXx_w4EoPowTA8q-8t54EOfZRIhyX3GcKfbnKlWQFjvxBfHbMDiukjbRN0f460qqRmADKdKWt6b31gbzVhnjWxi3hgoCySPlleraF6iGaHzKm-oAgklz_aW2w8HIjBD6xRV4SJ1IJd4InMcS0HVlDI0Y4YiFVwsz0/s246/MIP%205%20.%202.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; clear: left; float: left;"><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="246" data-original-width="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFBxkiW2NBzTXdtM8RZI6d1TMpdTpXx_w4EoPowTA8q-8t54EOfZRIhyX3GcKfbnKlWQFjvxBfHbMDiukjbRN0f460qqRmADKdKWt6b31gbzVhnjWxi3hgoCySPlleraF6iGaHzKm-oAgklz_aW2w8HIjBD6xRV4SJ1IJd4InMcS0HVlDI0Y4YiFVwsz0/s400/MIP%205%20.%202.jpg"/></a></div>
<p>“India appears to have countered the impact of global economic slowdown through government capex spending, domestic demand and other economic shock absorbers. Strong fundamentals, healthier Balance Sheets of Banks and Corporates, fiscal consolidation, manageable external balance and substantial foreign exchange reserves contribute to a positive outlook”, the survey reported to have stated.</p>
<p>This is a very positive development in the year of election 2024. Clearly India looks forward to leap ahead in the comity of nations to emerge as a dominant player in the international market, which should auger well for both employment generation and GDP leading to improved Per Capita Income of its citizens. Hope it happens.</p>
<p><b>TEMPLE FOR LORD RAMA</b></p>.
<p>Afterall, the long awaited temple to Maryaadaa Purushottam Rama has come about. The '500 hundred years old' wait is over, so informs the public space. </p>
<p>The formal consecration of the temple in Ayodhya has indeed ended the alien influence that has disturbed the national consciousness from time immemorial. Whether two more such developments, as articulated in public space will follow or not, is not important, per se. But the belated development at Ayodhya has indeed been a crucial precedent, unprecedented hitherto.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ4ez1SJNcDukXYAZe_iP_l8qQKOQQEbZG7wvfpZxt-4PSH0aXYAR44exSEPSeoxzSiXuvpGvzif_Jdh0T-dqrk7Pd9yNHHkarB0gx2m5HvzszoT4K80pWZOWJacU01NNkNb62nmdBogJXno4Xcpln89NGC_-tCb00FRYq2FaQw0VJzZKyowf8futNCZY/s251/MIP%2010.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="600" data-original-height="201" data-original-width="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ4ez1SJNcDukXYAZe_iP_l8qQKOQQEbZG7wvfpZxt-4PSH0aXYAR44exSEPSeoxzSiXuvpGvzif_Jdh0T-dqrk7Pd9yNHHkarB0gx2m5HvzszoT4K80pWZOWJacU01NNkNb62nmdBogJXno4Xcpln89NGC_-tCb00FRYq2FaQw0VJzZKyowf8futNCZY/s600/MIP%2010.jpg"/></a></div>
<p>It's a statement, we Indians, Hindus in particular, can be comfortable to align with. </p>
<p>Yes, we could wipe a historical humiliation, where a temple was destroyed to make an alien place of worship. That was a statement then, for an alien force. They did it to humiliate us.</p>
<p>At long last we could reverse it, at our own terms within the precincts of law and order. Indeed temple at Ayodhya has proved reversal is possible.</p>
ISSUES AND CONCERNShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17698815830925167776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2789748706304687420.post-19714200713284452742024-03-02T13:23:00.002+05:302024-03-02T13:25:49.934+05:30FEBRUARY - FOCUS 2024<P><b>TEMPLE IN AYODHYA- An Overdue STATEMENT</b></P> <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN-N2w5fI7DACQZqhukFDZOjeeAgNUOs9WLDDJs2D-LlMfC21deaLJ77ki5FqcEwu5-h3LPJ45w56q5RRfzqYVXa7wP1JxCp-Ijhu5U63-kEgCYhsNR-ibLQ4OGijjYTBQb1_3fBZYNdw_9PL5WujCZlsSle-Zt_MZeVMhGp7HTQJ4jtgO0mw3FrJHrAM/s251/MIP%2010.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="600" data-original-height="201" data-original-width="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN-N2w5fI7DACQZqhukFDZOjeeAgNUOs9WLDDJs2D-LlMfC21deaLJ77ki5FqcEwu5-h3LPJ45w56q5RRfzqYVXa7wP1JxCp-Ijhu5U63-kEgCYhsNR-ibLQ4OGijjYTBQb1_3fBZYNdw_9PL5WujCZlsSle-Zt_MZeVMhGp7HTQJ4jtgO0mw3FrJHrAM/s600/MIP%2010.jpg"/></a></div>
<P>22nd January 2024, shall mark as a very significant day in the contemporary history of India that is Bharath. It was the day the long awaited temple for Lord Rama, the Maryaada Purushottam in the Indian pantheon of God heads, was formally consecrated at Ayodhya. The ‘500 years old’ wait is over, so informs public space. It has ended the alien influence that had disturbed the national conscience from times immemorial. However belated, the temple at Ayodhya has been an unprecedented development. It’s a statement all Indians, Hindus in particular, can be comfortable to align it.</P>
<P>Yes, this temple at Ayodhya did wipe out a historical humiliation, where an existing temple was destroyed some 500 years ago to build an alien place of worship. It was a statement then, for the alien force, only to humiliate us.
Yes, at long last we could reverse it, at our own terms, within the precincts of law and order. Indeed, the temple at Ayodhya has proved that reverse is possible.</P>
<P>Reversal of fortune is an ongoing universal phenomenon. Colonising whites have lost their colonies the world over. Marauding invaders from Central Asian countries, who had become rulers by oppressive and repressive methods, were vanquished by those who followed into the country to loot and plunder. They have all become part of the history confined to school room classes.</P>
<p>It was in 1857, branded as the first war of Indian independence, the political dominance of those from beyond the Khyber Pass ended with British usurping the role of rulers, due to the fragmented Indian ruling class, who were truly the causa proxima for the subservience of the Indian polity for centuries. British too left the Indian shores, under pressure, both violent and non-violent. And India became a politically free country in 1947 which remained a ‘wounded civilization’, a pair of words coined by V.S. Naipaul, the Trinidadian writer of Indian descent.
Britishers, when they were, kind of, forced out India, bifurcated the country as India and Pakistan. For record, they were only protecting the interest of Muslims in the Hindu majority India. It is another matter that there have been killings continuously for all these years inside Pakistan for all kinds of socio/political reasons and Indian Hindus had no role in these killings. It was Muslims killing Muslims in Pakistan.
However, by hindsight, it could also be surmised that British wanted the sub-continent to remain on the boil for all times to come, as the history of 75 post-independent years, is a witness to the bloodletting.</p>
<p>Britain had made its fortune from its colonies and India was the ‘jewel in the crown’. They didn’t want to lose India. Winston Churchill didn’t hide his disappointment when the British government of Clement Attlee granted Independence to India. He had reportedly remarked that “India will be ruined and there will be chaos all over”.</p>
<p>Times have changed and India is a very prominent member among the comity of nations, trying to have a pot shot at ‘Super Power Status’, And come to think of it, the United Kingdom, which includes Britain, presently experiencing a Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, of Indian descent. That is indeed a role reversal, if it can be called one. Kind of a poetic justice!</p>
<p>Upon Independence from colonial masters, Pakistan degenerated into a theocratic state and Indian constitution makers sensibly went for ‘Sarva Dharma Sama Bhaava’, which is the underlying Indian etho of secular governance. It is another matter that, over the years, this constitutional guarantee of ‘Sarva Dharma Sama Bhaava’ was blatantly misused by all political parties and agenda driven media.</p>
<p>While everybody spoke of the rights and freedom of expression, not many thought of the responsibility of protecting and sustaining the pluralistic fibre of social harmony. Both politicians and media had their own priorities. They indulged in blatant fixation of ‘Who is Right & Who is Wrong’ rather than the issue based ‘What is Right & What is Wrong’.</p>
<p>Babri Masjid at Ayodhya has a history of hundreds of years. This ‘Masjid-e-Janmasthaan’, as it was called prior to 1940 was probably constructed post 1500 AD. There is a claim which informs that this masjid was built in 1528-29 according to Persian inscription on the walls of Masjid.</p>
<p>Available information from different sources confirm that both Muslims and Hindus were using the premises around the masjid. Also there are some affidavits filed by some Muslim residents of Ayodhya stating that ‘atleast from 1936 onwards Muslims have neither used the site as a mosque nor offered prayers there’, clearly indicating that the structure called Babri Masjid was under disuse. The same source informs that in 1949 Hindus took over the mosque.</p>
<p>Around the same time, an idol of Lord Rama was placed inside the mosque. On learning of the idol having been placed inside the mosque, Government reportedly locked the mosque to avoid any controversy. However in 1986, the then government of Rajiv Gandhi reportedly opened the lock of the Masjid/Temple complex and allowed idol worship therein.</p>
<p>According to sources in the then government, historical documents confirm that Hindus have continued to visit and pay obeisance all through the centuries despite Muslim occupation, while no Muslim ever went there even for prayers. In 1989 Rajiv Gandhi, as Prime Minister, allowed Shilanyas. This act of Rajiv Gandhi clearly inferred that he favoured Hindu claim of temple in the disputed site in Ayodhya. But Congress lost the election in 1989 and Rajiv Gandhi was sadly assassinated in May 1991. May be, if he was alive and in power, he could have solved the vexed problem. However the Marxist lobby among historians were vehemently opposed to the temple theory.</p>
<p>In the meanwhile LK Advani, the then President of BJP took a Rath Yaathra in 1990 for over a month from Kutch in Gujarat to Ayodhya in U.P. So suddenly the issue of Ram Janmabhoomi occupied the national space. For the first time most Indians learnt about the Babri Masjid/Ram Temple tangle.</p>
<p>Come 6th December 1992, a restive crowd of Hindu karsevaks demolished the five centuries old Babri Masjid. Nothing happened in Ayodhya, as a reaction to the demolition. But far away Mumbai, days later, witnessed widespread violence and riot followed. It was clear that some vested interest forces, intent on creating unrest had engineered the violence and riot. But very sadly none in the media or authorities in internal security including police questioned the incongruity of the entire development. So somebody was fishing in the troubled water. Did the demolition of an old decrepit structure built some 500 years ago and in disuse, deserve the brutal killings of some 2000 people, both Hindus and Muslims?<p/>
<p>Back to Ayodhya, life had gone on with the issue of land ownership around the mosque/temple site going to Allahabad High Court (AHC). There were 3 parties to the dispute, 1) Ram Lalla Virajman- the deity – represented by a trust, 2) Nirmohi Akhara and 3) UP Sunni Waqf Board. On 30th September 2010, the court in its wisdom divided the land equally among the 3 claimants to the ownership of the land around Masjid/Temple. It appeared very sagacious under the circumstances, that none could claim victory or otherwise. There was no public display of joy or disappointment. However, politicians and media did try to throw muck around, although people in general, both Hindus & Muslims, displayed no bitterness and had probably recognized that violence simply does not pay. Despite AHC having been pari-passu in its judgement of trifurcating the land in question, all three parties went to Apex court. The highest court of the land wisely decided to settle the matter in time bound manner. Thus it fixed the date of 17th Nov 2019.</p>
<p>However the Supreme Court proved better than that. It delivered its final verdict a week before 17/11/2019, on 9th November 2019, itself. Unlike the AHC judgment of 3/2, the verdict of SC was unanimous. The entire bench of 5 judges unanimously decided to give the disputed land to temple adherents and asked the State government to provide 5 acre land in the vicinity, where Masjid adherents could have their construction of their choice. Reportedly court had given enough cogent reasons for arriving at a unanimous judgment involving 5 senior most judges of the apex court, which also included a Muslim gentleman, Justice S. Abdul Nazeer.</p>
<p>Among other observations, the judgment reiterated, “The disputed site was government land in the revenue record. The fact that there lay a temple beneath the destroyed structure has been established by the findings of the Archeological Survey of India (ASI), and the underlying structure was not an Islamic structure.” However court also admitted that “The destruction of the mosque and the obliteration of Islamic structure was an egregious violation of the rule of law.”</p>
<p>Thus, the saga of Ram Janmabhoomi struggle was concluded by the highest adjudicator of the land, while giving credence to the fact that Hindu litigants had presented better evidences of their continuous worship at the disputed structure for centuries and Muslim litigants presented no evidence to prove their possession of the disputed structure. Thus the court was clearly convinced of the case in favor of the Hindu litigants.
Here it is very pertinent to recapitulate and reproduce the report from ASI, especially the reiteration from its former Regional Director K.K Mohammed (KKM). The fact that KKM is a Muslim, has lent better credibility and seriousness to the entire exercise. He had extensively studied the excavated matter underneath the Babri Masjid, to confirm the existence of a temple beneath the construction of Babri Masjid and had submitted in writing his entire findings to the adjudicating authorities to take the decisive stand on where lies the truth. Country is truly beholden to the honest and committed service of KKM towards a historic conclusion of a highly emotive issue.</p>
<p>However what was most disquieting was the response of some of our members of the political class and writings of some journalists. Here it is pertinent to recollect the names of the journalists who were extremely biased in their reportage and comments. Vidya Subramaniam & Krishnadas Rajgopal of THE HINDU and Aakar Patel & Swaminathan Anklesaia Aiyar writing for TIMES OF INDIA, have been extremely boorish and poisonous in their response to the judgment.</p>
<p>Yes, down the line, post the apex court judgement, in just over 4 years - 9th November 2019 to 22nd January 2024 - the trust, managing the affairs of Ram Janmabhoomi Temple project, managed to declare open the magnificent temple complex to the joy and happiness of a population, who mentally suffered and endured the atrocity of the violence of colonial usurpers of power.</p>
<p>Indeed the temple at Ayodhya is a statement to the wide world that Bhaarath that is India has arrived on the global scene as never before. Of course, the development should not lead to arrogance. Instead it must reiterate the time honored civilizational attribute of Vasudaiva Kutumbakam.
However what is indeed a matter of concern, how some of the western media has reacted to the opening ceremony of the temple in Ayodhya. Despite the entire exercise of acquisition of the land and construction of the temple has been based on the legally settled verdict of the highest court of the land and the information available in the public space, for the western media to react so badly reflect their animosity towards an emerging large economy. (See box for their reaction).</p>
<p>Here it is pertinent to reproduce some details of demolitions of Hindu places of worship by alien forces from pages of history, how India and Indians have suffered.</p>
<p>According to historical records, it was a fact that lot of temples in India were destroyed by invading Turks and Mongols. They managed to destroy local culture including forced conversion where possible, killing of locals who did not agree to convert and making our women folks as sex slaves, in some pockets. But they could not succeed in converting the entire population, even though they built their places of worship by destroying Hindu temples.</p>
<p>According to TIME/LIFE History Series, published from Amsterdam, Islam came to India in 12th century. One of the books HISTORY OF THE WORLD – AD 1100/1200 informs readers that the “Qawat - al – Islam mosque in the city of Delhi was built by forced Hindu labour, on the site of a Hindu shrine from the materials of some 27 wrecked Hindu temples in the neighborhood. (Page/95)</p>
<p>Mohd. Bin Qasim was the first Muslim to invade India in 712 AD. From then on there have been continuous invasion during following years. The book for period AD 1500-1600 informs that in Jan 1505, horsemen led by Babur (pronounced as Baabar) set out on expedition east of Kabul. In some days they were into a land, in the words of Babur “where everything was different, from grasses, from the trees, the animals, the birds, the manners and customs of people”. He was literate and was writing diaries. From the barren mountains of Central Asia to the fertility of Northern India, “we were amazed and in truth there was much to be amazed at” was Babar’s take. He decided to stay put in India after a couple of visits.
According to this History Series books, Babur was not an invader, but was invited by disgruntled elements of Delhi Sultan Ibrahim Lodhi, to come and take over Delhi. After defeating Lodhi army, Babur took over the Lodhi Sultanate in Delhi and established Mughal empire. It was in 1526. He had on record stated “Mischief and devastation must always be expected from wretched Mughal hordes”. No wonder the temple in Ayodhya was one of his target of demolition and ordered “a mosque to be built on the temple”. So it was during 1528/29 a masjid was constructed by his commander Mir Baqui. It was named Babri after Babur. However Babur died soon thereafter on 26th Dec 1530.</p>
<p>Apparently after the passing away of Babur and changes in Mughal rulers, Delhi remained a place of political significance and Ayodhya lapsed into insignificance. The resultant neglect of the royalty led to the gradual absence of Muslims visiting Babri Masjid. It became part of the amnesia of Islamic adherents. But Hindu adherents have probably kept alive their allegiance to the site of Ramjanmabhoomi by visiting and paying obeisance to the deity.</p>
<p>Thus, according to the sources in government, it was recorded as far back as 1885, by the sub-judge of Faizabad court, an Englishman, who observed that: “It is most unfortunate the Masjid should have been built on land specially held sacred by Hindus. But as the event occurred 358 years ago, it is too late now to remedy the grievance” while dismissing a plea to build temple at the site.</p>
<p>These developments clearly prove the case of Ramajanmabhoomi Temple litigants.</p>
<p>As we wind up, it is hoped that with the temple having been built and declared open for public, a long term peace will usher in the country. Only long term peace will ensure the steady socio-economic growth of our Mera Bharath Mahaan! Hope it does.</p> <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyiYdEaA_nQyzrHmgQ2uaL6aJUf4sJPFZIjJv7POFMBDed0bGNXU3QWVN3tQ-S-ynViEJiR5zWFvHFvuBDkQ-GNCaLGg4seaP7R0D28BTvLgM9qola9sTI86yMoz8Xl7F89twlD9W-AMpT2vN-JyKT8fH62gBER7eSPVXLgqXY4HZ8-iSsSzJd6P5ty-M/s193/FOCUS%203.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="600" data-original-height="193" data-original-width="110" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyiYdEaA_nQyzrHmgQ2uaL6aJUf4sJPFZIjJv7POFMBDed0bGNXU3QWVN3tQ-S-ynViEJiR5zWFvHFvuBDkQ-GNCaLGg4seaP7R0D28BTvLgM9qola9sTI86yMoz8Xl7F89twlD9W-AMpT2vN-JyKT8fH62gBER7eSPVXLgqXY4HZ8-iSsSzJd6P5ty-M/s600/FOCUS%203.jpg"/></a></div>
ISSUES AND CONCERNShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17698815830925167776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2789748706304687420.post-4152319790390208542024-01-11T17:50:00.002+05:302024-01-11T17:50:25.416+05:30FOCUS - January 2024<p><i><b>Election 2023-2024
I.N.D.I Alliance In Disarray!</b></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZdjmdPHYw4h1uVXnji8KB2SlrVFxnXZZCjJMaTTizKSrdOJ26-uZvZAP8L2PbCPjOYtiDOJlHbL4E4PBMUpx6-awezYd43I81vT_5AGMOwkAhuvjm8e9Y73uJqe_STptlGMLE7tjZiVMekuSpL0lHePX5Y4o1DyMqkhQDgcO7TStUCPp92Ha98ZRtm4o/s300/FOCUS%203.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; clear: left; float: left;"><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZdjmdPHYw4h1uVXnji8KB2SlrVFxnXZZCjJMaTTizKSrdOJ26-uZvZAP8L2PbCPjOYtiDOJlHbL4E4PBMUpx6-awezYd43I81vT_5AGMOwkAhuvjm8e9Y73uJqe_STptlGMLE7tjZiVMekuSpL0lHePX5Y4o1DyMqkhQDgcO7TStUCPp92Ha98ZRtm4o/s400/FOCUS%203.jpg"/></a></div>
<p>Bharatiya Rashtriya Vikasatmak Samaveshi Ghatbandhan (BRVSG) or Indian National Development Inclusive Alliance or I.N.D.I Alliance is a formation of an association of some 27 political parties from Kanya Kumari in the South to Jammu & Kashmir in the North, to jointly fight the general election due in May 2024. It was formed around mid-2023 with the sole objective of ousting the ruling NDA government at the center, but more particularly to dethrone the current Prime Minister for 2 terms, Narendra Modi.</p>
<p>We all understand that UNITED WE STAND, DEVIDED WE FALL. When we all have the same objective, it is amazing how easy it is to overcome obstacles to reach our goal! However there is an intrinsic catch. All components of the united group should have the larger picture of good of all, which may not be always the case.</p>
<p>This BRVSG or I.N.D.I Alliance is a desperate association of disparate parties without any ideological affinity or even similarity. The idea of association everywhere is to promote a common objective. In this case, it is to get political power and for bigger and more resourceful parties to throw crumbs to smaller outfits, by taking the role of patron. In this I.N.D.I Alliance case, it’s the INC or the Indian National Congress which wants to usurp the role of patron. It is true that all want to be a giver and not a receiver. But the fact of life is, it’s never fair, more so in politics and in equitable sharing of political cake.</p>
<p>India, that is Bharat, has a history of 76 years as a politically independent nation, having been surrendered by the colonialists of yesteryears, the British. They left us in 1947 August. Since then, we have been managing our socio-political and economic life. We all know, it’s the politics which controls a nation’s socio-economic life.</p>
<P>Although elected government was established only in 1952, after the first general election, the preceding five years too had a government. The central government between 1947 and 1952, the 5 year period, was that of Congress Party, or the Indian National Congress (INC).
INC was the only dominant political party with all-India presence. It ruled the country without any interruption upto 1977. Thus for 30 years Indian National Congress party ruled the country without any visible opposition. From 1977 to 1980 Janata Party ruled the corridors of power in New Delhi. Again from 1980 to 1989, 10 years were ruled by INC. 1989 to 1991, Janata Dal ruled the roost. INC came back in 1991 to 1996, with P.V. <p>Narasimha Rao as the Prime Minister, with Congress led coalition.</p> <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmA1LZK8BmK2FRFwlNihluVCR_d-GoMKlHN4MiT5zR5xDSOtiqBkh7wmROIpzF2t2-KQZEj5jmmWN_a-D-tVGIVb3FIw4vpzucYHdGQ379r0h05jH2N3QovVZ30IatXceRXNE-9DgEN2DfkH9leZxCJHhkuAE1DMzSbaTLL66a3vTwLUyTeioNWfPZK2o/s1200/focus%202.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; clear: right; float: right;"><img alt="" border="0" width="200" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmA1LZK8BmK2FRFwlNihluVCR_d-GoMKlHN4MiT5zR5xDSOtiqBkh7wmROIpzF2t2-KQZEj5jmmWN_a-D-tVGIVb3FIw4vpzucYHdGQ379r0h05jH2N3QovVZ30IatXceRXNE-9DgEN2DfkH9leZxCJHhkuAE1DMzSbaTLL66a3vTwLUyTeioNWfPZK2o/s200/focus%202.jpg"/></a></div>
1996, BJP came to power to remain in the government for just 16 days. 1996 to 1998, Janata Dal led by I.K. Gujral and HD Deve Gowda ran the government. 1998 to 2004, NDA led by BJPs Atal Behari Vajpayee ruled the rein of power in New Delhi. 2004 to 2014, UPA led by Congress Prime Minister Manmohan Singh ruled the central government. Since 2014 until May 2024, BJP led NDA with Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister has been and will be at the helm of affairs of the country.</p>
<p>The above details, clearly shows that, for close to 55 years of free India the nation was ruled by the Indian National Congress, of which 40 years were ruled by INC only as a single ruling party with the remaining 15 years Congress being the dominant party in a coalition arrangement. Of the remaining 20 plus years, 16 years BJP ruled, with its government being the incumbent at present. The balance of about 5 years were ruled by <p>Janata Party and its off-shoots like Janata Dal, Samajavadi Janata Party and Janata Party Secular etc.<p>
All students of Indian politics should note one very important fact, that in 1982, after the departure of Jana Sangh from the Janata Party combination and the formation of Bharatiya Janata Party or the BJP, it had only 2 seats. There was total disillusionment with Janata experiment with personal ambition of its leaders taking precedence over the party interest or national interest. Morarji Desai was there for little over 2 years as the first Prime Minister of Janata party government, followed by Chandrashekar for little over 7 months and Charan Singh for less than 6 months. Thus there was little scope for anyone from Jana Sangh, which was the only cadre based party in the Janata combination. If they had to grow they had to, perforce, leave the Janata combination, and it was a very wise decision to have its own identity as Bharatiya Janata Party, to keep the word Janata while adding Bharatiya to it.</p>
<p>Congress was slowly losing its grip on the national psyche. Janata got splintered into many outfits to remain within the confines of a region, like Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) in Bihar, Samajawad Party in UP, Janata Dal United in Bihar, Lok Dal in Haryana. All of them enjoyed some power in some pockets. Thus, it is clear that Janata experiment failed only due to the ambition for personal aggrandizement of its leaders. All of them were so much unlike Jayaprakash Narayan, who inspired the sampoorna kranthi, which brought about Janata Party.</p>
<p>As compared to all of them, BJP remained in the fringes of national politics to slowly grow on its own strength. Slowly but surely the party grew steadily from the 2 seat in the Loksabha in 1982 to 303 in 2019. It’s a saga of dedication and hard work. Electorates have trusted them that they will work for the nation more than for themselves.</p>
<p>Of course, the emergence of Narendra Modi as a leader by his own strength of personality has immensely added to the phenomenal growth of BJP in recent times. It is this growth, the I.N.D.I. Alliance wants to stop.</p>
<p>In the lexicon of achievers the word impossible is not there. Therefore to stop the growth of any political opposition or to even reverse its growth, is an eminently do-able task if a committed road map is drawn. History is generally full of ‘Ifs and Buts’, why civilizations have failed due to the short term self-centered objectives of the society in general and warring groups in particular. Pre Independence period of India presents a vivid example of such a scenario.</p>
<p>Similar situation is prevailing even at present among sections of our socio-political groups. Lot of us are more concerned about ourselves, our families, friends and cronies. In other words we are generally more selfish or self centred.</p>
<p>If you extend this analogy further, picture of I.N.D.I Alliance becomes more clear.
Of the 27 political parties, there are 11 parties with no representation in the parliament and 5 parties with 1 MP each. So, more than 50% of the political parties in the alliance are either not represented or very thinly or poorly represented. One party with 2 MPs.
There are 4 parties with 3 MPs each. One party with 4 MPs, One party with 6 MPs. Thus there are 23 parties with 27 MPs. Remaining 4 parties are with MPs in 2 digits, JD(U) has 16 MPs, TMC has 23 MPs, DMK has 24 MPs. Highest of 47 MPs are from INC (Congress).
So basically, it’s these 4 parties who represent 110 MPs which is more than 75% of seats with remaining 23 parties: representing remaining less that 25% at 29 seats. So, the entire I.N.D.I Alliance has a total tally of 139 seats in a house of 543 seats, representing ½ of what is needed to form the government. Thus prima facie for I.N.D.I. Alliance it’s a long shot.</p>
<p>As we already know the INC or the Congress was the ruling party for over 55 years. It certainly wants to get back to ruling the country, since it’s been calling the shots for more than 2/3rd period since independence.</p>
<p>But there is a problem of dynastic dimension of the party. Party is ruled by the Gandhi family rightly or wrongly, although for record a Dailt, Mallikarjun Kharge, is the party president. He is appropriately educated, a lawyer by qualification. Used his position to amass huge personal assets.</p>
<p>Under the circumstances, it’s very unlikely that INC will accept the role of a junior partner in the ‘Ghatbandhan’ or the Alliance to play the second fiddle besides the party also has 47 seats in parliament, which is over 1/3 of the total seats in the I.N.D.I. Alliance in the present Lok Sabha.</p>
<p>Thus, whether anybody likes it or not Congress is not likely to give up its Mai Baap hegemonistic role for lesser mortals. This fact has to be accepted as a reality. But, as we are witnessing it, that is not likely to happen.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh74b3afLVotCxgAmsQKg8PoWZBqJNWVbkvv65151RMFh7k2a2p4Af9JBh9ZxD_O355R25v4TDUAsDMs7dYI3rkYA6XoVKUlrsxsYFY_olWbqVLwIKxeFzbFanF1ORwcLCjP0QUJJsbCGCzOLQPhTWgehx_4JEKckH6NvL3LpVnMxvhsaOWA35ALII16ek/s279/focus%201.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; clear: left; float: left;"><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="181" data-original-width="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh74b3afLVotCxgAmsQKg8PoWZBqJNWVbkvv65151RMFh7k2a2p4Af9JBh9ZxD_O355R25v4TDUAsDMs7dYI3rkYA6XoVKUlrsxsYFY_olWbqVLwIKxeFzbFanF1ORwcLCjP0QUJJsbCGCzOLQPhTWgehx_4JEKckH6NvL3LpVnMxvhsaOWA35ALII16ek/s320/focus%201.jpg"/></a></div>
<p>The last assembly elections to five states have established to a fair degree where the wind is blowing. Of the five states 3 have gone with overwhelming majority to the ND Alliance where BJP is the dominant party. I.N.D.I. Alliance did not fight these elections as a group. Thus Congress lost both in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, to BJP group, where Congress had its own government.</p>
<p>NDA won the elections to these two states convincingly. Congress was also very hopeful of winning the Madhya Pradesh election due to the close to 2 decades incumbent factor against the outgoing government of Shivraj Singh Chauhan of BJP. In the event, however, Congress lost the election to Bhopal rather badly with BJP romping home with over 2/3rd majority. Congress had the consolation of winning the Telangana assembly. But there too BJP improved its tally from 1 seat in the outgoing assembly to 8 in the new assembly with some 16% vote share. This a very positive development for BJP for coming years.</p>
<p>Going back to the last 5 states elections, which was touted as semi-final for the 2024 general election, the results have been mostly unexpected. A Mumbai based paper had it as head line “Hindi Heart land’s MANN KI BAAT”, describing the 3 major states going to BJP convincingly. “Heartland gives BJP 2024 Head Start” was the headline in TIMES OF INDIA. “BJP sweeps Hindi belt” was the headline in THE HINDU.
Clearly as these media members see, there is no stopping of BJP led by Modi in 2024. A paper remarked “The voter in the Hindi heartland has spoken loud and clear, reflecting Rahul Gandhi’s childish fulminations against the Prime Minister.”</p>
<p>Has the Congress overstepped its mandate coming from the I.N.D.I Alliance! While the agreement was that all future management of pole, distribution of seats, should be alliance centric, depending upon the strength of each party in different region. But the over confident Congress with victory in Karnataka didn’t bother to take allies along or accommodate them in seat adjustments.</p>
<p>So confident was the Congress that it just didn’t bother to discuss the demands of Akhilesh Yadav’s demand for a couple of seats in Madhya Pradesh. A report in the Times Of India headlined, “SP (Samajawad Party of Akhilesh Yadav) blames Kamal Nath’s ‘Akhilesh-Vakilesh’ comment for Congress rout in M.P”. “Assembly poll results: TMC blames Congress” was another headliner. There have been media reports on the future of I.N.D.I bloc. “Bargain gets harder for battered Congress, boon for I.N.D.I. Alliance bloc to meet”. “Shock for Congress as I.N.D.I Alliance take it to task for ignoring them”. “Election results show that Congress is unable to win on its own. It is very necessary for everyone to strengthen the I.N.D.I Alliance bloc”. However, Supriya Sule, daughter of NCPs Sharad Pawar has over-read that the election results will have no impact on Lok Sabha election. Either she was referring to her fears of possible BJP success in the 2024 poll or she truly believed that opposition leaders in the dotted coalition would sink their differences and suppress their egos to ensure a one-to-one contest against BJP.</p>
<p>Post results to these five state assemblies has truly and comprehensively thrown this rag-tag I.N.D.I Alliance of 27 parties from all over India, into a veritable disarray.</p>
<p>Rogers Thesaurus, among many meanings has also referred to DISARRAY, as dishelved, scattered, confused, shambled etc.
While it is true that the I.N.D.I. Alliance is in a kind of confused state, what really went wrong with Congress! Asim Ali, writes in THE HINDU “Both Baghel (Chattisgarh CM) and Gehlot (Rajasthan CM), not only sidelined strong party leaders like T.S. Singh Deo and Sachin Pilot, but also marginalized the state Congress organization preparing to operate through bureaucrats and chosen ministerial aides”.</p>
<p>In Madhya Pradesh old guards like Kamal Nath, who is decades past his expiry date in leadership, has prevented real progressive agenda by not developing state level leadership that can embody progressive ideas. His remark “Kamlesh-Vamlesh” has only distanced partners in I.N.D.I Alliance bloc. His overconfidence was such that he reportedly remarked “This time, BJP will not have a chance to topple the government by purchasing out MLAs. He was speaking to his party workers before the counting began on 3rd December. In the event his party and the lading light on I.N.D.I.A bloc got less than 1/3rd of the total seats let alone getting anywhere closer to the half-way mark.</p>
<p>Anyway damage was done but there is future gaping at opposition political parties. So repair and get going. In a smart move both TMC Supremo Mamata Banerji and AAP Supremo Arvind Kejriwal have endorsed the candidature of Mallikarjun Kharge as the I.N.D.I. Alliance nominee for Prime Ministership. Before the proposed meet of alliance partners. But reportedly both Nitish Kumar of JD(U) and Lalu Prasad Yadav of RJD have red flagged the proposal. After the last meet, 3 months ago, this was expected to be a kind of game changer. In the meet Congress stated that “Seat sharing among I.N.D.I Alliance bloc will be done without any hurdle. There will be a joint opposition candidate against the BJP led NDA”. But what really brought TMC back to I.N.D.I.A fold was the support from Congress on the ‘Mahua Moitra expelled as MP’ issue to retrospect the issue of Motra being expelled from the parliament, could as well be a self-goal by the government, which really became a rallying point for the opposition.
The latest meet among the members of I.N.D.I Alliance has provided another opportunity to redraw the road map ahead of May 2024 Lok Sabha election. However, as Azim Ali writes in TOI it’s only, “Many faces, but no big idea”. He says “The team is badly trailing, which appears to be more fatigued, ambling around without either a coherent plan or a clear leadership apparatus to execute it. Even with a late closing of ranks at the end, the opposition might require some divine intervention to make a contest out of it”. One paper even remarked “Whatever the noise, the dotted I.N.D.I.A bloc has proved to be a non-starter”. Thus the leadership of I.N.D.I. Alliance has its job cut out. They have to tighten the belt and get cracking to make a match out of 2024 general elections. Hope they do.</p>
ISSUES AND CONCERNShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17698815830925167776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2789748706304687420.post-12734011966591550952024-01-11T17:23:00.002+05:302024-01-11T17:23:51.937+05:30MIP - January 2024<b>New Delhi: Time Bound Schedule in Courts</b>
<p>Long time ago, an ad in the electronic media used to be frequently shown about the longevity of the ply-wood. It was giving the example of court cases, how it started when the litigant was young and still going in circles year after year, unfinished and litigant is growing old. Conveying that the plywood in question had a very long life. It appears to be in good condition year after year.</P><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIgtQ80pdRpAOlXAFv0IH1cNqCEbjm3JMhCJbBG58-V_HYdzVS9aKtioTEG4_JZadqzXjhf18LHJvtFzjoEaBSjvtccw5FIbsuGC-aReGxIWGamV2XG_49sYRcNDevk1nOc5C39bTXrZAZWzCavtm9sTt5PpMqbRgXOI361LM-5q61co_AeAAfm4lK5b4/s273/mip%201.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; clear: left; float: left;"><img alt="" border="0" width="200" data-original-height="184" data-original-width="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIgtQ80pdRpAOlXAFv0IH1cNqCEbjm3JMhCJbBG58-V_HYdzVS9aKtioTEG4_JZadqzXjhf18LHJvtFzjoEaBSjvtccw5FIbsuGC-aReGxIWGamV2XG_49sYRcNDevk1nOc5C39bTXrZAZWzCavtm9sTt5PpMqbRgXOI361LM-5q61co_AeAAfm4lK5b4/s200/mip%201.jpg"/></a></div>
<P>And comes this report datelined New Delhi “Court should avoid fixing time bound schedule: SC”.
One Sheikh Uzma Feroz Hussain had petitioned the Supreme Court, seeking a direction to the Bombay High Court to decide his bail plea in a time bound manner. The bench of Justice Abhay S Oka and Justice Pankaj Mittal was hearing the petition. They observed that in all high courts, especially the bigger ones, there could be large number of bail petitions filed and therefore some delay in the disposal of such petition is inevitable.
“Since every high court and every court in the country has huge pendency, the constitutional court should avoid the temptation of fixing a time bound schedule for disposal of any case before any court unless the situation is extraordinary” the bench had reportedly remarked.</p>
<P>Refusing to entertain the plea seeking a direction for disposal of criminal matter within a fixed time, the bench held that only extra-ordinary situation can warrant the need for such a time bound disposal of plea. It added that if there is a case of urgency in disposal of the petition, concerned bench can always hear the petition.</P>
<P>It’s all very well for the bench to observe what they remarked. But the very fact, as in their very own words “Every high court and every court in the country has a huge pendency (of cases)” isn’t it simply a case of judicial procrastination! If only all judges and therefore courts had an approach of time bound – not necessarily very tight – schedule, the huge pending cases across the courts in the country wouldn’t have been there. It could have been a thing of the past instead of being present continuous.</p>
<P>There is sadly a laid back attitude by the judiciary to go gingerly without recognizing the suffering of the litigants. In fact, like medicos taking the HIPPOCRATIC OATH, even judges when taking judgeship should be asked to take an oath not to unnecessarily drag the case by giving avoidable adjournments. Courts should also increase the length of their sitting, besides reduce their breaks-summer break, winter break or monsoon break or whatever.</P>
<P>After all they are there to serve the litigants. Shouldn’t they complete it as quickly as possible?</p>
<P><b>Haryana: Ram Rahim and Furloughs </b></P><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg08qvjPrV9W__SV5kMrXqfAS7pEfzg8T7MT400lgGWdrhY2YY_TG9pbtuwUDS9h671Ik02RGg3YBH5rvl9dqKfXVkrhmvqCTKXsZ2f4n76trroOKNLNj92oaWO75BBokS3ftdPiwkqT0BpMhxSEv4QTuLmZHKC9x8UINs_LEkNhZofmRa5DMSKv9W1X_I/s300/mip%202.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg08qvjPrV9W__SV5kMrXqfAS7pEfzg8T7MT400lgGWdrhY2YY_TG9pbtuwUDS9h671Ik02RGg3YBH5rvl9dqKfXVkrhmvqCTKXsZ2f4n76trroOKNLNj92oaWO75BBokS3ftdPiwkqT0BpMhxSEv4QTuLmZHKC9x8UINs_LEkNhZofmRa5DMSKv9W1X_I/s400/mip%202.jpg"/></a></div>
<P>The controversial head of the Sirsa based Dera Sacha Sauda Sect, Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh, a double-rape and murder convict, has been granted a ‘three week furlough’, informs a print media report datelined Chandigarh. According to sources in public space, this convicted God man was granted some 12 leave of absence or furlough during the last 4 years. Clearly this God man is more free than in jail. He will be more than happy to be in jail, for obvious reasons, if the authorities release him periodically as per his whims and fancies. The question is why is the authority in Haryana bending backward to keep this God man turned convict in good humor?!</P>
<P>This head of Dera Sacha Sauda Sect is, for record, is currently serving a 20 years jail term for raping two of his disciples and a life sentence in a case of murder of a journalist. Besides he is also facing other criminal cases like castration of his disciples and sacrilege registered in Punjab. This is for public consumption and the accused culprit is not apparently worried since his periodic freedom is ensured by the who’s who in Haryana government.</P>
<P>Sirsa, is a town in the North West Haryana with a municipality, on the border with Rajasthan and Punjab. Thus it is touching three states of Haryana, Rajasthan and Punjab. Way back in 1948, an ashram was set up by a saint named Mastana Ji Maharaj on a barren piece of land on the Sirsa Bhadra Road. Over a period, it grew with thousands of devotees thronging the ashram. Reportedly, Dera Sacha Sauda is a socio-spiritual organization with over 65 million faithful followers all over the world. It has seen three holymen in charge of the aashram since its inception. The present head of ashram is Dr. Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh Ji Insan (GRRSI) since 1990. It is very clear from the name; the name comprises of Ram, the Hindu God, Rahim is Muslim, Gurmit Singh is Sikh. Add to these three parts there is ‘Insan’, which means human. Indeed a very strange combination.</P>
<P>Wikipedia informs that, “He is a religious leader, social worker, actor, singer, writer, song writer, director and composer.”
Places like aashrams with huge following of both men and women, is generally known to be exploiting vulnerable men and women. Many of them put-up with wrong doings to live another day but all may not. Thus this Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh was, one day, caught by the wrong foot. Wikipedia informs that this God man was convicted for two cases of rape leading to 10 years for each conviction. So its 20 years jail since 2017. Again in 2019, God man along with three others were convicted for the murder of journalist Ram Chander Chatrapathi. On October 2021, CBI court held the God man and found four others guilty for the murder of Ranjit Singh, a former manager of the ashram.</P>
<P>Thus this Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh is a convicted felon deserving no leniency. But this government of Haryana, led by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, has made a joke of the entire issue involving Gurmit RRS Insan by granting him series of leave of absence or furlough, over 12 times! The latest furlough is reportedly of some 3 weeks or 21 days. So, even if you take an average of 2 weeks per furlough, its 24 weeks out of jail in some 48 months.</P>
<P>Reportedly this God man unfortunately has political clout and therefore has the ability of influencing voters with his followers, in lakhs and crores. He was earlier friendly with Congress Party. But has apparently changed his affiliations when Narendra Modi, as the BJP candidate for Prime Minister-ship in 2014, praised this GRRSI, in his election campaign. No wonder, the Haryana government of BJP is bending backward to keep this man in good humor. This indeed is an unholy alliance. It must end in all fairness.</P>
<b>Erosion of Kejriwal’s credibility</b>
<P>Aam Aadmi Party or AAP when it arrived on the political landscape of India, it was like a breath of fresh air. Most of the educated class of India, disillusioned by the machination of other main stream political parties, looked up to the leadership of Arvind Kejriwal with lot of hope of change for better.</P><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7tB83VcFvs1CdfsgHETTVIWIJzHZ__TJyhwBQ3gyqqJjGTnRqxYj0oScvTd9tO7yRKLKwWqV4hi4VGkfFoapDR2C67ElTC1NiI7k5-0B0L2KuryVa5wWzXEQPUrGCR2E6q2XmryC0h_hjhEl7-D3QgpZw6bN8hJUBKvmmsajPiHJmw6P1DhrTmSi7PU8/s275/mip%203.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; clear: right; float: right;"><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7tB83VcFvs1CdfsgHETTVIWIJzHZ__TJyhwBQ3gyqqJjGTnRqxYj0oScvTd9tO7yRKLKwWqV4hi4VGkfFoapDR2C67ElTC1NiI7k5-0B0L2KuryVa5wWzXEQPUrGCR2E6q2XmryC0h_hjhEl7-D3QgpZw6bN8hJUBKvmmsajPiHJmw6P1DhrTmSi7PU8/s320/mip%203.jpg"/></a></div>
<P>It’s been more than 10 years, AAP tried to be an all India force to reckon with. While it is true that it has managed to have governments, both in Delhi and Punjab, it managed some presence in both Goa and Gujarat. Once AAP won Punjab assembly election and managed to win some seats in Gujarat and Goa, it naturally started to dream big.</P>
<P>Thus it took part in the recently held assembly elections to Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Mizoram. But expectedly drew a big blank, with huge number of them losing deposit.</P>
<P>So, what went wrong with the ‘blue eyed boy’ of Indian politics, Arvind Kejriwal, the Party Supremo and the Chief Minister of Delhi?
His downfall had started the day he decided to hold both the positions of party chief and the Chief Ministership of Delhi. ‘One individual-One post’ was his own creation in the party, but he was the first to break it. Removing of Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav from the party membership was the first blunder he committed. His theatrics of protests did neither win friends nor influence people. He resorted to appeasement politics which won him seats in the short run. But unlikely to stand-in-good-stead, in coming days.</P>
<p>While his initial initiatives of Mohalla Clinics and improved government school infrastructure in Delhi did give him lot of accolades, failure to maintain the tempo of change started to tell on the acceptability of AAP. Most of the educated class have deserted him but as usual he continues to present a brave facade.</P>
<P>His minister Satyendra Jain was the earliest to be taken into custody under PMLA, who has remained incarcerated since quite some time.
The scam of liquor license procedures and changes has, kind of, stuck like favicol. The defacto Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, the deputy CM of Delhi, is in prison with court continuously refusing to bail him out. Sanjay Singh, another senior leader and Member of Parliament too is in prison.</P><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvQLhoh7xNskVPzIzUprq6RCOktEIzEdxlq9xGybefm1xQmr7uPSlDrd5Isf79rVQ-4xCdLSloNhii7F93JbhzE5yqHjEEelgb0ZWtknNLtu-j1XBURLHGOrrotNbvwCsEUwwFrLN4RxUIj6rZfJ6qIto5-WPQ9Zd0FJTYSm8TU_NWd0QnhmkZNTdPink/s300/mip%204.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; clear: left; float: left;"><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvQLhoh7xNskVPzIzUprq6RCOktEIzEdxlq9xGybefm1xQmr7uPSlDrd5Isf79rVQ-4xCdLSloNhii7F93JbhzE5yqHjEEelgb0ZWtknNLtu-j1XBURLHGOrrotNbvwCsEUwwFrLN4RxUIj6rZfJ6qIto5-WPQ9Zd0FJTYSm8TU_NWd0QnhmkZNTdPink/s320/mip%204.jpg"/></a></div>
<P>It is suspected that both Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh have acted at the behest of the party Supremo and the CM, Arvind Kejriwal. No wonder the Enforcement Directorate (ED), the agency following the liquor license scandal, have asked the Chief Minister and Party Chief to present himself for questioning.</P>
<P>Believe it or not, the supposedly the most honest and cleanest politician of India had cold feet and just didn’t take the call. He not only defied the summons from the ED, he attempted to discredit the agency as “politically motivated”.</P>
<P>As an editorial of a national newspaper puts it “Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s recent actions have raised serious concerns about his commitment to the rule of law and transparency in government and is deeply troubling. As a public servant, he should have set an example by appearing before the ED and subjected himself to questioning, rather than avoiding it. If the Chief Minister believes that the notice issued to him is legally untenable, the proper course of action should have been to approach the courts and challenge it. Instead, he has chosen to disregard the summons, creating an unsettling precedent”.</P>
<P>The question arises: how long can Kejriwal continue to evade questioning? By avoiding the investigation, he not only damaged his own credibility, which anyway is in tatters, but also raises strong suspicion about his own involvement in the liquor policy scam, which allegedly involves substantial money trail of close to Rs 350 crores. Besides he has not been defending actions of his close deputies, who are in jail, which has eroded the trust in AAP government in public space.</P>
<P>Like a newspaper puts it, “In the interest of upholding principles of democracy and the rule of law, Kejriwal must reconsider his actions and so cooperate with ED’s investigation. Evading questioning only deepens the suspicion and erodes public trust. It is imperative for him to face these challenges head-on, respond to the allegations and provide a clear and compelling defense. Otherwise the shadow of doubt and mistrust that currently looms over him and his party will only continue to grow, leaving the people to wonder if something is indeed amiss in Delhi’s political landscape.”</P>
<p><b>West Bengal- Mahua Moitra</b></p>
<p>Member of Parliament (MP) anywhere in the world is generally governed by certain do’s and don’ts. They are expected to follow rules of the game and are found to be ethically beyond reprimand. But we are all privy to the knowledge that rules of conduct are there for all to follow but lot of these members of the hallowed legislative house are known to have compromised their position on many occasions. But it could be that, they have been discreet in their misdemeanor, if any.</p>
<p>Generally all of them manage to remain unscathed despite some liberties they all take, or at least most of them take. Some of them accept favors since it was offered formally, from some vested interest groups or individuals. It could be that these vested interest groups or individuals could be on the lookout for some governmental favors or something similar. Even to just maintain cordiality on occasions many business groups or corporate houses keep giving gifts as New Year compliments or Deepavali gifts etc. to those MPs. Never know, when one would need the help of these trustees of public faith, the parliamentarians. These practices are in vogue since long and in all places all over the world.
And comes along this Mahua Moitra, an investment banker by education and profession, who became an M.P with TMC ticket in 2019. She was disqualified and expelled from Loksabha on 8th Dec 2023 for “Cash for Query” corruption charges and for taking bribe. She is a graduate in economics and mathematics from Massachusetts, U.S.</p> <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz82OtvN6FjUGAAz-gu4QCNYNYCRd_bC9gfhsjrWwrMHbRky5PzgEiesCQcLQQrldl3KQZ-RVAvG9dGVzIuxMGNEgp-LnJUViaSTo-9ZpV_giwq4nAkgTIX2fEC9CGGQCkmAL6UkvbKjo9Zxv0mYcY7mKnU-qvTiawZNTBDJGXzrgrtep0QkhPp04-Il4/s299/mip%205.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; clear: right; float: right;"><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz82OtvN6FjUGAAz-gu4QCNYNYCRd_bC9gfhsjrWwrMHbRky5PzgEiesCQcLQQrldl3KQZ-RVAvG9dGVzIuxMGNEgp-LnJUViaSTo-9ZpV_giwq4nAkgTIX2fEC9CGGQCkmAL6UkvbKjo9Zxv0mYcY7mKnU-qvTiawZNTBDJGXzrgrtep0QkhPp04-Il4/s400/mip%205.jpg"/></a></div>
<p>As an MP, she has been vitriolic against the NDA/BJP government including Prime Minister Modi on anything and everything. She was allegedly used by Darshan Hiranandani, a Dubai based businessman, to raise questions on the floor of parliament on Gautam Adani and his Adani group. There appears to be a quid-pro-quo. She has reportedly accepted both cash and expensive gifts in exchange for asking uncomfortable questions on Adani targeting the government in general and Prime Minister Modi in particular.</p>
<p>It is alright to attack Treasury benches or even Prime Minister, with relevant information or even irrelevant material. But as a Parliamentarian, one should do such acts with clean hands. You ask questions which may be ill informed in the first place then getting caught with hands full of muck including breach of privileges like outsourcing parliamentary privileges by allowing her businessman friend access to her parliamentary computer portal. Clearly she is in politics for realizing her selfish ends, not to serve the nation.</p>
<p>No wonder, the Ethics Committee of the parliament with majority from ruling combine expelled her from the LokSabha membership for her alleged wrong doing. Reportedly she has been expelled without giving her a hearing which is as per parliamentary procedure. This has prima facie, given potent ammunition for the TMC and the opposition to cry hoarse in the market place.</p>
<p>While giving a marching order to the discredited MP may be principally tenable, politically it could prove costly and counterproductive. The government could have used the situation to simmer and work on it to expose the venality of the lady. But now it’s over. It’s likely that TMC and opposition parties shall try to tell Indians how dictatorial the present government is, using the expulsion issue.</p>
<p><b>Jammu & Kashmir: Article 370</b></p>
<p>So, the infamous, controversial, albatross round the neck of J&K, called Article 370 has been dumped into the proverbial dustbin of history.
The highest court of the land confirmed the abrogation of Article 370 by the Central government saying “it was always a temporary clause”. In its unanimous verdict, the five member constitution bench said “Article 370 read together with Article 1 leaves no manner of doubt that the integration of J&K as a part of the nation, which in itself is a union of states was complete. Any interpretation of Article 370 cannot postulate that the integration of J&K with India was temporary”.</p>
<p>Supreme Court was hearing a series of petitions challenging the scrapping of Article 370 by the Government of India.
It was on 5th August 2019, the Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced on the floor of the parliament, to the utter shock of some of our political parties, that the Union Government is revoking the constitutional provision of Article 370 which granted special status to Jammu & Kashmir. Both houses of parliament passed the resolution after a raucous debate. Congress, which was the party responsible of including the Article 370 in the constitution called the abrogation, ‘murder of democracy’, ‘catastrophic’ and ‘black day’ etc.</p>
<p>It was way back in 1949, upon the specific demand of Sheikh Abdullah Article 370 was included in the constitution. Except Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India, nobody supported it.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFN4hfHavE7VBInp-61XIf7jO3T6wxb-BXl3ktLV79c9TrJQjhNpVCqUMvln8Zy5OyLbPnyfrv9-hGVGRV5UNgswZy3Nl5Kgkkpnp1VwOxulWrOIlTHBBoSRmGGFmPHyek6jw0Eql6_OIO7y2td9Ex09b88yVm_2ESvCs2NK47pHI99F1DQq1O7d7L0l8/s696/mip%206.1.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; clear: left; float: left;"><img alt="" border="0" width="200" data-original-height="435" data-original-width="696" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFN4hfHavE7VBInp-61XIf7jO3T6wxb-BXl3ktLV79c9TrJQjhNpVCqUMvln8Zy5OyLbPnyfrv9-hGVGRV5UNgswZy3Nl5Kgkkpnp1VwOxulWrOIlTHBBoSRmGGFmPHyek6jw0Eql6_OIO7y2td9Ex09b88yVm_2ESvCs2NK47pHI99F1DQq1O7d7L0l8/s200/mip%206.1.jpg"/></a></div>
<p>Article 370 gave some special privileges to J&K; 1) Special powers exercised by J&K. 2) Dual citizenship – Indian & Kashmiri with separate passports. 3) Separate flag for J&K. 4) No reservation for Hindu, Sikh and Buddhist minorities. 5) RTI not applicable. 6) Duration for Legislative assembly – 6 years. 7) Indians from other states cannot buy land or property in J&K. 8) If a J&K woman marries an outsider she will lose J&K citizenship. 9) Panchayats had no rights. 10) RTE not applicable.</p>
<p>With the abrogation of Article 370 by the Union government all the above privileges were also scrapped. 1) No more special powers. 2) Single Indian citizenship and passport. 3) Only Indian tricolor will be the flag. 4) Minorities to have 16% reservation. 5) RTI will be applicable. 6) Duration of assembly will be 5 years like all other assemblies. 7) All Indians can buy land in J&K. 8) Since J&K citizenship is scrapped, no restrictions on women to marry outside J&K. 9) Panchayats in J&K would enjoy same rights like other panchayats. 10) RTE will be applicable.
Thus, the exclusive character of the state of Jammu & Kashmir will be a thing of the past. In fact it will not remain a state, it will be a Union Territory with Ladakh area being given a separate status as another Union Territory.</p>
<p>The special privelage of Article 370 did not give any economic benefit to the state by way of investors for setting up industries, which could have had multiple effect on the overall growth of the state. Now that the state is open for acquiring land, Indians from across the country will be visiting the state for their future industrial and business plans, including a second home in the Panun Kashmir.</p>
<p>This development with the intervention of the apex court augers well for the state, its people and the entire country. However, how some of the media houses have reacted is interesting for its own sake. While Free Press Journal had a straight forward headline “REST IN PEACE (R.I.P) ARTICLE 370”, the widely circulated Times of India titled the historic judgment of the Supreme Court as “SC upholds the Modi govt’s call to scrap J&K special status”, clearly displaying its jaundiced vision.</p>
<b><p>Maharashtra: Corporate Social Responsibilities</p></b>
<p>Contributions or donations by corporate houses under CSR is an ongoing activity in the country. These business houses, both as Tax Planning as well as some concern for social commitments, do take an interest in reaching out to society as large with their altruistic reach-out initiatives. It is a process of giving back to society, from where all of us draw our resources. These contributions do help us to improve the life of society in general and of those ‘have-nots’ in particular.</p>
<p>Reportedly, a multi-national conglomerate is looking to adopt some 5000 government run schools in the state of Maharashtra, informs the State Minister of Education. Report tells about adopting one school in each cluster. A cluster consists of some 8 to 10 schools.
Maharashtra government had introduced a scheme to let philanthropists and business houses to adopt a government school for a period of 5 to 10 years by pledging to spend anywhere between Rs 50 lakhs and Rs 3 crores. Under the scheme the business houses can associate their names to further their business interest by way of publicity etc.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxJrAsojOkesJRPMPenpLhuBrZBICGfJJm2nCwqxUxFVkG_hd6Q3gZM3f8Y6jOFbF513Tb8kVuidZqlPIxxdN7Ipo-rUHoLSHG6rZMdHmOW0KK77KKHWLSJCWw_B5cu4_-Yct5brKhTlFb7t1ODPyn8vXm4chbAwfVQERVYdGWu8LfOFfx9RbCXH2-thQ/s225/mip%207.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxJrAsojOkesJRPMPenpLhuBrZBICGfJJm2nCwqxUxFVkG_hd6Q3gZM3f8Y6jOFbF513Tb8kVuidZqlPIxxdN7Ipo-rUHoLSHG6rZMdHmOW0KK77KKHWLSJCWw_B5cu4_-Yct5brKhTlFb7t1ODPyn8vXm4chbAwfVQERVYdGWu8LfOFfx9RbCXH2-thQ/s400/mip%207.png"/></a></div>
<p>However, these corporate houses will have no other role in the running of the school, the scheme stipulates.
While these reach-out initiatives by the trade and industry houses, so also individual donors is a welcome development, they should be given some space within the institutional set-up, so as to monitor the progress or otherwise due to their financial or material assistance. So that they are in a position to feel satisfied or otherwise due to their involvement. Such scope or such freedom offered to these organizations will spur them to do more. This can have multiplier effect.</p>
<p>These donations or contributions are not in cash but in services and provision of educational tools like computers, desks and benches, educational aids etc., which in the end will only enhance the quality of learning by students of these schools. No doubt that these supports and assistance will help, but one very important aspect of school education is the quality of teaching. Its important to have committed and knowledgeable teachers who are passionate about teaching, who enjoy teaching. As we all know there are for kinds of teachers. We have only informers, who only informs you. Then you have those who explain. Then you have those who demonstrate and the last is those who inspire. It’s the last one that truly serve the purpose of school education. But we all know that its always the mix of the above 4 categories that make the teaching fraternity. These corporate houses should make available their resources and expertise in making the quality of education better by promoting quality teaching skills by employing committed qualified staff, something none of our governments have thought about.</p>
<p>Critics of the scheme tell that the scheme has provided the State government an escape route from the governmental responsibility to provide quality education, which is true to a large extent. After all taxes are collected to serve the society. We all know that independent India has not been spending enough resources for both education and health which is truly the sine-quo-non for any country to get into a DEVELOPED category.
Be that as it may, the initiatives by trade and industry is certainly a better way for its surplus resources to be deployed in furthering progress of country’s human resources. Hope they remain a permanent source of support, where governmental support is lacking.</p>
ISSUES AND CONCERNShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17698815830925167776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2789748706304687420.post-31713403865690753482023-12-02T13:05:00.002+05:302023-12-02T13:36:41.346+05:30FOCUS - DECEMBER 2023<h1><b>Nobel Laureate Narges Mohammedi & Global failure at Iran’s Lethal arrogance </b></h1>
<p>7th October 2023, was another red letter day for women power. On that day, the Nobel Committee at Oslo, Norway announced the award of Nobel Peace Prize to Narges Mohammedi. Reportedly, the Nobel Committee recognized Narges Mohammedi, an Iranian by birth, for her “fight against the oppression of women in Iran and her fight to promote human rights and freedom for all”. According to media report datelined Tehran, “the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran condemned the decision to award Mohammedi, a criminal”.</p> <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjya5IZ_WeuRRMBqyG6wvtL4kbJV-LGIdCQGMJ7nI0HE8seeJFT6GvcrVsFhed3JkyrHN0S6MTIRwnCMuW-UjySf-O3gOyYm7fCIjsQ4Q1iRKCqbkzBLAo-CBstAr_nACgdEaEsSLShRmicf5UDOs2ey_K0i2Zh-ZCh4LgU1UbShkoRd4I48rXRRk5i7uY/s266/focus%201.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; clear: left; float: left;"><img alt="" border="0" width="200" data-original-height="189" data-original-width="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjya5IZ_WeuRRMBqyG6wvtL4kbJV-LGIdCQGMJ7nI0HE8seeJFT6GvcrVsFhed3JkyrHN0S6MTIRwnCMuW-UjySf-O3gOyYm7fCIjsQ4Q1iRKCqbkzBLAo-CBstAr_nACgdEaEsSLShRmicf5UDOs2ey_K0i2Zh-ZCh4LgU1UbShkoRd4I48rXRRk5i7uY/s200/focus%201.jpg"/></a></div>
<P>But print media informs that “Iran has arrested 50 years old Narges Mohammedi 13 times, convicted her 5 times and sentenced her to a total of 31 years in prison and 154 lashes”. Above sentence of some 25 words has described the enormity of the oppression Narges had to endure and continue to endive in Iran. While the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced its decision to award the Peace Prize to Narges, she was in prison and confirmed to be there incarcerated into the foreseeable future. Media informs that Narges is currently serving a 10 year jail term in Evin Prison in Tehran.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYXyTB8vKbnyYc1LMcn_Ni69ZPnrjBeeu5o30nJYn3Iazt4JqJPC7n9k1UPxnxg6GEmlTtdqJ9_fj1fgGzZfWJYONt6bkX_76qH9A_uLx28CjpOaAGE5dOxpeC_L-gUb7qXIEGIArdCH_3YhnRArGM_ZU9QvbTFRnx4W9VqgKDz2vf2YWrkjXcKgH32DQ/s261/focus%202.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; clear: right; float: right;"><img alt="" border="0" width="200" data-original-height="193" data-original-width="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYXyTB8vKbnyYc1LMcn_Ni69ZPnrjBeeu5o30nJYn3Iazt4JqJPC7n9k1UPxnxg6GEmlTtdqJ9_fj1fgGzZfWJYONt6bkX_76qH9A_uLx28CjpOaAGE5dOxpeC_L-gUb7qXIEGIArdCH_3YhnRArGM_ZU9QvbTFRnx4W9VqgKDz2vf2YWrkjXcKgH32DQ/s200/focus%202.jpg"/></a></div>
Born on 21st April 1972 in Zanjan in Northern Iran, she is a graduate in physics from Qazoin International University. During her University days, she has been active in support of women’s rights and was arrested twice for being part of a student group. Despite her qualification in physics, she took particular interest in writing to reformist newspapers as a journalist. She published a book of political essays titled “The Reforms, the Strategy and the Tactics”. In 2003 she joined hands with Shirin Ebadi in her organization, Defenders of Human Rights Center. Shirin Ebadi too was awarded Nobel Peace Prize in 2003.</P>
<P/>Narges had married Taghi Rehmani,<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisMCAUn5osxzEEINNXpoybBF3xf6bLKpL6x6BtZfMADWudmBC15zl10jSyQuOSjcM0TCDRvPd2g2d2zJ-imdKKw_8txjdWhQ4N2aMdngofSvbYHaVLg6dgOYeDgVACrJY28yP5HXwJfqPYUze9fsdWhftssLCtf30RrSJeve_jhcgcJ_0GAHFh_eEWkyg/s801/focus%204.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; clear: left; float: left;"><img alt="" border="0" width="200" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="801" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisMCAUn5osxzEEINNXpoybBF3xf6bLKpL6x6BtZfMADWudmBC15zl10jSyQuOSjcM0TCDRvPd2g2d2zJ-imdKKw_8txjdWhQ4N2aMdngofSvbYHaVLg6dgOYeDgVACrJY28yP5HXwJfqPYUze9fsdWhftssLCtf30RrSJeve_jhcgcJ_0GAHFh_eEWkyg/s200/focus%204.jpg"/></a></div> a fellow activist in 1999, who left Iran for good, after serving 14 years in jail. He moved to France in 2012 along with their 2 children. But unlike Rehmani, Narges continued to stay in Iran and fight for the rights of women.
It was in 1998, Narges was arrested for criticizing the Iranian government and spent an year in prison. In 2010 she was summoned by the Islamic Revolutionary Court, which found her guilty of acting against the national security and propagating against the government. In 2011, September, she was sentenced to 11 years of imprisonment which appeal court reduced to 6 years. However, her sentence started in April 26, 2012. Although Narges was only involved in human rights activities, court accused her of “attempts to topple the regime”.</p>
<p>While terming the sentence “attempts to silence brave human rights defenders”,British Foreign office officially protested the incarceration of Narges. Amnesty International termed her a “prisoner of conscience” and called for her immediate release. In July 2012, an international group of law makers from U.S., Canada, U.K, Australia, Italy and Lithuania, called for her release. On 31st July Narges was released from prison.
Here what the world needs to recognize is, the courage and the indomitable spirit in her approach to the whole issue of human rights in general and feminine rights in particular. She never buckled even under excruciating pressure, despite her husband going into exile in France, leaving Iran for good. She is certainly a very rare example of courage in an atmosphere of physical torture by Iranian police under instruction from political leadership. By any stretch of imagination she is a model heroin for the beleaguered women folk anywhere in the world especially in the Islamic countries.</p>
<p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIJ5l1OLmgqqaPgpfYhnSzc80_vXx8zwjDdfnuixPBf77oOanBzxh6LZyS6uIuioy7T7l95c5VQaSFuJIc2dLkBj_jIrHd1TxUUV3SCPTuBTM99AbPlyrunkGTns_yit5JP2O6E5wVG4gfnRarS-W9r86jw1jkdiJMwIazYNQ9L5DGSPnW-o42cY5P9tM/s360/focus%205.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; clear: right; float: right;"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIJ5l1OLmgqqaPgpfYhnSzc80_vXx8zwjDdfnuixPBf77oOanBzxh6LZyS6uIuioy7T7l95c5VQaSFuJIc2dLkBj_jIrHd1TxUUV3SCPTuBTM99AbPlyrunkGTns_yit5JP2O6E5wVG4gfnRarS-W9r86jw1jkdiJMwIazYNQ9L5DGSPnW-o42cY5P9tM/s200/focus%205.jpg"/></a></div>Seyyed Sattar Baheshti was an Iranian blogger. He was arrested by Iranian Cyber police for criticizing the Government of Iran on Facebook in November 2012. Soon thereafter he was found dead in police custody after he made a signed complaint of being tortured while in custody. His death drew condemnation across nations. Iranian authorities acted under international pressure to dismiss the commander of cybercrime police unit.
On 31st October 2014, Narges remarked while speaking at the gravesite of Sattar Baheshti, “How is it that Parliament members are suggesting a ‘Plan for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice’, when nobody spoke up 2 years ago when an innocent Sattar Basheshti died under torture in the hands of his interrogator?”. The video of this speech having gone viral, Evin Prison Court summoned her.</p>
<p>On May 5 2015, Narges was again arrested and the Revolutionary Court sentenced her to 10 years on a new charge “campaign for abolition of Death Penalty” under her newly formed Legam group, 5 years for “assembly and collusion against national security”, 1 year for “propaganda against the system”. So, it was 16 years of imprisonment for some vague charges of being against the country and government. A frail woman of 43 years only, demanding human rights to fellow Iranians is a ‘threat’ to a big nation of some 9 crore people like Iran, is unthinkable, that they jail her year after year!<p/>
<p>Something is seriously wrong with this nation, controlled by Ayatollah and his cronies. In October 2020, Narges was released due to covid-19 infection.<p/>
<p>In March 2021, Narges wrote the foreword to the Annual Report on the death penalty in Iran. Describing the Human Rights situation in Iran.“The execution of people, like Navid Afkari and Ruhollah Zam in the past year, have been most ambiguous. Death Penalty for Ahmedrays Djalali is one of the most erroneous sentences. These people have been sentenced to death after being held in solitary confinement and were subjected to horrific psychological and mental torture, that is why I do not consider the judicial process in Iran to be fair or just; I see keeping defendants in solitary confinement, forcing them to make untrue and false confessions that are used as key evidence in issuing these sentences. I fear that in Iran we will be facing another wave of executions over the coming year”. She wrote.</p>
<p>It resulted in her being arrested in November 2021 and sentenced again for 2 1/2 years in prison and 80 lashes, for allegedly “Spreading propaganda against the system”. While being in prison, she gave a report to BBC detailing the sexual and physical abuse of detained women including the list of 58 prisoners who have gone through the interrogation process and torture they have gone through stating that these women spent 8350 days in solitary confinement. In the report she mentioned that ‘solitary confinement is cruel and inhumane punishment, I will not rest until it is abolished!’</p>
<p>Clearly Narges Mohammedi is the conscience keeper of Iran. Her being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize has only confirmed her war against the system in Ayotallah’s Iran.</p>
<p>As for Iran, the country has been in the news for all wrong reasons. In recent days it’s been rather gone from bad to worse.</p>
<p><i><b>On October 23, the print media carried two news reports datelined Dubai. “Iranian teen confronted on metro for not wearing hijab, brain dead”, was one report. “2 women journalists get long jail terms for Mahsa Amini coverage”, was another.</p>
<p>Armita Gervand, a 16 year old Iranian girl was travelling on October 1, without hijab, in the metro in Tehran. The Iranian Morality police enforcing mandatory Islamic dress code confronted her and probably immediately detained her. Reportedly she was hospitalized after she fell into coma and is allegedly brain dead. Any rational human can imagine in what way the police must have tortured her to become a ‘vegetable’ – coma and then brain dead. How could any civil society do such barbaric treatment of a girl for the mere reason of ‘not wearing hijab’.</p>
<p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG3t-e6qiEmlfLM0PE4O7WHmBz4rZ0j3U1JEG2N6qpwqqfShNYGdaJbG8CpzN3yD7jSRxs6pErdkNJSX-sGSE8Ua6qiM_XN-m2TLn0pmcth9bDoxVB9qGrtOCSNOJk24-4oZtQ9-80rLDMCGuZuK6gvvYL4h1pdJ07auF_cR3sn8d3Z08wNjtt0ThtdGw/s270/focus%206.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; clear: left; float: left;"><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="187" data-original-width="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG3t-e6qiEmlfLM0PE4O7WHmBz4rZ0j3U1JEG2N6qpwqqfShNYGdaJbG8CpzN3yD7jSRxs6pErdkNJSX-sGSE8Ua6qiM_XN-m2TLn0pmcth9bDoxVB9qGrtOCSNOJk24-4oZtQ9-80rLDMCGuZuK6gvvYL4h1pdJ07auF_cR3sn8d3Z08wNjtt0ThtdGw/s320/focus%206.jpg"/></a></div>Mahsa Amini, also known as Jina Amini, a 23 year old woman of Kurdish Iranian origin was similarly beaten to death in September 2022, for not wearing hijab. She died in police custody on 22nd September 2022. And she is not alone, there have been innumerable instance of police barbarity in Iran, which does not reach media.</p>
<p>The barbaric treatment of police in Iran is such that as one of the above report tells, for just reporting the incident involving Mahsa Amini and police brutuality, Nilofer Hamedi and Elaheh Mohammedi were sentenced 13 years and 12 years respectively in prison, for acting ostensibly against national security.</p>
<p>A Dubai datelined report tells “Hijab metro death: Lawyer who went to funeral arrested”. Nasrin Sotaridin a leading Human Rights lawyer was arrested after she attended the funeral of Armita Gervand. Reportedly there were multiple arrests at the funeral of 16 year old Armita. All were detained and arrested for allegedly not wearing hijab. Earlier Nassrin had called the death of Armita as “another state murder”.</P>
<p>Isn’t this crazy! Except some protest by Amnesty International nothing happens. Where is United Nations! Where is international community! How can anybody help this helpless women of Iran</i>?!</p> </b>
<p>Nearer home, there was this editorial in THE INDIAN EXPRESS titled “WOMEN SHOULD HAVE THE RIGHT TO CHOOSE WHAT THEY WEAR”. It was generally commenting on the boldness of a Malyalee woman V.P. SUHRA, an activist fighting for Muslim Women’s rights. She has always been at the forefront fighting for women’s freedom. She recently removed her headscarf in public to protest against a Muslim religious leader’s disparaging remark on women, who opt not to wear the headscarf.</p>
<p>Umar Faizi Mukkam, a leader of Samastha Kerala Jem-Iyyathul Ulema, a group of Sunni scholars in the state, had reportedly remarked in an interview that women who want to do away with the hijab are those who prefer a “wayward and immoral life”. Suhra had said that her act of rebellion publicly proved that her integrity remained the same with or without the scarf. But in her state of Kerala, the ruling CPM is playing to the gallery by molly-cuddling the Indian Union Muslim League by not supporting Suhra, who is the head of NISA, a forum of progressive Muslim women. People like Suhra and her group should be encouraged and supported especially, in the context of anti-hijab protest in Iran, after many young girls died in police custody arrested for not wearing hijab. Hundreds of women had stormed the streets of Iran, cutting their hair and removing their hijab in public. “What a woman decides to wear has to be her choice alone, nobody should be allowed to meddle with it. It is time religious scholars and politicians accepted this right of women” mentioned the TIE editorial. Hope it prevails.</p>
ISSUES AND CONCERNShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17698815830925167776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2789748706304687420.post-67679146352395579742023-11-30T14:43:00.005+05:302023-12-02T12:33:07.306+05:30MIP - December 2023<p><b>Maharashtra: <b>Crime is a Crime</b></b>
Last month we had carried a story “Be it 2007 or 2003 Rs 100 bribe is trivial”. It was based on a report from Bombay High Court.
Way back in 2007, 20th Feb 2007 to be specific, one Laxman Pingle had lodged a complaint with Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), who had laid a trap and caught Dr Anil Shinde for having accepted <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhchyphenhyphenTqZOr3BijT7Vcq0AcaQQ_G2YEgH-6duGkB4sEgJ0coXw3XCHl6-lyiGpi9Mtng7R_L5C4Xkgi_4DBocYsYx-YIxhdYih4JRzSkFJU6vn-VgIRfpGT0Xo2tTh7bC_ZYeWbMeFbADW1FlJzRlI1zXtNod-euuI2K8VZH2qN-jO_AW72X8F5Lul-RNRY/s300/MIP%201.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; clear: left; float: left;"><img alt="" border="0" width="200" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhchyphenhyphenTqZOr3BijT7Vcq0AcaQQ_G2YEgH-6duGkB4sEgJ0coXw3XCHl6-lyiGpi9Mtng7R_L5C4Xkgi_4DBocYsYx-YIxhdYih4JRzSkFJU6vn-VgIRfpGT0Xo2tTh7bC_ZYeWbMeFbADW1FlJzRlI1zXtNod-euuI2K8VZH2qN-jO_AW72X8F5Lul-RNRY/s200/MIP%201.jpg"/></a></div>Rs 100 as bribe. Paud in Pune district of Maharashtra had a Public Health Centre (PHC) where Dr. Anil Shinde was the medical officer, since 1995. He had treated the complainant Laxman Pingle for some injuries. Pingle had asked for a certificate, probably to submit to his employers, certifying his injuries. For issuing the certificate, Dr. Shinde allegedly demanded Rs 100. It was in 2007, as is clear from the above details. May be in 2023, after 16 years doctor would have demanded Rs 500 or more, as bribe.
Since the matter was within the purview of ACB, it was referred to the special judge under ACB. Reportedly on Jan 31, 2012, after almost 5 years the special judge of ACB court had acquitted Shinde of all charges. Not known whether doctor bribed the special judge as well to get a favorable judgment.
According to the report, section 20(3) of the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA) states that if the alleged bribe of gratification is trivial, no inference of corruption may be drawn and the court may refuse to presume that the accused is corrupt. Now this is clearly untenable, since crime is a crime.
The Special Judge of ACB court, probably relied on this section 20(3) of PCA and dismissed the complaint and acquitted Dr. Anil Shinde. But state being state, it challenged the acquittal and approached Bombay High Court (BHC). After-all state has to set a standard of no corruption, neither big nor small. Justice Jitendra Jain at BHC having gone into the details and the acquittal observation of the ACB Special judge upheld the acquittal observing that Rs 100 seems to be small as a bribe even for 2007, let alone for 2023. According to Justice Jain it was a fit case to be treated as a trivial matter and dismissed the state government’s petition challenging the special judge’s acquittal.
However here the issue is ethics of a government servant. It’s not the size of the bribe amount, but the bribe itself which should have been questioned. How can a patient respect a government doctor who demands bribe for doing his expected job! What if the patient couldn’t have paid or had refused to pay? Could he refuse to give certificate?
In Kannada, there is a saying in vogue, ADIKE Kaddaroo Kalla AANEY Kaddaroo Kalla, which literally means, whether one steals a small item like betel or one steals huge object like an elephant, the act is stealing and therefore the person stealing is a thief, period. This principle should be the basis of treating all matters relating to corruption. There should be ZERO TOLERANCE OF CORRUPTION in the system and no compromise on treating the crime. The only concession can be in the quantum of punishment. In this case, the Dr. Anil Shinde, if the accusation was proved, should have been fined Rs 500 and closed the case. Because, it’s the message that matters, that ‘crime does not go unpunished’ should be the dictum. Judges, do you hearken!</p>
<p><b>Karnataka: - Ungrateful Children</b>
Daughters are generally known to be closure to their father. But here is a daughter, who not only badly treated her father and mother, even physically assaulted her parents, despite having received landed property and cash from her father as gift.
Karnataka High Court reportedly came down heavily on the daughter and her husband for the ill treatment of aged parents. KHC dismissed their petition challenging the lower courts verdict of cancelling the gift deed.
A Bengalooru datelined report tells “Father complained: daughter was forcing him to sell property”, said it all.
According to the report, father Rajashekaraiah had through a gift deed dated Sept 30, 2018 had given the property to his daughter Kavitha. He later filed a petition before the Assistant Commissioner (AC) under the provisions of Maintenance & Welfare of Parents & Senior Citizens Act 2007. He had contended therein that his daughter and son-in-law had taken him to tahasildar’s office on the pretext of formalizing old age pension .When it appeared that they were asking him to sign some sale agreement for the sale of property. Report however is silent on this. Besides, he also claimed that he gave his daughter Rs 10 lakhs for the construction of a house on the property, and now they are forcing him to sign the paper for the sale of property, informs the report.
AC noted on 24th Feb 2021, that the terms of the gift deed had a clause wherein daughter had to look after her parents, while observing that the young couple had assaulted Rajashekaraiah and drove the old couple out of home. Under the circumstances he thought it fit to cancel the gift deed.
The young couple – Kavitha and Yogish - went to high court challenging the cancellation of the gift deed. However, the judges of the Karnataka High Court were not amused.
In the meantime Rajashekaraiah passed away. The KHC refused to interfere with the order of AC and admonished the young couple that they were legally wrong so also culturally wrong in treating their parents badly.
It is hoped that now that the young couple is at the mercy of their elder mother/mother-in-law, they will behave.</p>
<p><b>Maharashtra: Freedom of Expression</b>
The issue of freedom of expression is increasingly coming under focus.
‘Responsible exercise is the price of freedom’, we are told since our school days. It’s the same principle all over. In the name of freedom expression we cannot take liberty with societal emotions.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzBrmtvtw4fwUm2qW4KbkFzwwvgt2ACFlRGNX8iShmvBFGlTc97v4M_UBH9ujRkxmWSdwCu60EsfrFl3Ktcr5KbpHNgyP2Gm-UE1H68idiHNQh4P4lj_ZPONsZkbpDcP0N9YEgq2o-xkyulDiGr-6A4H1BHfTuNGug_-C8-wFlq_-Z_cylRTdqTDHvjTc/s1280/MIP%202.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzBrmtvtw4fwUm2qW4KbkFzwwvgt2ACFlRGNX8iShmvBFGlTc97v4M_UBH9ujRkxmWSdwCu60EsfrFl3Ktcr5KbpHNgyP2Gm-UE1H68idiHNQh4P4lj_ZPONsZkbpDcP0N9YEgq2o-xkyulDiGr-6A4H1BHfTuNGug_-C8-wFlq_-Z_cylRTdqTDHvjTc/s320/MIP%202.jpg"/></a></div>
According to media report a feature film in Hindi, “1080 – The Legacy of Mahaveer” was scheduled for release in the end of this October. However due to the opposition by a section of Jains, the release has been delayed. Mahaveera is the presiding deity of Jains.
Reportedly Jains in Mumbai have approached Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission (MSHRC) so also a group called on officials of ministry of Information & Broadcasting in New Delhi. According to sources within the community, the Minister of Information & Broadcasting has promised that ‘no release will take place without first screening and review by members of the community’. The community is also trying to get the film banned for online screening under cyber laws.
Here the question is, whether a celluloid feature film or even a documentary film on a faith, is it right for any film producer to produce? These productions or film creations are meant for public viewing. You are displaying characters and making statement and depicting happenings etc., from materials sourced from outsiders, who may know the truth in parts, not in its entirety. Again it’s not clear how biased or loaded with incomplete truth. So it’s very dicey to get into this very disturbing scenario. Best is not to touch. But in the name of freedom, you do not get unbridled right. If the Jain community has been hurt by the portrayal of their chosen deity, Mahaveer, they have all the rights to cry hoarse! Government must play its responsible role in ensuring that the community’s feelings are respected. If there are issues within the faith, it must be left to the members of the community to get together and thrash it out, without any dirty linen washed in public.
Hope luminaries like CJI Chandrachud understands his dimension. He had allowed falls stories by journalists to peddle in the name of freedom of speech.</p>
<p><b>Karnataka: 70 Hrs. & NRNM</b>
Nagavara Ramarao Narayana Murthy or NRNarayana Murthy, whenever makes a statement, it’s always thoughtful and meaningful.
He is a self-made man along with his initial partners in Infosys venture like Nilekany, Gopalkrishna, Shibulal and three others. Having started in 1981, as consulting firm and converted as Limited company that went public in 1992. Started with an initial investment of Rs: 10,000, today it has a market capitalization of over US $ 100 billion, with some 350,000 employees. All these because he worked round the clock to realize his dream. Surely he had his breaks when needed. He is 78 running hale and hearty with family of four, including wife and 2 children. All our youth need to know and remember that he was listed among the 12 greatest entrepreneurs of our time by the Fortune magazine, besides co-chairing World Economic Forum, in Davos, Switzerland in 2005. <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghhn6BzQsh1yskuhMA8_n-mpBK1BTiVlp0XykSqRFNPlSDfiljlmLKITiIb3us-13S42vZmHKW-KuHZZ25t5bwpm_MAh4y_xFcTRObzCWFRv9-IZmGxY1_K0osyEw5Y0KLbKdDaikWFIUXaYIVd0kDVn6-s_Nz5F1gAwpABLiWmUkEI-5xSD2sGhLH54I/s300/MIP%206.1.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghhn6BzQsh1yskuhMA8_n-mpBK1BTiVlp0XykSqRFNPlSDfiljlmLKITiIb3us-13S42vZmHKW-KuHZZ25t5bwpm_MAh4y_xFcTRObzCWFRv9-IZmGxY1_K0osyEw5Y0KLbKdDaikWFIUXaYIVd0kDVn6-s_Nz5F1gAwpABLiWmUkEI-5xSD2sGhLH54I/s320/MIP%206.1.jpg"/></a></div>
So it’s no wonder he has advised the workforce of the country, especially the youth, to have a ‘70 hours a week work schedule’.
We are a country with more awareness on rights rather than duties in recent times. But we are also a country with wise sayings in Kannada like, ‘Udyogavey Purusha Laxana’, which means ‘being a bit of workaholic is the feature of man’. Then you have ‘Kaayakavey Kailasa’, which is analogous to ‘Work is Worship’. Then you have ‘Kai Kesaraadarey baayi Mosaru’, which literally means, ‘if you soil your hands with muck you will earn butter’. All these sayings are gleanings from great minds of yester years. They glorify working and working hard.
Look at the history of our contemporary heroes in the industry and commerce. Narayana Murthy is but an effervescent example of such men. Dhirubhai Ambani was a legend in his own lifetime. He never worked for 9 to 6 regimen. He created the biggest industrial empire of India, the Reliance Industries Ltd. And he is not alone, there are many who have become billionaires in $ terms by working without looking at the clock.
There have been all kinds of reactions and observations both in media as well as social media groups. At the outset the way one needs to view the issue should be in spirit rather than letter. Lot of people took the view, it enriches only the owner or the employer not the employee. Some people said about work-life balance. Some spoke about stress among employees. Some said about female employees will suffer mostly because of this, since they have other responsibilities at home etc.
All the points raised by those who opposed the 70 hour a week regimen are relevant, no doubt. It was mostly strait-jacket approach. It’s always possible to work for not just 70 hours, it’s possible to work for 90 hours a week. We can still balance life and work with 90 hours a week work schedule. It has to be flexible. There can be different models, depending upon the job and situation of each individual. After all we all have the same 24 hours every day, none more or none less. We have innumerable stories of individual success. How have they managed the time for better productivity for both the self and the employer! After all NRN Murthy is a standing example of exemplary success. What he says matters!
How it can be worked out, for the good of all, is what needs to be thought of, period.</p>
<p><b>World: An American joke on Manmohan Singh</b>
One Shankar Raj, apparently an Indian journalist based in Washington writes a piece “US author praised Dr Manmohan Singh”. A Mumbai based newspaper published this story on 1st Nov 2023, in its daily.
This Shankar Raj highlights the piece within a red bordered box: REMARKABLE ACT OF RESTRAINT.
At the outset, with whatever knowledge the undersigned is having it can be emphatically dismissed as a poor understanding of the reality of the situation, both politically and diplomatically. Both the American author Thomas Friedman and this writer Shankar Raj suffer from some fixated syndrome, to say the least.
First will take up the happening of 26/11 terror attack in Mumbai. Apparently, this American author wrote his op-ed piece on the Israel-Hamas war in The New York Times. He writes therein “After the October 7 attack by Hamas, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could have learned something from India’s response to the 26/11 attack (on Mumbai) as the then Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh chose not to retaliate militarily”.
This Thomas Friedman, the celebrated American author, ought to have known that the then Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh, was never free to act without the clearance of the authority above him. All Indians are aware who the Supremo was during 2008 in the then government of UPA or the United Progressive Alliance.
Recapitulating the 26/11/2008 Mumbai terror attack, it can be recollected that 10 Pakistani terrorists had sneaked into the elite Colaba area of Mumbai equipped with AK47. During the 72 hours that followed, 173 were killed which included 9 Pakistani terrorists. Ajmal Kasab, the lone Pakistani terrorist was caught alive by the heroics of ASI Tukaram Ombale. Referring to the horrible events of 26/28/Nov. 2008, the then Director General of Police Maharashtra Rakesh Maria writes in his book ‘LET ME SAY IT NOW’, and I quote, “If all had gone well, he (Kasab) would have been dead with a red string tied around his wrist like a Hindu. We would have an identity card on his person with a fictitious name : Samir Dinesh Chaudhary, student of Arunodaya Degree and PG College, Vadre Complex, Dilkush Nagar Hyderabad – 500 060, resident of 254 Teachers Colony, Nagarbhavi, Bengalooru. There could have been screaming headlines in newspapers claiming how Hindu terrorists had attacked Mumbai, instead of Ajmal Amir Kasab of Faridkot and his gang from Pakistan”. Page 436/437”, unquote.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbjOi13PH06UwwSA8zTxWWmBaGBXXc2IuQBArb7yNGFHFScFCdmws9skG8bdGWNIzSlG4md-zvizPZ_-HN-xnqqKq4HyLb88xAeNf9PRi_Sry0ifcrXLXq3WeLcx8CzAQ6Z3Kc5Yxz1ujMVpQdN11TJ6PQO_BfrasmXK2IYL9k5-dA3vfKdMCqWPFZMBU/s559/mip%205.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; clear: left; float: left;"><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="392" data-original-width="559" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbjOi13PH06UwwSA8zTxWWmBaGBXXc2IuQBArb7yNGFHFScFCdmws9skG8bdGWNIzSlG4md-zvizPZ_-HN-xnqqKq4HyLb88xAeNf9PRi_Sry0ifcrXLXq3WeLcx8CzAQ6Z3Kc5Yxz1ujMVpQdN11TJ6PQO_BfrasmXK2IYL9k5-dA3vfKdMCqWPFZMBU/s400/mip%205.jpg"/></a></div>
How many in the Indian press pursued this very serious observation by the then DGP of Maharashtra, and questioned him?
Then there is another book by RVS Mani, a former Joint Secretary of Ministry of Home affairs. RVSM published a book ‘THE MYTH OF HINDU TERROR – INSIDER ACCOUNT OF MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS’.
RVS Mani, without mincing words clearly accuses complicity of the then Home Minister Shivraj Patil in the 26/11/2008 terror attack in Mumbai with active participation by former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijay Singh and a Maharashtra cadre IPS officer Hemant Karkare. They were probably working under some instruction from some senior authority to somehow blame the entire Mumbai terror attack on some Hindu outfits. Thought probably was to blame BJP, which was growing rapidly around that time. Under the circumstances, how can a remote controlled Prime Minister could have taken the lead or acted independently in responding to Pakistan militarily?
How many authors or journalists either American or Indian have tried to dig into it, to know the truth and truth alone!?
Now for Friedman to indicate that Manmohan Singh could have been a lesson in political management during a serious crisis as a terror attack, is a joke and for Shankar Raj to pick it up and then this Mumbai daily to publish it is a bigger joke.</p>
<p><b>Karnataka: Teacher training in India</b>
There was lot of commotion both in print media as well as in social media when NR Narayana Murthy exhorted the youth of India to go for 70 hours work week. It was by any stretch of logic, a very sensible call by the IT Czar.
But what most ignored or felt, it’s nothing to do with them, was his clarion call to the national funds managers or the central government that “India must spend $ 1 billion per year on training teachers in STEM”. A report datelined Bengalooru had carried the above story.
He was addressing the INFOSYS SCIENCE FOUNDATION while announcing the names of winners of INFOSYS PRIZE. He was generally commenting on the lack of seriousness in promoting teaching skills in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqu3s9SF7IVcTvPtSRXK2OtAtutoC_wOQKixNx0gRexN2_Zh2GYv98eYfMxvtnZJSeVokVlLZb5MCai7f-Zy6Mp-YakqI1KhFIJrKY6XfpqfMrIf1AocG6R0xGQs75rZz1uGmh5hyVvf7uLTuC9-nJaaY9FLdwDVCQ6gQFDVRCEiwCe0BVWOok9Mz8Tv8/s318/MIP%206.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; clear: left; float: left;"><img alt="" border="0" width="200" data-original-height="159" data-original-width="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqu3s9SF7IVcTvPtSRXK2OtAtutoC_wOQKixNx0gRexN2_Zh2GYv98eYfMxvtnZJSeVokVlLZb5MCai7f-Zy6Mp-YakqI1KhFIJrKY6XfpqfMrIf1AocG6R0xGQs75rZz1uGmh5hyVvf7uLTuC9-nJaaY9FLdwDVCQ6gQFDVRCEiwCe0BVWOok9Mz8Tv8/s200/MIP%206.jpg"/></a></div>
As usual he is a Man of Ideas.
It is true that as a nation, we have always lagged behind in spending on education, more so on Technical Education. Our successive budgets, whether central or state, have always been pathetic when it came to outlays on education. Besides whatever we are spending, they are mostly on school buildings, infrastructure, connectivity, books and now on mid-day meals. While all of these are important, we have never spent time and money on quality of education and improvement thereof. Year after year our standards, especially in government schools, in learning skill development has been poor. Whatever learning that have been possible was only due to individual student initiatives rather than teacher driven learning improvements. Therefore there is a huge scope for up-scaling teacher skills. It is true that Azim Premji Foundation has been doing some good service in improving the skills among teachers, it is not clear, if these teachers are being recruited in government schools. There has to be some understanding between state governments and Azim Premji Foundation to make available quality teachers for government schools. But sadly no government is keen to do it, as is apparent. It is fairly well known that recruitment in government schools or any appointments in governments are sold on the size of the bribe rather than the competence of the teacher. If the government makes agreement with Azim Premji Foundation, how will MLAs, Ministers and officials and their hangers-on can make money? That indeed is a very sad scenario. These politicians and their hangers-on are interested only in their money making rather than in the future of the younger generation of our country.
Under the circumstances, the exhortation by NR Narayana Murthy, for the central government to outlay $1 billion every year is a clarion call. But would the government take the call? $1 Billion is more than 8000 crores. However, prima facie, there is no choice for the government if it wants to become an emerging power in technical competence with complete export substitution. May be there could be some kind of PPP, or Private Public Partnership, of all stake holders and people like Murthy and Premji are included in the think tank for a five year plan where a sustainable road map is drawn for the overall and long term improvement in STEM among the students community for the country to become a developed nation. Hope somebody up-there listens to the passionate plea of an extremely successful self-empowered man of the country.</p>
<p><b>Maharashtra: Police Inaction</b>
Inaction, lack of action or over reaction by the police anywhere is not a news. It keeps happening, rightly or wrongly, all over.
There was this report in the print media datelined Mumbai, “Auto driver killed, locals pelt stones at inactive police.”
One Govind Chavan, probably a strong-arm trouble maker in the Malvani area of Malad in North Mumbai, was a regular, causing problems to locals. Reportedly there were multiple complaints to the Malvani police from local residents, against this Govind Chavan. But no action was taken, allege locals.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwoBfPnUhh4EG9WIsXIu_m_cbGKwL_h1PjLSRv7xoU_veYIwq0kZhJrzMOp6qMYUUUEOtQ73lwW2f_fnicnlkVQlYaAVPiQp1TOyK8mUm3JbYBEM6aoEpBd2xyWeYsdOvIO2WM9IIu29Wtbxy-b90oqX-pMy7OTiNn6LJyTBeKtSYfVWiK7oeqOw_sdh4/s299/MIP%207.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; clear: right; float: right;"><img alt="" border="0" width="200" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwoBfPnUhh4EG9WIsXIu_m_cbGKwL_h1PjLSRv7xoU_veYIwq0kZhJrzMOp6qMYUUUEOtQ73lwW2f_fnicnlkVQlYaAVPiQp1TOyK8mUm3JbYBEM6aoEpBd2xyWeYsdOvIO2WM9IIu29Wtbxy-b90oqX-pMy7OTiNn6LJyTBeKtSYfVWiK7oeqOw_sdh4/s200/MIP%207.jpg"/></a></div>
An auto driver Arjun Chavan, from Solapur, was plying his rickshaw in Malvani area. Both Chavans, Govind and Arun, reportedly argued frequently over petty matters. On 18th Nov, the argument took an ugly turn. Govind, informs the source, fatally knifed Arjun at Ambujwadi in Malvani. Police arrived, but enraged locals pelted stones at Govind and Police which resulted in minor injuries to two policemen, who had come to the scene of the crime and also the accused. Locals were angry that the situation of knifing and the resultant death of Auto driver Arjun could have been avoided, if police had acted early, on earlier complaints by the locals. But then this is how the police are in most cases. They act when it’s late. A life could have been saved, if only they had arrested this Govind Chavan earlier. Now the accused has been arrested on murder charge under section 302 of IPC. This is Yeh Mera India.</p>
ISSUES AND CONCERNShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17698815830925167776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2789748706304687420.post-56931958172636109972023-04-10T11:14:00.006+05:302023-04-10T11:18:30.743+05:30FOCUS : APRIL- 2023 K. K MUHAMMED & SINU JOSEPH THEIR RELEVANCE TO INDIAN SOCIETY Karingamannu Kuzhiyil Muhammed, all of 70, was born on 1st July 1952 in Koduvalli, Calicut, to Beeran Kutti and Maryam. After completing his schooling from the Koduvalli Government Higher Secondary School, he completed his M. A. in History from the Aligarh Muslim University in 1975. He joined the School of Archeology of the Archeological Survey of India, New Delhi and completed his Postgraduate Diploma in Archeology 1977.
Having started as Technical Assistant and then Assistant Archeologist with Aligarh Muslim University, he joined as Deputy Superintendent Archeologist with Archeological Survey of India (ASI). Having started in 1988 in ASI he left ASI as Regional Director (North) in 2012. In a service lasting over quarter of a century K. K. Muhammed (KKM) did seminal service to the ASI and in turn to the glorious cultural and archeological history of India. No details are available of his early childhood and that of his upbringing. However what is available by way of his conversation, statements in public, his interviews to the media, his public posture, all reported and written down, gives abundant impression of his global liberal view.
Some of the very important discoveries / findings of KKM have been Hall of Inter-Religions Discussion or Ibaadat Khaana, Excavation of Babri Masjid at Ayodhya, Bateshwar Temples of Chambal Valley and some others. However, excavation of Babri Majid and establishing the findings of temple being there
originally before the Babri Masjid was built, is the most famous.
Recorded information available informs that, it was Prof. BB Lal, the then Derector General of ASI, who was heading the excavations team of Babri Masjid site in Ayodhya. By quirk of fate KK Muhammed was the lone Muslim who took part in the excavation at Ayodhya. Was it pre-ordained!
In fact, most of India came to know of KKM only after the November 2019 Ayodhya judgment by the Supreme Court. It was during 1976-77, Babri Masjid excavation team started working in Ayodhya.
KKM writes that “On inspection it was found that pillars used for mosque were actually temple pillars with typical Hindu motifs of 11th -12th centuries. Lower part of pillars were engraved with Purna Kalasha”. According to him “there is an Arabic inscription on the front side of the mosque expressly declaring that parts of 27 temples have been used for the construction of the mosque.” Thus it became clear that mosque was built over the remains of a Hindu temple by reusing black bassalt pillars.
However, leftist historians of JNU with the active connivance of Aligarh Muslim University cabal of Marxist historians led by Prof Irfan Habib tried every possible trick to prove KKM wrong, but miserably failed. Since there were incontrovertible evidences to the contrary, this so-called secular brigade could do nothing to change the evolving history in the making.
To put the matter in proper perspective for setting right a historical wrong, KKM took a great personal risk of writing to the press after due deliberation with his seniors and other well meaning scholars. While elaborating that there indeed was a temple below the Babri Masjid and that he was a participant in the excavation project under Prof BB lal. He wrote, “I can reiterate it with greater authority, for I was the only Muslim who had participated in the Ayodhya excavation in 1976-77 under Prof Lal,” while adding, “Ayodhya is as holy to Hindus as Mecca and Madina are to Muslims. Muslims should respect the sentiment of millions of their Hindu brethren and voluntarily hand over the structure for constructing the Shree Rama Temple”
The letter published in the Indian Express on 15/12/1996 created the expected storm. For the Aligarh and JNU historians it was like a bombshell. The professional transgression of going to the press could have led to the suspension of KKM from his job. But mercifully having complete knowledge of the circumstances that led to the publication of statement in the press, concerned individuals took action to transfer him from his then posting at Madras (Chennai) to Goa, instead of suspending him.
On 6th Dec 1992, however Hindu Karsevaks brought down the Babri Masjid. Rightly or wrongly, on that day a part of the Indian ethos was ruptured beyond repair. Reportedly entire archeological fraternity grieved the demolition.
KKM writes on the demolition, “we could have saved the monument and transplanted it to some other place had both the groups come up to some understanding. But the adamant attitude of the Babri Action Committee aided and abetted by Marxist historians had driven Hindu fanatics to a scorch earth policy that they decided to destroy it to the last brick”.
Thus KKM realizes that the attitude of a section of Muslims had indeed drove a section of Hindus to take the extreme action of demolishing the historic mosque. However, he adds, that “one of the important antiquities found after the demolition of the Babri Masjid was a revealing stone plaque with Devanagari inscription. It was embedded in one of the wall of the mosque.”
Epigraphy specialists, both by the court and public confirmed it to be dated back to 12th century. The Chief Epigraphist of India Dr K. V. Ramesh, under reference from the honorable court, also confirmed it to the Gahadvala dynasty of Govinda Chandra, who ruled the area around Ayodhya from 1114-1145. “This inscription was one more unassailable proof of the existence of the temple before the Babri Masjid” writes KKM.
Now that the issue was settled on 19th Nov 2019 by a unanimous judgment of the Supreme Court in favor of temple construction and construction is in progress, this is only an attempt to highlight the persona and contribution of KKM as an individual of impeccable integrity, every Indian can be justifiably proud of. In fact it was his seminal contribution, honestly and sincerely put forward, as a professional archeologist and stood by it, despite demands of contrarian pulls and pushes. He deserved PADMA BHUSHAN not just PADMA SHREE.
Now that KKM has become a deservedly famous man, he has been in demand for tet-e-tete especially by visual media. Soft spoken and unassuming, he has been a toast of T V interaction.
Sources in the public space informs that former Archeological Survey of India official KKM has observed that Hinduism is the most liberal religion in the world that is suited for modern times “I am a rationalist but if at all one wants to have a religion, I would say HINDUISM is the best option available. It’s the most tolerant of all, there are no dogmas, you are free to believe or not to believe, whatever you want you can believe in one God or many Gods. There are no restrictions on one’s personal belief. Some of the most influential thinkers and scientists of the world were inspired by Hinduism” he had stated.
According to him “a true Hindu can’t be a fanatic but there are fringe elements that are making outlandish claims. They are ruining the name of Hinduism” he added. Claims by some Hindu zealots who claim that Taj Mahal is Tejo Mahalaya, is outlandish and illogical. A staunch devotee of Lord Shiva, KKM belts out Sanskrit shlokas with absolute ease. According to him “some incident that happened to him in his life brought him close to Lord Shiva”. A journalist, who knows him closely confirms, that “He has tremendous intuition. Whenever he passes through a place where there is Shiva, he starts getting signals. In 99% cases there will be a Shiva temple, such is his connection with Lord Shiva.”
It is incredible that, despite all kinds of characters in society around him, he managed to hold himself head and shoulder above millions of Indians with his liberal openness and accepting nature. He is a truly democratic person, in letter and spirit.
In his autobiography he recollects vividly his experience of meeting Malayaali Muslim youth then working in Oman. KKM was part of an exploratory excavation team led by Dr. Michel Janson of the Aachen University, Germany, to excavate Al Balid, a medieval trade port in Salalah in southern Oman. During the course of his engagement in Salalah, he came in contact with the staff, many of them from Kerala, who wanted him to give a talk to them, since they knew of his statements on Ayodhya. He readily agreed, since he felt it was an opportunity to make his stand clear because those Malayalee staff was members of SIMI (Students Islamic Movement of India).
He agreed to have a question/answer session subject to discipline being maintained and to respect people with opposite view, to which they all agreed.
During the course of tet-e-tete with those SIMI members he made it very clear that ‘there indeed was a Hindu temple below the Babri Masjid and that the historical wrong Hindus have suffered has to be corrected and they should have their temple in Ayodhya.’ Apparently there was silence from his interlocutors. He dared to ask them, ‘what would have happened if reverse was the case!’
KKM, then embarked on his presentation of how ‘Hinduism is the most tolerant of all religion and it is due to their secular outlook that we are living safely,’ while posing, ‘would such secular atmosphere be there in India, if Muslims were ruling India? This is the greatness of Hinduism and its board mindedness.’ He made it clear that ‘adjustment and elasticity are required more from Muslims than from Hindus. Hindus have demonstrated their ability to swim together. Muslim should modify their thinking that theirs is the only right religion and apart from them, all others would go to hell.’
Clearly, KKM left no stone unturned to drive home the truth that Muslims can co-habit with Hindus, if Muslims accept Hindus as much as Hindus accept Muslims. We only wish there are more like KKM so that IDEA OF INDIA is strengthened and sustained.
Sinu Joseph, as the name suggests, belongs to some Malayalee Christian denomination. There are no details available in public space about her parents, if she is married, to whom she is married or if she has any children etc. From her appearance in media space she looks to be in her late thirties. Indeed these details are not relevant to what she says and does. What are her ideas and what kind of a person she emerges as a citizen of a dynamic society? Whatever that can be heard from horse’s mouth, it’s clear that she is intellectually gifted with very serious, very responsible, responsive and conscientious human being, meaning well for her surroundings.
Born and brought up in Bengalooru, she is an Engineering graduate. However, she didn’t opt for a career in engineering instead over the years she has grown into a serious educator, a writer of significance and a penetrating counselor.
Pleasantly, she says that she has problems with working keeping only money in mind, when questioned why she didn’t opt for a career in engineering with good pay. She has a very clear thought process and clarity in her vision.
She began as a volunteer at Youth for Seva. After some months, she was offered full time position. There was no looking back since then, she avers. She worked for about 4 years for Youth for Seva for an initiative called DOCTORS FOR SEVA. Those years with Youth for Seva probably prepared her for the rest of her life. She took-up the subject of MENSTRUATION and educating women, especially rural adolescent girls and women, became her over riding passion.
Somewhere in 2014, she formed Mythri Speaks, a trust. It is a grass-root voluntary organization that focuses on women’s health. It is operating in different parts of the country by focusing on developing realistic solution on women’s health issues. While working with communities it focuses on addressing rural issues concerning its women folks. It has conducted numerous awareness workshops across states like Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Manipur, Meghalaya and Tamil Nadu. The trust produced an animation film MYTHRI on menstruation which has reached millions of adolescent girls in government schools.
According to her, the primary area of interest of Mythri Speaks is exploring science behind cultural practices around menstruation and understanding menstrual restrictions through indigenous science. She has already published a book ‘Rtu Vidya: Ancient Science behind Menstrual Practices.
Her passion for the health of rural women folks made her dig deep into Ayurveda. To a direct question some years ago, she answered as follows. “If there is one thing I really regret not seeing enough of it, is the promotion of our native sciences like Ayurveda, Yoga, Mudra, Chakras and Tantra. Ayurveda has gone only as far as part of the integrated medicine. Thus Ayurveda gets insultingly reduced to herbal medicines when it is the life science that teaches us how the body can heal itself without any medicine. Temples are only known as places of transactional prayer, when it is an energy vortex that can completely alter one’s physiology in a very scientific manner. This lack of scientific know-how is why our cultural practices get reduced to a belief system or worse, get dismissed as superstition.
That’s what lands her at the doorsteps of Sabarimala Temple, the controversy surrounding the non-admission of women in their menstruating years, into the portals of Swami Ayyappa Temple in Sabarimala. It is another matter that Supreme Court in its ignorance looked at the issue as only gender discrimination, without understanding the inherent logic embedded in the practice.
According to Sinu Joseph “we are simply going in circles talking about equality and women’s rights when the reality is about women’s health.” She had interviewed way back in 2016, Smt. Devika Devi, mother of the chief priest of Sabarimala Temple, who had stated that the reason why women are restricted from going to Sabarmala Temple is that it negatively impacts their health, but men didn’t listen to her and made it all about a celibate deity not wanting women to come near him. Such conversations are insulting to both women and the deity who is beyond all such discrimination, she tells with innate feelings. Thus she has concluded in her book ‘Rtu Vidya’,that ‘visiting temples during menstruation can badly affect women’s menstrual and reproductive health.’
If her passion for indigenous science is of high order, her take on Hinduism and its affiliates are pleasantly surprising. According to her, ‘unlike the word Hinduism which is used in the contest of religion, the word Hindutva gives a sense of resurgence, a revival of the ancient philosophies, science and culture that was intrinsic to this land. It is only through Hindutva that all religions and philosophies can have freedom to co-exist and appreciate differences.’ She thinks ‘anyone born in this land is first a Hindu and it is an unalterable fact. Since culture of this land is a way of living, all are by birth Hindus, whether we like it or not.’
She speaks about being an atheist and hence she is no more a Christian. While in school, ‘it was very stifling to be a Christian’, she feels, ‘since being Christian one looks down upon non-Christians.’ She even tells that, ‘in school Christian teachers would quietly weave-in disrespect for other religions. History teachers would tell the class that Christianity is real because the existence of Christ is documented in history, whereas Hinduism is just mythology without historical evidence.’
When asked if she considers herself a Hindu, she is emphatically affirmative. Having been born in this land everyone is automatically Hindu, she tells. Talking about RSS, she feels it is the safest place for any woman to take part in its activities. Due to her Christian upbringing, RSS was always looked down upon as something to be stayed away from.
According to Ms. Joseph, the thought process was that RSS is a fanatic organization that aims to dissolve all minority institutions and religions, and how within the family they were told that it does not matter whom you vote as long as you don’t vote for BJP. Somehow most Christians feel that their survival is at risk as long as there is RSS. But she affirms that if Christians are having a peaceful existence in India, it is because of the accepting nature of RSS and Hinduism.
She narrates her experience with RSS as follows. “Where I come from violence on women is not uncommon or unusual. When women go though such situations for long period of time, we either become meek or suppressed or utterly ferocious. For me it was the latter. So it was with claws extended and ruffled feathers that I stumbled upon the RSS.”
“Before I got to know men from RSS, I instinctively resented men in positions of authority. It was therefore a very big surprise to experience kindness from men in RSS. I did not expect it. Within the RSS eco-system, I found that women are treated with so much gentleness and respect. This was in stark contrast to my personal experiences outside the RSS. I feel most comfortable and safe in RSS baithak, even though I am sometime the only woman in the room. I wish more women could experience that sense of safety and security that is inherently there within the RSS ecosystem.”
“The other stunning discovery I made was how open the RSS is to opposing points of view and how it encourages people to question. In the first few years of my work with RSS based organizations, I questioned everything. I was deeply moved by the way in which the questions were received. Not once was I told not-to question. Not once did they dodge any question. Never was I treated as an outsider or with disrespect. The gentle way in which they deal with people forces even the wild ones like me to become mild! I don’t think that there are too many other groups out there which are so genuinely open, kind and welcoming of opposing views”
Hence she recommends that those who are there with the agenda of maligning RSS or those who have no idea of what RSS stands for, should try to get closure to it and if possible work with it to understand for the larger good of our socio-political environment within the country. Hope her message goes across so there is mutual understanding resulting into lasting peace in our society.
ISSUES AND CONCERNShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17698815830925167776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2789748706304687420.post-23716554929295348452022-10-06T16:08:00.001+05:302022-10-06T16:08:24.533+05:30Focus for October 2022EMPOWERING HUMAN POTENTIAL AS A CORPORATE PHILOSOPHY:
THE KP RAMASWAMY SAGA
Speaking on “A PHILOSOPHY WITHOUT FACE”, as eminent management expert of Yesteryears, Mr. Shanu Rangnakar had observed “Two grabbing hands are all that the private enterprise could present before the people. There is a crisis of image in this sector”.
This was in early 1975, that is close to half a century ago. How has this image undergone transformation during this past, close to fifty years? It’s a question with profoundly mixed answers in this era of World Trade Organization and consequent globalization.
“People must come to accept private enterprise not as a necessary evil but as an affirmative good” was a dictum attributed to late Eugene Robert Black, the third president of the World Bank. He was president during 1949 to 1962, probably the longest served president of World Bank. They were truly the transformative years of World Bank also known as International Bank of Reconstruction and Development.
The above dictum has lot of depth and meaning relevant to the time we live in. Private enterprise, if it so desires has tremendous potential for good in general and for societal good in particular. Of course, Eugene Black was an American and product of American society.
Long time ago, an American enterprise, Green Giant Co. had made a corporate policy. It had stated “we agree Green Giant Company to be making the greatest possible profit over the long term, consistent with being a corporate citizen”. While it is true that there isn’t any dictionary meaning of the term ‘corporate citizen’, by this and similar terms society meant that companies have an obligation to wider world to further their quest for profits within the socially acceptable channels and that ‘profit above all’ is anti-social and immoral. Such a view was long held by Harward Business Review, which in a survey established that 94% businessmen respondents adopted the view that spiritual, ethical, moral and social consideration should and do play a role of utmost importance in profit making. Thus, the object of social responsibility has been there in the western world, which their counterparts in India have been rather slow in adapting to these laudable objectives in their search for greater financial attainments.
Many years ago, ECONOMIC TIMES, carried a news item “HLL pays Rs. 5 Dividend”, in its front page. The thought that Rs. 5/- dividend per share for a share of Rs. 10/- which works to 50% was very good, crossed the mind. But reading it further was an incredible revelation. The share price was just Re. 1/- per share. So the Rs. 5/- per share amounted to 500% dividend, clearly mind boggling! The following year the company HLL that is Hindustan Lever Ltd., paid Rs. 5.50 per share, which amounted to 550% dividend. Nowhere in the world there could have been such huge payout to share-holders.
Before that, Colgate Palmolive India, the Indian subsidiary of US giant, was the first to pay 100% dividend to their shareholders. Thus the potential for huge profit among private sector companies was very much there. The question was how these companies make their profits and what they do with it.
In a huge market like India for consumer goods, the demand is equally huge for FMCG or Fast Moving Consumer Goods, like that of HLL, who are into FMCG. There are many companies who owe their existence to consuming public. These companies make their huge profits from the consumers.
When it comes to giving back to consumers, they are generally tight fisted. They could give scheme like buy two take one free, so that consumer gets 33% discount. But no, instead they give huge salaries and perks to the top management and similarly huge dividend to its shareholders. When a company pays 500% or 550% as dividend, the ROI (Return on Investment), or on the paid-up capital of the company can be from 4 to 10 times. This surplus in the P&L a/c of any company is only after charging huge financial packages and perks in kind paid to senior executive staff of the company. Of course the payment to CEO or MD or executive Chairman can be only in terms of crores, which to is chargeable to P&L a/c besides staff at all level are paid very well with mouth watering perks and facilities. All these adds up to a huge sum in all successful corporate entities. These corporate private sector companies, all of them in fact, have made huge profit within the socio-economic environment within the country and prima facie they have a huge responsibility of being a good corporate citizen to be responsive to the need and aspirations of the milieu within which their corporate houses operate.
It is true that economic theory makes a fundamental assumption that maximizing profit is the basic objective of every business activity. Hence for decades economists have insisted that businessmen try to maximize profits. Its appallingly true of this country, where mammon worshipping has reached such an enormous proportion and things have come to this sorry pass, that law makers, law protectors and law enforcers are on the pay roll of these money spinners. The result has been an unremitting exploitation of the common man, the ordinary citizen. Our business leaders have been apathetic to varieties of blatant malpractices.
In this muddled scenario emerges a refreshingly different icon of hope.
Mr. K P Ramaswamy, born into an agricultural family in the village Kalliampudur near Erode in Tamil Nadu is essentially a humanist entrepreneur, in simple straight forward terms.
Although, there are some information available on the internet on his persona and his evolution from a faceless existence in Kalliampudur village, to being recognized as a successful industrialist of Coimbatore, media has not truly spent time on writing about the larger than life personality of this little known great man.
It was a chance reading of a WhatsApp post that truly inspired us to pen this tribute to an inspiring soul.
Sujith Kumar, Head of Human Resource at Infosys, was invited to a convocation ceremony as a Guest of Honour, to hand-out degree certificates to graduates at KPR college premises. He had expected it to be a routine affair like most convocation ceremonies. He wasn’t clearly prepared for the extremely pleasant surprise that was waiting to overtake him. “We keep reading about brilliant case studies across the globe but nothing comes close to what KPR Mills is doing for its employees”, he wrote in a social media post. It was an ultimate tribute to the exemplary vision that the promoter of KPR Mills, Mr. KP Ramaswamy envisioned for his employees as his company’s CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY.
“I have witnessed many welfare programs, higher education assistance for employees from some big brands across the world. In all these programs, there will be an underlying statement. What will the employee give back to the company? We keep reading about some brilliant case studies across the globe, but trust me, nothing will come close to what KPR Mills is doing for its employees. It’s a silent revolution that their chairman KP Ramaswamy has taken upon. It was a chance encounter several years back when he was interacting with his women employees on what they want as a welfare program (way back in 1990). A young girl said “Appa (that’s how the girls call him), I want to study. My parents pulled me out of school to join this Mill due to poverty, but I want to study further”. This request left a lasting impression upon him and he decided to provide higher education assistance completely free of cost. The girls work on 8 hour shift and those interested can study further for 4 hours every day. Classroom facilities, full time teachers, an exclusive principal for this programme, computer lab, yoga course all provided to run this programme effectively. Having started the programme in 2005, with 15-20 students, from Ooty, Trichy and Vellore districts of Tamil Nadu, the programme has educated 24,356 girls(in 2019), with 58 full time teachers on the rolls of the KPR Mills. Girls have finished their 10th, 12th, UG & PG courses. They have their alumni in almost all hospitals, where the girls are working as nurses. Many have become school teachers, some have joined police force and the list goes on and on. Yesterday in the convocation over 350 girls received their degrees and out of which 20 of these girls are Tamil Nadu Open University Gold Medalists. They received their degrees and Gold Medals few days back from the Tamil Nadu Governor. Now the natural question kicks in right! When companies are battling attrition issues, if we provide free higher education won’t the girls quit and that will result in high employee turnover! KPR has an answer. He says “I don’t intend to keep them in the mill and waste their human potential. Many of these girls are smart and have landed here due to poverty. My job is to ensure that they get a good degree, get required skill and settle well in life. When these girls leave the mill they also refer girls from their village and the cycle continues. Human resource is precious and we need to leverage it effectively”. What profound thoughts and he simply nailed it! This is what true Human Resource Development is all about. As I finished my address and took my seat, the chairman KPR held my hand and said “Sir, I normally don’t ask for favours and have never asked anything for my students studying in my college but these girls are special. There are girls, who have completed BCA, B.Com, MBA, M.Com and several other courses. If you and your friends can hire them, it will give other girls a lot of hope to study further. Can you please help?” I was like dumbstruck! Here is a man who runs a Multi-crore turnover successful business and he is asking help to place his own employees! Have you heard something like this?? Friends, these are stories that world needs to know. These are case studies that the B School needs to learn. If you are looking for potential hiring, then you might want to consider KPR Mills and I am sure you will not be disappointed. Some of the most inspiring stories come from unknown quarters and KPR Mills and their social revolution through education is a story that needs to spread like wild fire. It was a Sunday when I came back inspired. Very few posts that I request my friends to share”, Sujit Kumar wrote in a social media post. The event took place in October 2019. So its going to be completing 3 years in a month. In the meanwhile, the benefeciaries of this social revolution would have crossed 30,000 in all probulities. Hats off to the pioneer of another kind, Chairman KP Ramaswamy !
Born on 8th March 1946, Septagenarian KPR could only study up to high school. He started his working life as a teenager, in a small garment factory in Tirupur, the well known textile city of South India. But he was always enterprising and wanted to go independent.
According to the information in public space, he started selling firewood at 19 years of age. When he turned 20, he started his Best Knitting Company, a power-loom fabric manufacturing unit, with an investment of some 10,000 rupees from one of his uncles, rest, as the cliché goes is history. In 1984, with his brothers having joined his enterprise, they established KPR Mills Ltd. and grew into a fully integrated knitwear garment business. In early 2007 they went public and have not looked back since then.
Public space informs “KPR Mills is a vertically integrated apparel company with international accreditations for quality control, environment standard and social accountability with manufacturing facility in Coimbatore, Satyamangalam and Tirupur, Tamil Nadu. It has a turnover of over 4000 crores per annum at present.
However, it was way back in 1990s when a young mill worker asked KPR if he could help her complete her education, transporting him back 25 years, to when he had to quit college to return to his village because his farmer father could not afford to educate all four sons.
“Why shouldn’t we educate the young women in our factories, interested in studying”, KPR asked his brothers who are part of his enterprise. A correspondence programme was arranged for around 50 women employees at the mill. Reportedly, girls took the initiative of the management with all seriousness and came out with flying colours in their examinations.
Inspired by the performance of his female staff in clearing the examination, he reacted “Let’s do it every year”. And it’s been going on for all these years. Dedicated staff of KPR Mills did not disappoint the owners, and close to 30,000 have cleared different levels of educational attainments including MBA & M.Com. Many have left for better pasture with the blessings of KPR and some remained back with KPR Mills.
“Satisfied employees are better performers. It’s a win-win situation for all” KPR had reportedly remarked.
This exercise in empowering the human potential of these employees has stood in good stead for the company even through the pandemic Covid-19. When factories across the country sent away their labourers during the nationwide lockdown in 2020, KPR Mills gave its workers a choice. ‘If you stay, we will provide you food, shelter, full salary and entertainment’. Each of their factories has a cinema hall, sports facilities and an auditorium. 100% of the people said they ‘will stay here only’ KPR was reported to have reacted. The company has around 25,000 employees.
KPR has been an ideal master. His younger brother, P. Nataraj, who is the Managing Director, is a Chartered Accountant. He calls KPR as the HR Head, who has really built the company’s culture. “He meets all the employees directly. There is no separate lunch for Chairman, MD or staff. Whoever visits our factories, we will have lunch together with the staff”, was his beaming response as the proud brother of Chairman K P Ramaswamy.
ISSUES AND CONCERNShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17698815830925167776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2789748706304687420.post-23093910950369340192022-10-06T16:06:00.000+05:302022-10-06T16:06:11.045+05:30Month-in-Perspective for October 2022New Delhi : All living beings are in transit through this sorry world. The day our mandate is over we just have to vacate the space, doesn’t matter even if it’s Buckingham Palace. So, the reigning Queen of England left her mortal self to rest in her eternal space. She is no more.
Elizabeth Alexander Mary, born on 21st April 1926, was anointed Queen of England on 6th Feb 1952 ended on 8th Sept 2022, uninterrupted and unquestioned for all the 70 years. Born Princess Elizabeth of York, in Mayfair, a suburb of London she was coroneted on 2nd June 1953, born to King George the VI and Queen Elizabeth.
Indians by and large need not be interested in knowing more of the queen, either as a monarch or as a person of English origin. Our interest is only with reference to India in general and Jalianwala Baag in particular. 13th April 1919 was some 7 years before Queen Elizabeth was even born. It was on that day a crowd of non-violent protestors along with Baisakhi pilgrims had gathered in Jalianwala Baag in Punjab’s Amritsar was fired upon at close range with no-exit route. Some 350 to 1000 died. The level of casual brutality and lack of any accountability stunned the whole of India. Although, Winston Churchill, then Secretary of State for War, condemned it as “unutterably monstrous”, nothing serious happened to the perpetrator of the heinous crime Brig Reginald Dyer. In fact, English men and women collected money to reward Dyer. Despite the horrendous nature of the crime the colonial masters of India up to 1947 did not formally apologize for this crime on humanity.
Queen Elizabeth visited India 3 times, 1961, 1983 and in 1997. Although she visited most places in India, she did not visit Jalianwala Baag during her visits in 1961 and 1983. It was only in 1997, when she visited along with her husband Prince Phillip, ostensibly to pay homage to those who were killed in the firing ordered by Brig Dyer. According to the reliable sources, media person at the event asked Queen Elizabeth directly, ‘now that you have visited Jalianwala Baag, massacre site, wouldn’t you like to apologize?’ Queen remained quiet all through the visit without responding to the question. Sadly her consort Prince Philip enquired without any concern “how many did die?”. Interaction that followed left a bad taste in the mouth, as if the lives of Indians were dispensable.
So, it’s a pity that Queen of England died without truly regretting the darkest episode in the colonial history of UK, probably anywhere in the world. She owed an apology that never came. However, it was at least in part soothing that a visit by Archbishop of Canterburry in 2019, that is exactly 100 years after the Jalianwala Baag butchery.
Sometime in Sept 2019, Justin Portal Welby, the Archbishop of Canterburry, the temporal head of Church of England, probably bitten by the pangs of conscience, representing the civil society, came calling to reach out to India and Indians.
On 11th Sept 2019, accompanied by his wife Caroline, Archbishop visited the site of 1919 April 13, massacre. “I feel a deep sense of grief, humility and profound shame of having visited the site of horrific massacre today”, he remarked after the visit. In a Facebook post Welby said “I could not speak for the British government, but personally very sorry for the terrible atrocity”.
Clearly all that meant was an expression of deep regret for the massacre but still stopped short of a formal apology.
Now that the Queen of England, who could have truly rose to say ‘we are truly sorry for this horrendously senseless killings of innocents’, has gone into astral world never to come back. May her soul REST IN PEACE.
New Delhi: It’s about a month ago that India celebrated Aazadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. But what does this Mahotsav truly means to the poor and vulnerable sections of our society?
In one of the editions of a print media English newspaper had 3 reports, in the same page. One was about the death of 2 minor Dalit girls in police custody. The 2nd report was about the death of a tribal in shooting by Forest Patrol Team in M.P. The 3rd was the suicide by a 45 year old Dalit after he was abused and beaten by police in public, in Agra.
In 2017, two minor girls had reportedly committed suicide following torture by the police in Walayar in Kerala. The local police and the CBI concluded that it was a suicide. But the family of these girls had alleged that they were murdered by those who had exploited them for days on. According to the girls’ mother, even the post mortem report had indicated that the girls were murdered. Reportedly, the Palakkad first additional district sessions court (POCSO) rejected the CBI conclusion and ordered re-probe of the deaths of these two minor Dalit girls, a month ago in Aug 2022.
On August 9th 2022, a Forest Patrol Team, had shot dead a tribal and had injured few of them in Vidisha district of Madhya Pradesh. Forest Department as expected, has maintained that they fired in self-defense. The incident reportedly happened at 10pm in the Kathiyapura forest area some 80kms from Vidisha district head quarters. Sadly it happened on the World Tribal Day. According to injured survivors, they were shot from behind and naturally without provocation, clearly indicating the trigger-happy mindset of the Forest Department Team. Government at Bhopal has ordered judicial probe and suspended forest employees. Reportedly, they face murder charges.
Some days before 10th Aug 2022, Dasrath Singh Katheriya, a 45 year old Dalit committed suicide in UP’s Manipuri district. According to the family of the victim he took the extreme step as he was humiliated and assaulted by two policemen for his inability to pay Rs 2000 they demanded. Action/reaction from authorities, the report by Deepak Lavanis, an Agra based reporter, is silent.
And comes this report from UP, about a Dalit boy being beaten on 8th Aug and died in the hospital for non-payment of Rs 250/- fees. A 15 year old Dalit boy, Nikhil Kumar from Auraiya district in U.P., was beaten on 7th September by rod and sticks by his teacher Ashwini Singh for spelling a word wrong in his social studies paper. He was admitted to hospital and died, the other day, on 26th Sept. It was clearly an upper caste atrocity on a Dalit teen. Authorities sadly did not arrest the perpetrator of the brutality and now on death of the boy Ashwini Singh, the perpetrator is absconding.
Only last month, there was this report from Rajasthan of a Dalit boy Indra being trashed for touching the water pot of upper caste teacher Chhail Singh. The boy died in the hospital after two weeks. Then a Dalit girl was reportedly thrashed for not wearing her uniform and was thrown out of school by the head of Bhadohi village in U.P.
A report on the survey of 24 districts in Tamil Nadu informs that many kinds of discriminatory behavior against Dalit Panchayat Presidents, denied access to their office, not provided with documents they need, stopped from sitting on chairs and disallowed from hoisting the tricolour. These are modern day aberrations of civil society in Tamil Nadu.
Sab-ka-Saath- Sab-ka-vikaas, where is it Mr. Prime Minister! In our India, wanting to be a global leader, these victims of time and circumstances continue to suffer unimaginable societal violence even after 75 years since Britishers have left us. A sad truth of the year of Aazadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.
Maharashtra: Inefficiency can truly make some innocent people suffer inordinately. A report datelined Mumbai informed “Typing error keeps foreigner in jail for 18 months”.
Reportedly, a Nigerian national was arrested following a raid by Anti-Terrorism Squad in Powai on Oct 23, 2020, when they found in his possession what looked like cocaine and some heart shaped pills besides Ecstasy tablets. Kalina based Forensic Laboratory reported these drugs as Lidocaine and Tapentadol and that they fell under NDPS Act or Narcotic Drugs & Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985. Taking cognizance of the laboratory report, Thane session court rejected the bail application of Nigerian national. Through his advocate Ashwini Achari, the Nigerian approached Bombay High Court in August 2021, stating that the substance found in his possession did not fall under NDPS Act.
Things being as they were the matter came up in Bombay High Court after one year. And the Nigerian national continued to languish in jail since Oct 2020. However, shockingly, Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) issued a corrigendum on August 8, 2022, that’s after a full year, through its Assistant Director that there has been a typographical mistake in reporting the substance as falling under NDPS Act and apologized to the public prosecutor.
On learning that there was indeed a mistake by the FSL, Justice Bharti Dangre was reported to have stated ‘In view of the corrigendum, it was clear that the substance alleged to be contraband and recovered from the applicant did not fall under NDPS Act. The applicant deserves to be released on bail forthwith and he should be compensated for the trauma he has undergone, being in jail, due to the blatant mistake admitted by FSL.
For being in jail for over 23 months, Justice Dangre asked the Chief Secretary of Maharashtra government to compensate the victim, a Nigerian national with Rs 2,00,000/-. While stating, if there is no provision to pay compensation to foreigners as claimed by the Public Prosecutor, Justice Dangre asked the government to make all those responsible for the faux pass to be made accountable for the payment of compensation. ‘After all freedom is same for all, whether native or foreigner’, Justice Dangre averred.
Karnataka: A Mandya datelined report informed “Hindi Diwas comes under attack across state”. Hindi is our official language, so says the article 343(1) of the Indian Constitution. There was a time it was floated as national language. But southern states, especially Tamil Nadu have been at the forefront to oppose Hindi as the national language. However over a period, Union government has not been forcing the issue of Hindi being the national language. But the truth remains, that it is the most spoken language all over India. It is indeed a link language. Except Tamil Nadu, no other state has opposed Hindi so vehemently.
However Karnataka is slowly emerging as another southern state opposing the so called imposition of Hindi. Bangalore, being probably the most cosmopolitan city, Hindi is clearly a link language. But politicians, bereft of issues of relevance have taken the opposition to Hindi to keep them occupied, especially the Janata Dal (Secular) or JD(S). JD(S) is a family outfit of Gowdas. Devegowda and family are without any political power at present, and are angling to create jobs for themselves and their cadres. Election is due in early 2023 for Karnataka Assembly. So Gowdas are looking for issues. But Hindi opposition is not going to work politically at least in Karnataka. Their demand to stop Hindi Diwas celebration is not going to benefit JD(S).
And we have CM Basavaraj Bommai talking about making Kannada compulsory in government offices. This is probably sensible. Kannada must protect its primacy in government dealings in Karnataka. Or else, like in Bengalooru, Kannada may become irrelevant. In Bengalooru, Kannada has lost its stature as state language. Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam along with Hindi has overtaken the usage of Kannada. Hence, a measure of compulsion is needed to see that at least in government offices Kannada is kept alive and kicking. Hope it does.
Karnataka: We have heard of Ministers not clearing files, we have heard of bureaucrats not clearing files of people, the general public. But never heard of IAS officer Secretaries not clearing files of Ministers’ private interest applications and then Minister publicly stating it on the floor of the assembly. But sometimes truth can be stranger than fiction.
Murugesh Nirani, Commerce & Industries minister of Karnataka reportedly expressed helplessness on the floor of the assembly while accusing senior IAS officer Pankaj Kumar Pandey of not clearing two files relating to his sugar factory and mining company.
“I am not sure, if I am making this statement as a minister. But I am compelled to. There is a secretary named Pankaj Kumar Pandey in the department of Sugar and he is present here in the house today. It’s been two years since our company Nirani Sugars took over Pandavapura Co-operative Sugar Factory on lease. Till date, there has not been an official lease agreement signed as the secretary is not clearing the file. This is despite clear instructions from the Chief Minister” the minister is reported to have stated on the floor of the assembly while saying that his firm has invested over Rs 50 crores in the factory.
Reportedly the IAS officer Pankaj Kumar Pandey who is the secretary in the department of sugar has written to the Chief Secretary stating that he is going by the rules of the government on the issue.
Of course the opposition benches were left shocked at the revelation by the Minister. Having got an issue to raise, they wanted to protest against the government, although it had absolutely no concern, but just to embarrass the government stating “What can happen to commoners if minister himself cannot get the file cleared!” Some even demanded the suspension of Pandey, the Secretary of Department of Sugar.
While it is clearly an issue that can be discussed by both the treasury benches and opposition, none seem to have bothered to know the details of the case.
Sources in the Sugar department reveal that the matter is pending due to the issue of unresolved stamp duty of Rs 26 crores, which Nirani Sugars have pressured the government to waive the stamp duty. The government on its part has still not taken the call, except that a section of the government wanted it to be paid by the state treasury and recover later in installments from Nirani Sugars. That is prima facie, a hugely misplaced favour. But interestingly Nirani’s did not play the ball, wanting still the waiver of the stamp duty of Rs 26 crores, as if it’s peanuts.
Clearly, the government should defend the secretary, who did not buckle under the pressure from Nirani, the minister. This kind of pressure tactics from minister should be exposed in the larger interest of fair play.
First of all, a rich man like Nirani, who could invest over Rs 50 crores in his business interest, should not be there in the cabinet. Clearly he is in the government to protect and promote his interest, and not for public service. BJP, the party with a difference, presently running the government in Bengalooru, want to pay it and wait for the minister to pay it back in installments. What if he does not pay back? What is the measure government going to adopt in case of non-payment? Write off like NPA of a bank!? This matter should have been pressured by the opposition benches and argued on the floor of the assembly, instead they want a diligent officer suspended! This is clearly irresponsibility on the part of opposition members, who lost an opportunity to fix the government.
This is Yeh Mera India.
Karnataka: A Kalaburgi datelined report in the print media “Cop critical after smugglers attack” made a very disturbing reading.
Rural Circle Inspector Shrimanth Illal had gone to raid a ganja growing field in Taruri village on the Karnataka Maharashtra border. Actually the village is in the Omerga taluk of Osmanabad district in Maharashtra.
The inspector had gone to the village across the border with 10 policemen around 7pm on Friday night. But he sent 5 of them to the Omerga police station to alert the local police and to get additional reinforcement. But for some inexplicable reasons, neither the 5 returned nor any reinforcement arrived. So the police inspector Shrimanth decided to go ahead with the operation and raid the ganja farm.
He was clearly ill prepared. One police inspector and his 5 constables were no match to the 40 strong mob arrived with sticks, lathis and stones. They beat up the police inspector so badly that he is battling for life, while the five policemen escaped with minor injuries. Probably they ran away, seeing the armed mob, leaving Shrinath solo to fight 40 of them.
Home Minister, in his usual political style said that Shrinath will be airlifted to Hyderabad for treatment while adding “Our department will ensure that he has the best treatment”.
There are two serious dimensions to the issue, which neither the minister queried nor the reporter of TOI Monneshwar Sonnad bothered to find out.
Why there was delay in getting help from Omerga police? What is the feedback from 5 policemen who went looking for help? Did the police in Omerga delayed intentionally to help the ganja grower smugglers to mobilize the men at their end?
Secondly, how there were 40 men at night in the farm and they were armed to the teeth with sticks, lathis and stones?
These questions were neither raised by the Kalaburgi SP Isha Pant, nor the home minister, so also the reporter of TOI.
It is a serious failure. There should be inquiry as to what went wrong where not only the mission has failed but also the leader of the raiding party was so brutally thrashed that he is battling for life. Something is amiss!
.
World: On 11th August 2022, the print media had carried a news item. A New Delhi datelined report had reported “Mexican President wants Modi in the Peace Panel”. This could have been a hugely positive news for us Indians to be recognized as the lone voice of peace in a hugely polarized world.
According to the Times News Network (TNN), Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has stated that he will propose to the United Nations to set up a Peace Commission which will include as Members, Pope Francis, United Nation’s Secretary General Antonio Guterras and believe it or not, Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, for ensuring a five year Global Truce.
According to Mexican media, Obrador made the remark last week during a Press Conference in Mexico City, while stating that three men will work to stop wars around the world and that Russia, China and U.S must accept their mediation.
“It is necessary that the three governments of the three great powers – Russia, China and the U.S, hopefully listen to the mediation and accept an intermediation like the one we are proposing, that the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and Pope Francis, the three of them get together and present a proposal soon to stop the war everywhere”, he is reported to have said, while adding “we must stop the military confrontation, we must opt for dialogue, not the use of force, confrontation must be avoided and it is evident innocent lives are being lost, because bombing is being carried out and there are deaths, the same as in Ukraine, so we will have to make effort to achieve peace. The proposed truce would facilitate reaching agreements in the case of Taiwan, Israel and Palestine and not be promoting, provoking more confrontation”.
At the outset it’s a huge honour for the very concept of India, that a president of a far off land could think that the Indian Prime Minister, who is a political appointee, can fit into an UN Peace Mission.
And comes PM Modi speaking to President Putin of Russia on the sidelines of SCO meet in Uzbekistan, after over a month of the Mexican Presidents proposal. On Sept 16, reportedly PM Modi told Vladmir Putin that ‘it is not an era of war with food, fertilizer and fuel scarcity being among the major concerns of the world today’ while adding democracy, diplomacy and dialogue keep the world together.
Although India has not denounced the Russian invasion, it has been calling for diplomatic resolution of the crisis.
The astute diplomatic offensive of PM Modi, instantly caught the attention of power that be. Not only the Russian strongman accepted the stand of India and its concerns, U.S. came on board with Secretary of State Blinken going overboard saying “we could not agree more”, besides US media praise for PM Modi's remarks.
It was like “Laathi bhi maara and lakdi bhi nahi toota”. Thus, the idea of peace has been paramount on our bilateral and multilateral dealings.
India has a history of being the ambassador of peace everywhere. Unilaterally India has never attacked or encroached any country and that is an unblemised record. India, the land of Gandhi has only confirmed what Mahatma had reiterated all through his life, ‘There is no way to peace, peace is the way. If peace is the goal, how can war be the way! With the kind of credentials that India is geopolitically known for, its no wonder that Mexican President had proposed Indian leader as the global spokesperson on peace. What PM Narendra Modi remarked “To-day’s era is not of war” was truly an icing on the case. It is currently hoped that the vision of President Obrador becomes a reality sooner than later.
ISSUES AND CONCERNShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17698815830925167776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2789748706304687420.post-52268971136125984482022-09-28T11:39:00.003+05:302022-09-28T11:39:57.251+05:30FOCUS FOR 2022AAZAADI KA AMRIT MAHOTSAV:
An Open Letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi
&
Stories of Sannidhi, of Indra, of Bilkis
Maananeeya Pradhan Manthri Narendra Modiji,
Jai Shree Krishna,
Hope and wish this finds you hale and hearty and in good spirit in the midst of all your multifarious activities.
This is my 3rd open letter to your honourable self. The first was in April 2012, published in ISSUES & CONCERNS in its May 2012 edition. That was the period you were Chief Minister of Gujarath. The 2nd letter was published in January 2016 edition of ISSUES & CONCERNS, when you were already the Prime Minister of India.
Modiji, whether as the Prime Minister of India or as the Chief Minister of Gujarath or even plainly as Narendra Damodardas Modi, no other Indian has ever been written about, so much in black and white, or so much spoken about in such endearing terms or pathological hatred at the same time. Both who admired you and those who did not like you are a legion.
Modiji, celebration of 75 years of our political independence has to be on a scale to leave its footprints on the sands of time for the youth of our Bharath to remain etched into the foreseeable future. India that is Bharath, is not a country but a continent. There is no country like India in the whole world. It is unique. The age cannot wither nor custom stale the infinite variety of this God’s own land. It has some half a dozen religions, some 25 recognized languages some 1500 dialects. Its customs in Kerala are as totally different from those of Kashmir or from Kutch to Kolkatta. India is kaleidoscopic in depth and variety. It has an incredible diversity, yet is bound in a unity that stretches way back into the unwritten history.
Despite this mind boggling diversity, it’s indeed a miracle that this nation of ours has survived in one piece and has not balkanized. Probably the only country among homo sapiens to have survived with its culture and tradition intact, despite foreign invasion and depredation of every kind for hundreds of years.
It’s no mean achievement for a 75 year old nation to survive the vagaries of every kind, economic, social, political and even natural. USSR broke into many nations, post ‘glasnost’ and ‘perestroika’ of Gorbachev but elections in India remained on course since it began for the first time in 1951 and continued for all its 75 years of post independent India. There was peaceful transfer of power for an incredible 16 times during these 75 years, a record not many can match. That is a reflection of the maturity of our democracy, the government of the people, by the people and for the people.
Modiji all Governments, before you came in 2014, have contributed to the growth of the nation, in its own way, supposedly currently the third largest economy in the world. We all know all governments of whatever political dispensation cannot be given 100% success rate. They perform between 1/3rd and 2/3rd. Some were only 1/3rd good and some were 2/3rd good. That is an acceptable standard given the intricacies of governance. Those who perform at 1/3rd productive delivery rate while doing something for the people also work largely for themselves, their families, friends and cronies. Then those who perform at 2/3rd productive delivery rate are doing more for people. They also help themselves, their families, friends and cronies, but at much lower level. This is a fact of life in democratic political governance, especially in India.
So between these two extremes all governments are found, judged and replaced or allowed to continue according to the democratic process of adult franchise, every five years.
You came in 2014 as a breath of fresh air. Your entry into our temple of democracy, the Parliament, the Samsad Bhavan, was spectacularly incredible. The vision of your prostrated self on the steps of the Loksabha still brings goose bumps. Most Indians were won over by this one single act of grace. Your humility on the big stage appeared palpable.
Public knowledge of your work culture, personal habits and lack of interest in woman, wine and wealth has only elevated your persona in public perception. Most Indians felt, we have a leader, we can be proud of.
Your clarion call on 15th Aug 2014 from the ramparts of Red Fort left nobody in doubt that you mean serious business. You inspired everybody to stand up and be counted in the task of nation building. You promised a more inclusive India taking everybody along on the path of sustainable growth. You shocked Delhiites by speaking about the Delhi’s work culture, of coming late, of absenteeism, infighting within the department and between departments.
You signaled your priorities. Swatch Bharath Abhiyan, was launched on October 2, 2014, the Gandhi Jayanthi Day. Suddenly cleanliness, civic sense and hygiene came on the national consciousness as never before. Jan Dhan Yojana, is another of your well thought out plan in our growth trajectory to empower the aam aadmi by receiving direct credit of government assistance into his bank a/c. By any stretch of imagination, it was a revolutionary financial inclusion program. According to the progress report uploaded on the Ministry of Finance website the total number of beneficiaries now are at 46.30 crores, a huge achievement by any standard. Touted as flagship scheme, Jan Dhan Yojana was a major step towards inclusive growth. The Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) of payouts coupled with the account holder’s transactions has resulted in the deposit balance in these accounts to the tune of over Rs. 1.74 lakh crores. This money in the hands of marginalized through their bank accounts clearly reflects the change your government has brought about in the life of aam aadmi. Reportedly it represents some 67% of rural or semi urban households with some 56% having women component.
Commenting on the 8th Anniversary of PMJDY (Pradhan Manthri Jan Dhan Yojana) the other day, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman observed that “The underlying pillars of PMJDY have been banking the unbanked, securing the unsecured and funding the unfunded, made it possible to adopt multi-stakeholders collaborative approach while leveraging the technology for serving the un-served and underserved”, a tribute of another kind.
With money being dealt directly by the beneficiaries has helped the launching of many benefit schemes that people can take advantage of. RuPay card revolutionized the life of this hitherto un-served and underserved population of our country. Hats off to you Modiji for this huge difference that your government has done for those in the margins of our development story.
Modiji, besides the above path breaking initiatives, there have been actions on many fronts for the overall development of our Bharath. Ayushman Bharath, Pradhan Manthri Aushadi Kendra, Aatmanirbhar Bharath-Vocal for Local, Digital India, Pradhan Manthri Mudra Yojana are among those initiatives.
Foreign policy approach of a different kind has been visible ever since you took the reins of government at the centre, with all neighbours and many other westen countries looking upto India with renewed expectation of joint efforts for a better world. India, under your stewardship Modiji, emerging as an effective and serious voice on the global forum. Suddenly Indians are realizing and recognizing the change in international relations vis-à-vis issues concerning geo-political dynamics affecting India. Thus Indians are looking up to you with expectation of taking India to a better position in the League of Nations.
While it is true that there have been plethora of initiatives from your office, not all of them are without problems. Among the big ticket initiatives, Demonetization and GST had its positives and huge negatives. Negatives somehow remained to be addressed which continued to trouble small time traders and ordinary Indians. Then there are subjects like Bullet Train, Smart City programme and Clean Ganga Mission have been controversial and you persisted with them without reference to the negative spinoffs that have cropped up while executing these initiatives.
While abrogation of Article 370 has been a political masterstroke, you have a tendency to force your views on the nation without taking opposition on board. The accusation that you are autocratic is not entirely misplaced.
Your ministry of road transport under Nitin Gadkari has been reportedly doing great job with road connectivity being pushed all over the country. Minister himself is talking about super highways being constructed linking big cities all over India. Modiji, these Super highways, 4 lanes and 6 lanes roads are mostly connecting airports, where only the rich are benefitted. But Modiji, there are thousands of places all over India, where small children from villages wanting to attend schools have to cross streams & rivulets with just bamboo or wooden contraception called footbridge. These children cross these streams with only prayer in their lips on those footbridges to go to school. Your Niti Ayog, Education Ministry or Infrastructure Ministry have neither the time ‘nor the resources’ for these helpless children. Only the other day, a small girl child, 7 year old Sannidhi, a student of 2nd standard fell into the stream. Her delicate body could be found only after 48 hours. Do you hearken the cries of the parents of such children, and they are many. The demand for a proper footbridge, where girl child Sannidhi died, has been there for many years. Reportedly there were mishaps in the past as well. In 2009 itself, that is over 10 years ago, a formal written request was submitted to the local Panchayat. And yet, the Panchayat woke up only now, after 13 years, to recognize the need for the footbridge after the sad accident where the life of a blooming girl child was snuffed out by the swirling waters of the tributaries of the local river Souparnika. Yes, it was not a child of Nitin Gadkari or the chairman of Niti Ayog, to make national headlines. Modiji every life matters. We need to sensitise the political class, bureaucracy and of course the media that they too matter who cannot make noise, and more often than not live and die, come and go, unheard, unseen to the wider world.
Ramnath Kovind was our President for 2017-2022. He was the 2nd gentleman Dalit after former President KR Narayanan, to become the constitutional head of the country. Ramnath Kovind was made the President because of his Dalit background. What difference it has made to the community as a whole is little known. Prima facie, it does not look like having made any difference. Despite that Modiji you have followed it with Droupadi Murmu as the next President for 2022-2027 period. However on July 20, a 9 year old Dalit boy Indra Meghawal, was beaten for drinking water from a pot used by a teacher Chhail Singh. The beating, reportedly was so bad, the boy succumbed to his injuries after some 20 days of being in the hospital. Modiji, incidents of physical assault on Dalit has to be firmly and unconditionally put down with iron hand. There should be no compromise in the pursuit of the physical safety of vulnerable sections of our society.
Modiji after 75 years of India being free from the colonial yoke, we as a country failed to protect this vulnerable section of our society. At the Amrit Mahotsav of our independence what do we tell the parents of this child of 9 years who died at the hands of his teacher for touching the drinking water pot of his teacher!?
Speaking at Red Fort on 15th August, you had remarked “we have been casually using language and words that are insulting to women. Can we not pledge to get rid of everything in our behavior, culture and everyday life that humiliates and demeans women”. Referring to family values you even stated “we are a people who call women Narayani”.
But Modiji, when you were delivering your speech exhorting to nation to look-up to women respectfully, your government in Gujarath released 11 life convicts who were imprisoned on the charge of physical assault of a 5 month old pregnant Bilkis Bano in the post Godhra carnage violence, under a scheme of remission, after serving 14 years jail term. It was clearly a case which needed deep deliberation and introspection. The government in Gandhi Nagar didn’t consult Central government as required, under the provisions of remission. It was a blatant misuse of power by the state government.
How would you react Modiji to this outrageous decision of this government in Gujarath, especially after your public exhortation of elevating woman to higher level in public perception!?
Among the issue raised by you at the Red Fort, was corruption. The contractor politician nexus, the 40% commission accusation against Karnataka Minister, the suicide of Santosh Patil, a contractor of Belagavi, for non-receipt of his contracted dues, for non-payment of alleged 40% commission. The story of Raju Halgude, Prayagbai Halgude from Maharashtra, their daughter and grand child, where Halgude attempted self-immolation outside Sachivalaya in Mumbai, daughter committed suicide, child in hospital with serious injuries, all because of non-payment of contracted bill by the Maharashtra government. You are the champion of anti-corruption, but stories like the above continue to happen.
There appear to be no let-up in such instance of money changing hands illegally. This kind of corruption has eaten into our very vitals. And you are fully aware of it and very little is happening to check it.
All Indians are aware that you are personally very clean in all respect. But Indians of all hues are looking up to you with hope for your promised ACCHE DIN. Its been over 8 years and promise has remained a promise from multiple angles. So Modiji, in the name of Bharath Maatha, please, we exhort you, rise to the occasion. As we see it, you are the only hope. Please don’t let India and Indians down.
Yours ever Indian.
Jayaram ShriyanISSUES AND CONCERNShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17698815830925167776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2789748706304687420.post-10383852771486509552022-09-28T11:34:00.000+05:302022-09-28T11:34:19.586+05:30MONTH IN PERSPECTIVE FOR SEPTEMBER 2022New Delhi : The New Delhi datelined report “SC: Child’s welfare, not wish should determine custody”, is a disturbing piece of news coming from the highest court of the land. Here is a case of a child, 11 year old, born in the U.S. to Indian parents. In U.S., estrangement of couples is not uncommon. So, this Indian couple too decides to part company. For sure they were married for over 12 years, since they have a male child 11 years old.
Relationship having soured between the mother and father of this 11 year old male child, one day mother simply leaves U.S. with the child and travels to India, reportedly without the knowledge of boy’s father.
Child was born in the U.S. and therefore had U.S. citizenship, lived for over 10 years in the U.S. with schooling there. Now, that the child has travelled to Bengalooru in India, got into a local school, started enjoying the local atmosphere with maternal grandparents in attendance. So, the child, name not available, got acclimatized to the new environment with probably doting mother making him feel comfortable at home in and around Bengalooru.
And comes the father, knocks the door of Karnataka High Court (KHC) and prays for the custody of child. Having heard all, including the child, KHC reportedly turned down the plea of father to have custody. Reportedly, the KHC went by the express wish of the child, who wanted to stay with mother in Bengalooru. This prima facie, is a correct decision, although they should have referred the issue to a Family Court, which has provision for counseling parents. Having lost the battle at HC, the father of the child approached the apex court, which in its wisdom decides, “It’s the welfare of the child that matters and not the wish of the child”.
The report informs that court went into all aspects of the matter, from the birth of the child, his 10 years in the U.S. and that he is the naturalized U.S. citizen and therefore should return to U.S., which according to the SC is in his welfare. Accordingly the Supreme Court set aside the verdict of KHC.
The question of welfare of the child should be left to the child’s emotional bond with his parents and not his material status of being a U.S. citizen or the status of his father who is in the U.S. If the child who is now in India with his mother and has expressed his desire to be with her, the court has no business to interfere with the wish of the child. The judgment, prima facie can be devastating to the child, and therefore it should be applied for review in the larger interest of justice, fair play and the psychological interest of the child.
Hope, the mother, who is presently in custody of the child should take recourse to review the judgment, by demanding to be heard by a family court rather than normal courts.
Uttar Pradesh: Real Estate Developers, routinely violating building norms with the connivance of government authorities, is not exactly a ‘new norm’ but keep happening all over India.
So its not a news that Supertech Ltd building its Supertech Emerald in Noida on the land owned by them have changed their plan to suit their interest to make more money and still more money. They were permitted to build 14 buildings of 9 floors, instead they built a twin towers of 40 floors each, taller than ever Qutub Minar consisting of 915 flats. Noida authorities clearly joined hands with the developers to allow them to reap the bonanza. Surely they would not have done it for free. It must have been Quid-Pro-Quo for a big time illegal money, changing hands.
Disturbed by the brazen act of illegal constructions by the developer, the flat owner’s association filed a case in Allahabad High Court in 2012. Having heard the case, the High court ordered the demolition of both towers. Since there is the higher court, the aggrieved developer went to Supreme Court, which upheld the High Court order and asked the developer to demolish the twin towers at their own cost. After dilly-dallying for over a year on technical ground, the 103 meter tall twin towers, with the help of implosion technique using 3700kg explosives was in rubbles in less than 15 seconds. Reportedly, it was a thoroughly professional job with no loss of life or property in the surrounding area.
Hundreds of spectators, who had gathered at the site of the blast, clapped with derision at the victory of ‘good over evil’. The real estate company, the Supertech ltd. cried, it lost Rs 500 crores due to this demolition of twin towers. Industry experts stated “demolition of twin towers is a lessen for all stakeholders in real estate industry that accountability will be fixed if they violate building laws. State regulatory authorities under Real Estate (Regulation & Development) Act 2016 should be more empowered to take action against defaulters and protect consumers’ interest”
While it is a good development in the overall interest of justice, what is not spoken about and not written about is the nefarious role of officials of statutory authority who bent backwards to promote the illegal interest of these real estate developers, or real estate sharks, if permitted to call them so.
Truly speaking, it is they who failed the system and let down the public-trust reposed in them as custodians of law enforcement. They used their position to illegally enrich the developer and in the process enrich themselves.
As a private entrepreneur, a real estate developer naturally tries to enhance his profit. It’s quite natural. But these officials appointed to protect the interest of consumers or buyers of parts of property using their honestly earned hard earned money, failed comprehensively in their massive effort at self aggrandizement at the cost of vulnerable purchasers of probably their only long term asset. It was, in retrospect, truly Satyameva Jayathe in practice.
Long live Justice and truth.
Rajasthan : A Jaipur datelined report “MLA resigns for the death of a Dalit boy” has failed to stir the political class in Rajasthan.
Rana Chand Meghwal, MLA, has reportedly resigned, ostensibly for failing to save the Dalit boy who died in hospital.
Rana Chand Meghwal, an MLA of the ruling Congress party resigned from the membership of Rajasthan Legislative Assembly. In his resignation letter to the Chief Minister of Rajasthan Ashok Gehlot, he contended that he had ‘no moral right’ to continue to stay in the government after the death of Inder Meghwal, a 9 year old Dalit student of Saraswathi Vidya Mandir, a private school in Surana Village in Jalore district.
Reportedly, the 9 year old Inder Meghwal, probably a 3rd standard student of Saraswathi Vidya Mandir had touched the earthen pot containing drinking water and drank water from the pot. Ostensibly the earthen pot was being used by a teacher Chhail Singh. Enraged teacher reportedly thrashed the boy black and blue that caused serious injuries to an eye and an ear, with ear bleeding and eye sore. He was taken to hospital in Jalore, Bhinmal, Udaipur, then at last to Ahmedabad in Gujarat, where he succumbed to his injuries.
It appeared prima facie, a upper caste 40 year old Chhail Singh, a teacher at that, had badly hit a mere 9 year old Dalit boy, and the boy died, for just drinking water from the water pot which Chhail Singh was using.
The small boy of 9 year, a Meghwal had died by the upper caste atrocity and MLA Rana Chand Meghawal, had every reason to feel outraged at the brutality meted out to a small defenseless boy, and the society around him did nothing to stop it.
What a disgrace to Sanaathana Dharma!
Gujarath : There were two reports in the print media on 16th Aug. One was about the release of some prisoners under the remission policy of the government of Gujarath, and the other was on the reported remark of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day address to the nation from the ramparts of Red Fort.
News from Gujarath said “Bilkis Bano case: Gujarath govt releases eleven convicts”. The news from New Delhi said “Gender equality crucial to country’s growth: PM”.
Both are different in their own way but both are thematic in its intrinsic implication.
Prime Minister Modi was stressing in his address that “respect for women is an important pillar of India’s progress in the country’s growth trajectory”.
Hitting out at patriarchal mindset, PM Modi had expressed ‘anguish over the use of abusive language for women and asked society to ensure that women are respected and are not humiliated, while stressing the importance of women’s empowerment’.
There are certainly no two opinions about the gender sensitivity that PM was exhorting the nation to adopt and cultivate in the larger picture of equity in growth.
However, what came as an anathema was the other report coming from Gujarath, PM’s own state, where he presided for over 12 years from 2001 to 2014, as the Chief Minister. Beginning with Godhra torching of Sabarmathi Express train leading to the horrendous burning alive of 60 humans on 27th Feb 2002 and the mayhem that followed which took the lives of some 2000 more, has been a catastrophic development during the Chiefministership of Narendra Modi. It is true that all law courts have exonerated him of any personal guilt in handling the horrific situation prevailed those trying hard days, as the Chief Minister.
In the retribution that followed the Godhra carnage, included the attack on the family of Bilkis Bano, where many men were killed and women physically assaulted. Bilkis Bano, who was then 5 months pregnant, was reportedly physically assaulted by 11 men, who were later found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment. Taking advantage of the provisions allowed by the Supreme Court that after 14 years of continuous imprisonment of a life convict he can be released on good conduct. One of the accused applied for remission under the scheme. That prompted the Gujarath government to act and all eleven life convicts were granted the remission. This prompt action of state government has left more reasonable people shocked.
While it is true that, what the Gujarath government did was within the ambit of law, the record of the case is such that, it needed deep deliberation and introspection before granting en-mass remission. It is correct to say that no illegality has happened, but how would you react to a situation like this, if the victim, who is still alive, happens to be one of your very own, how would you react to such blatant, can we say ‘misuse’, of the legal provision, when they deserved no clemency for the sheer brutality of gang-rape of a pregnant woman!
It is in this context, the exhortation of PM Modi in elevating the womanhood to motherhood and beyond, then this virtual condemnation by his own former government of all that he said on such an auspicious occasion like the Platinum Jubilee of our nations Independence Day, by this flagrant piece of executive action, and the dichotomy present therein, leaves a sensitive person numb and speechless.
Waaray mera Bharath, kaise mai ise Mahaan kahoon!
Gujarat: An Ahmedabad datelined report in print media “10 in Gujarath banned for life for filing RTI queries”, appeared disturbing to say the least.
Right To Information Act was enacted in 2005, to bring about transparency in government dealings and covers a whole gamut of information that a citizen can access through an application. Ever since the enactment there has been positive development in empowering ordinary citizens. It has exposed many shady deals and has put the authorities in government on guard and sometimes on back foot. The power of RTI application has led to many physical attacks and even murders committed by people who were exposed due to the information made public by RTI applicants.
It is true that this RTI application regarding different information from government department has triggered widespread fear among government staff who are corrupt and among those private beneficiaries who use these corrupt government servants to get their illegal works or jobs done through these government servants. Thus RTI has become a tool of societal cleaning of financial or pecuniary wrong doings.
Thus, this report coming from Gujarath is not shocking but clearly disturbing.
According to the report, since over a year some 10 people in Gujarath have been banned for life from filing RTI application seeking information which may be uncomfortable to some people, including government functionaries.
Report informs that GIC, that is Gujarath Information Commission had cited reasons like “filing multiple queries”, “being cantankerous” “using the act to harass government officials”.
While charges by Information Commission for refusal to provide information on whatever grounds it has taken, banning an RTI applicant is unprecedented… Prima facie, it can be challenged in high courts.
RTI is a right conferred under the law and Information Commissioners are bound to respond, except in cases involving sensitive information like national security etc.
According to Mahiti Adhikar Gujarath Pahel, an NGO that runs RTI helpline, a husband wife team of Hitesh Patel and Ms. Patel from Petlad town had filed 13 RTI applications related to their housing society. What is the locus-standi of GIC to refuse to give information signed by the couple, but has ‘withdrawn their right to make submission before the commission’!
The couple is among the 10 people banned by GIC, which includes a lady teacher looking for her salary details and service book and a school employee among others.
As it appears, GIC has exceeded its authority and therefore all those who are aggrieved and denied information should approach the Gujarath High Court and call the bluff of GIC.
Karnataka : Today, 15th August 2022, India or Bharath has completed 75 years of its political independence. Looking back over the shoulder, how have we, as a nation, traversed, would surely make an interesting reading.
But a week or so earlier, S.Angara, a Minister in the Government of Karnataka, who also happens to be the District-in-Charge Minister of Udupi District in coastal Karnataka was on an emergency visit to the District. He was addressing media in the Circuit House informing that there would be a campaign to construct foot bridges all over Udupi District and that there would be hundreds of footbridges constructed under MGNREGS. As we all know MGNREGS represents Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.
This particular scheme was enacted and notified by an extra ordinary Gazette of India on 7th September 2005 and came into force on Feb. 2nd, 2006. This is a labour law with social security measure that aims to guarantee the ‘right to work’ of some 100 days per household. This is a good initiative, although belated, for the micro financial empowerment of rural household.
Among the umpteen projects that can be taken up under MGNREGS, are “providing all weather rural road connectivity to unconnected villages, including construction of pucca internal roads within the villages” “Works for improving disaster preparedness or restoration of roads or restoration of infrastructure including flood control and related works”.
Although specifically not covered, under rural road connectivity, foot bridges on rivulets or streams for the village folks, especially school going children could have been thought-about and constructed.
This became extremely urgent, since it was only a week ago, on 8th August, that 7 year old Sannidhi, a student of 2nd standard slipped from a contraption of timber poles called footbridge and she couldn’t be saved alive. Her body was found some half a kilometer away down-stream after over 48 hours. A student of Chapparike Govt. Primary School in Kalthodu village, Sannidhi was returning from school with a school staff who had earlier crossed two girls across, while the third, sadly and unfortunately slipped on slippery poles joining two sides of the stream. Reportedly a foot bridge was sanctioned some eight months ago on the same spot. But Public Works Department (PWD) has been dilly-dallying to go ahead with the project. Now that the neglect has cost the life of a young girl of seven years, the District Minster wants to act tough on the PWD engineers responsible for the delay. And we have this local MLA B. M Sukumar Shetty claiming, may be even falsely that in his Byndoor constituency some 200 small foot bridges have already been constructed and there are additional demands for some 150 more of them. But none questioned, why the foot bridge sanctioned 8 months ago with Rs.12 lakhs sanctioned project cost was not taken up. It could have saved the 7 year old girl Sannidhi and funnily this MLA is offering to educate the younger sibling of Sannidhi which none in the family expressly desired. He was only offering it for public consumption, as if he is a concerned individual. This is opportunism at its worst. All these gimmicks cannot bring back the life of young Sannidhi who paid with her life for the political and administrative apathy of this Government.
These foot bridges have a long history. It’s been on the development radar for a long time and accidents like the one that happened with Sannidhi is not the first one, there have been such incidents in the past but apathy put paid to any heightened seriousness of addressing this important need of locals everywhere. This is the take away of another kind on this platinum jubilee of our political independence. A sad reminder.
Here, it is not out of place to quote Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In his address to the nation on 15th Aug. 2014, his first address to the nation as Prime Minister, he had asked MPs, MLAs and MLCs to go back to their constituencies and try to adopt a village to make it a model village in all respect within the next 5 years period with the help of their Local Area Development Fund. If only these people’s representatives had taken the exhortation of PM Modi, Sannidhi could have been saved for sure. But we are Indians; we only act after tragedy strikes. And our media is as apathetic to issues of concern as the political class and bureaucracy. Today’s (15th Aug) Times of India had 18 pages in the main paper with supplement of 48 pages, nowhere issues of concern affecting the have-nots of the society was there, including that of the tragedy involving Sannidhi.
In a country where the priority is for Bullet Trains and provision of 6 lanes road connectivity to airports, footbridges in remote villages which could truly save young lives don’t make news and our liberals have no views. This is YEH MERA INDIA.
Karnataka: When will politicians make some responsible statement and act accordingly! Veeranna Somanna, or simply V. Somanna, an MLA who became a minister in Karnataka government reportedly remarked or floated an idea of having an airport in Belthangadi, which is 60km from Mangalooru where the present international airport is located.
This V. Somanna, who is the Minister of Infrastructure Development and Housing, was visiting Belthangadi to distribute letters to beneficiaries of housing schemes under Basava Vasati Yojana and BR Ambedkar Vasati Yojana. He reportedly remarked that ‘since there are number of devotees who are visiting Dharmasthala, a temple town, there is need for setting up of a mini-airport in Belthangadi’.
He was only playing to the gallery since Veerendra Heggade, the head of Dharmasthala temple complex was nominated as a Member of Parliament in Rajya Sabha. While it is not known, what prompted the NDA government in nominating Heggade as M.P. his public relation ability has catapulted him to a larger media-space. The proposal of V. Somanna may have to do with this development of M.P. connection to Belthangadi.
However what V. Somanna has forgotten is there are any numbers of temple towns in coastal Karnataka, like Udupi, Kollur, Murdeshwar etc which are farther than Dharmastala from the Mangalore airport. The demand for such airports may also come from these temple towns as well, after the above announcement by the minister.
But what is sad and bad, is that while these politicians have all the time and resources for such infrastructure like airport and related road works and other works for the havoc of the society, they have neither time nor resources for the crying needs of those living in hamlets cut off by rivulets and streams in the interiors of coastal Karnataka. Only the other day, a child of 7 years, Sannidhi, a student of 2nd standard, fell into the swirling waters of a stream in Kundapura, near Udupi. Only after 48 hours her body could be found. She was crossing the stream on a bamboo wooden contraption called footbridge. And this is not an isolated case. There are hundred such places needing urgent intervention. The situation has been so for donkey years and cry of helplessness has been an ARANYA RODHANA for many years.
As infrastructure minister, he did not visit the tragedy spot to get the first hand appraisal of the situation. But he had all the time and resources for creating a possible airport at a cost of some 100 crores, at a place where it is hardly needed.
This is Yeh Mera India, always barking up the wrong tree.
Kerala : Recently there was a one man protest outside Mangalore City Corporation (MCC) office in Ballalbagh for many days. A young man, had died skidding over an open pothole and came under the wheels of a truck following his two wheeler. The protestor is a friend of the deceased. Such deaths have been fairly frequent not just in Mangalooru, but all over Indian cities, whether big city or small city.
The issue of pothole menace has been a long pending issue with government authorities everywhere since many years, with quality of road construction carried out has been of below standard, where repair of these bad patches became endemic, due to the corruption involved in contracting of these petty works after every monsoon. Clearly it appears to be a failure of both political class and bureaucracy.
No wonder, tired of the sickening pace of potholes caused accidents, Kerala High Court has rather came down heavily when it ruled “District Collectors must explain future mishaps caused by potholes”. A report datelined Mumbai was published in a Mumbai newspaper, where Kerala High Court had asked ‘the district collector, everywhere in Kerala, to explain every accident that happens due to pothole in his jurisdiction’. Court has also directed that all officers under the district collector, who are part of Disaster Management Cell, must be instructed to visit and inspect every road and to ensure that all of them are kept free of disaster, lest another accident happen.
Justice Devan Ramachandran of Kerala HC, on August 19, in a detailed order added “It must be remembered that creation of pothole or crater on a road can only be construed as a man-made disaster under the provisions of Disaster Management Act”, directing the DC to act within the statutory powers available under the Act Justice Ramachandran remarked while winding up, that the court cannot ‘prod’ the collector continuously. It was like HC caught the bull by the horn.
Hope, courts everywhere take this suo-moto initiative in pulling up district administration everywhere to act and to act continuously! Since, it is indeed an issue of life and death.
While we are about it, it is pertinent to mention that High Court in Bombay has in principle decided to assign cases of accidents involving potholes to a special bench to be created soon. It was in 2018, that the Bombay High Court had given series of directions to the State government and relevant authorities to tackle the issue of pothole claiming lives during monsoon every year.
However with situation not getting any better and deaths making headlines every other day, High court in Mumbai, terming the lack of seriousness by the government agencies as a clear case of ‘contempt of court’ has decided to assign all contempt petitions to a special bench for the purpose.
Not repairing the road is a violation of people’s fundamental right to live, observed court. Reportedly there were 5 deaths in the last one month alone in Mumbai city.
Hope these actions on the part of courts both in Kerala and Mumbai would bring about some salutary improvements in the picture of potholes not only in Kerala and Maharashtra but also rubs into Karnataka, especially Mangalooru.
ISSUES AND CONCERNShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17698815830925167776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2789748706304687420.post-12061960628756310712022-07-28T11:32:00.005+05:302022-07-28T11:32:34.802+05:30FOCUS JULY 2022NIKHAT ZAREEN-HIJAB & ‘LIBERALS’
Sometime in 2018, there was this film, ‘Secret Super Star’, which has done well at the box office for its off-beat content. It is a story of a family- father, mother and daughter. Being conservative, the father was very strict with the growing daughter. Insia, the daughter, dreams of being a singer. Father Farooq Malik, says ‘No’. But passionate Insia secretly pursues her ambition. She gives herself another name. Her mother Najma Malik nurses the desire of her dear daughter secretly without the knowledge of her husband. Life goes on. One day father of the girl gets a job in Saudi Arabia and family plans to shift to Saudi. In the airport, the luggage of the family was such that it was beyond permissible weight. What can be left behind was the worry of the father and he finds the guitar of his daughter packed among other things. In anger he rips it apart and throws it. Outraged at the action of her husband, Najma, the mother of the ‘Secret Super Star’, revolts and walks out of the airport taking her daughter with her. Culmination of the film was the public honour of the ‘Secret Super Star’ who decides to go to the stage to receive the honour without the burqua, which she always donned to keep her identity secret. Now that she was in the company of her supporting mother she dumps the full body face concealing burqua in preference to salwar khamees, reiterating her freedom. All go home happy at the happier ending.
The film was well received for its message of women’s empowerment and freedom.
Sherwani family of Azampur outside Agra makes shoe parts for big shoe making companies. They have an interesting dimension to their uneventful existence. All of them wear dresses made of tricolors of Indian national flag, so also Sherwanis are fond of singing Vande Maataram. Reportedly entire family of four sings it with pleasure. But the local Muslim community had boycotted the family for their dress habits and for singing Vande Maataram. Crazily even Shahi Imam Maulana Ahmed Bukhari of Delhi Jama Masjid had issued a fatwa declaring Sherwanis as Kafirs, besides the AIMIM of Owaisi too had boycotted the family. Even the school, run by the community rusticated the daughter of Sherwani from the school. While no liberals, whether from the community or from media supported the family for their brave fight, happily, Sherwanis continued with their tricolour dresses and singing Vande Maataram. God bless them. Feel proud to have them, as Indians.
Rafia Naaz, as is evident, is a Muslim young lady and was doing her M.com with a local college. Clearly she was aspiring to better herself from the crowd. Being a self starter is real big for any girl, especially if she is a Muslim. She is from Ranchi, Jharkhand. Report is of December 2017 and she was in the news that she was being provided with security by the police in Ranchi. A young girl, doing M.com, is threatened for what?! Reportedly, she was an instructor at a Yoga institute in Ranchi. She ekes out a living for her family by working as a Yoga instructor. So what is the problem for the community, if she works to earn a living, so what if it’s teaching Yoga! And believe it or not no liberals or media channels came to support her, not even the so-called liberals among Muslim men and women.
Such stories are there all across India and comes Nikhat Zareen.
Indian pugilist Nikhat Zareen emerged as world champion with comfortable 5.0 unanimous verdicts over Thailand’s Jitpong Jutamas in the flyweight (52kg) final of the Women’s World Championship in Istanbul on 19th May 2022.
With this win, Zareen became only the 5th Indian woman boxer to be crowned World Champion.
“Self motivation has been the success story of the new World Champion Nikhat Zareen”, said her first coach Chiranjeevi on the Telangana boxer winning her maiden World Championship crown at the age of 25.
India’s latest boxing sensation has amply proved it and driven the message home through self motivation to script her own success story by being crowned, the new world champion in flyweight championship category. According to Chiranjeevi “She never gives up, come what may and that has made her a world champion woman boxer. There have been many hurdles which Nikhat faced in her journey in the ring but she never gave up. She believed in herself and that has made all the difference. Nikhat’s commitment, passion and guts to keep going is what many athletes lack. But then, she is something special. She is a boxer’s delight in being aggressive at all levels of a boxing event”. That is a lesson for all, how to use one’s aggressive trait positively towards achieving one’s goals of life. Nikhat is telling that, it’s only after you have stepped outside your comfort zone that you begin to change, grow and transform, how true!
Boxing Federation of India Secretary Jay Kowli had remarked post the victory at Istanbul “She is a great Indian athlete, who believes in herself and that is the reason why today she is the champion”.
Post the podium finish, Nikhat naturally appeared exuberant. “After a long time, I got the chance to perform in the world championship. You never know when you will get a chance again, so I didn’t want to waste even a second. I went into every bout with the intention of giving my 100% in the boxing ring”, was her take, while remarking “it feels surreal to be called the world champion. This Gold Medal is the perfect response to all the critics who mocked me for chasing my dream”. Do you hearken AIMPLB bimbos!
“Girls can’t box. Focus on getting a job and finding a groom for yourself”, Nikhat was told growing up in a conservative Muslim family in Vinayak Nagar mohalla in Telangana’s Nizamabad district, when she was angling for boxing.
However, her father Mohammad Jameel, a former footballer and cricketer was euphoric. “Her feat will act as an inspiration to Muslim girls as well as all other girls in the country to aim to achieve higher in life. A kid, a boy or a girl, has to make their own way and Nikhat has paved her own way”, Jameel was reported to have exulted before the newspaper men and women.
It’s clear therefore that parental support, especially that of the father goes a long way in preparing the female children, for greater things of life, more so among Muslim girls.
Times group in-house writer Siddharth Saxena writes "Zareen's world championship mantle has lessons for current day India. Her victory is a punch against the patriarchy of small town India and punch for hope for Muslim girls. She means so much to young Muslims who encounter an uglier reality". He quotes Nikhat saying "As a small town Muslim girl taking up boxing, I was always aware that we had to be in a daayra and work within that boundary. Often girls don't try to come out of that comfort zone. Their dreams remain just dreams".
If the above success stories of Muslim girls have warmed our hearts in general, there is this number of girls stuck with their vision blocked by hijab. While there are many celebrating their empowerment and achievement, a lot of white was being turned into black, by writings on hijab. Some of the reports appearing in the print media indicate the insularity and angularities suffered by a section of Indians in general.
“Legal luminaries divided on hijab law” was a report datelined Mumbai. “Hijab: Petitioners want binding religious sanction: Karnataka government”, was a report datelined Bengalooru. “Hijab violates other students’ right to equality: Govt.” was another report from Bengalooru. “After violence, uneasy calm prevails in Karnataka College”, was the third report from Bengalooru. “Keep religion private, say friend from different faiths” & “Hijab row: blame game continues” were reports from Mangalooru.
Thus, there were any number of reports with journalistic and so-called intellectual inputs, talking and furthering the cause of divisive politics of hijab. In a world, where likes of Zareen have travelled so far from Hyderabad to Istanbul to be recognized as World Boxing Champion, these girls and their misguiding guides are miserably stuck with hijab. No wonder, the 20th May 2022, global papers had the headline “Nikhat Zareen becomes World Champion”, to the utter chagrin of these self-styled women’s rights’ champions who continue to misguide these innocent Muslim girls refusing to attend college, because of college dress code, while insisting on wearing hijab.
Zeenath Shaukat Ali is the Director General of Wisdom Foundation, she writes in TOI “Is wearing Hijab Mandated by Religion?” According to her ‘a scholar of Islam argues that the Quran does not stipulate this form of dress’, while advocating decency and modesty in clothing she remarks ‘word hijab is not equivalent to clothing in Quran’.
Zeenath Ali further writes that “Prophet Mohammed recommended modesty and decency in appearance and dress. But to suppose that his recommendations enjoined a cloistered uniform for women in the present, is wholly opposed to the spirit of his reforms”, while adding “unfortunately Muslim scholarship has been appallingly negligent in setting the record straight in matters relating to hijab and gender”.
According to Zeenath Ali “Kosova, Azerbaijan, Tunisia, Turkey are among the Muslim majority countries which have banned the hijab in public schools, universities, government buildings, while Syria and Egypt have banned face veils in universities. Besides in Indonesia, Malaysia, Morocco, Brunei, Maldives and Somalia, all Muslim majority countries, hijab is not mandatory.”
However while many non-Muslim countries in the World have banned hijab, it is to the credit of Indian democracy that there is absolutely no restriction of any kind for the purported Islamic sartorial inclinations, except in some educational institutions as a dress code, that too inside the class rooms only. However, the villain’s of this hijab controversy are journalists/ newspapers and their liberal intellectual brigade masquerading as Muslim women’s rights warriors.
A report datelined Lucknow “AIMPLB to take-up hijab row at month end meet”, spoke of All India Muslim Personal Law Board taking up the hijab issue in their regular monthly meetings. Reportedly the General Secretary of the board had remarked “Banning hijab is intrusion in constitutional rights of Muslims in the country”. But report also included positive noises from the All India Muslim Women Personal Law Board. The president Shaista Amber welcomed the Karnataka High Court verdict, while remarking “If schools have a dress code laid down in the rules, it should be followed. Education should be prioritized”. Thus, newspapers highlighted more negatives and ignoring to highlight positive statements of people who matter.
Take the case of this girl, Bibi Muskan Khan, who is reported to have screamed “Allah-hu-Akbar”, when some group of boys in saffron shawl hackled her, with a shout of ‘Jaishree Ram’, while entering the college in burqua and she was called brave and was rewarded with cash for her “bravery”. What these organizations and individual who rewarded the girl should realize is, it is India and none would attack a girl physically in public. May be it could have been branded ‘boldness’, instead of bravery. Al Qaeda Chief Ayman al-Zawahiri releasing a video praising this Muskan Bibi and our media taking it further for her so-called bravery, is taking the matter rather too far. An issue of little relevance was attempted to be internationalized. Fortunately, the father of this Muskan, Mohammad Hussain Khan from Mandya had distanced himself from the controversy, saying ‘our family has nothing to do with terrorist organizations?
In conclusion, it can be safely said that there are lessons from the achievements of Nikhat Zareen and her ilk not to be block headed with communal leanings and suffer without experiencing the exhilaration of success that can attend to them, just like Zareen, if only they remain open to change at least for their own individual progress. Hope these girls understand the message from the success of Nikhat Zareen in achieving her dream.
While, we are about it, it may not be out of place to suggest that, should the community as a whole decide against this burqua and related sartorial constrictions imposed by the males of the society in the name of religion, it will surely pave a through-fare for the community to get into the main-stream civil society. Hope the community takes this suggestion positively and in right spirit.
ISSUES AND CONCERNShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17698815830925167776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2789748706304687420.post-26200524220877492092022-07-28T11:32:00.001+05:302022-07-28T11:32:04.278+05:30MONTH-IN-PERSPECTIVE JULY 2022TELANGANA: NIKHAT ZAREEN GOES ON TO BECOME WORLD CHAMPION. WHEN MUSLIMS GIRLS STUCK IN HIJAB
All of 25, the girl from Telangana, Nikhat Zareen, was an unlikely boxing heroin on the podium at an Istanbul sports facility in Turkey. She won her gold medal in the 52kg category, being only the 5th Indian woman to win medal at international boxing events.
The girl from the tiny Mohalla of Vinayak Nagar in Nizamabad district in Telangana emphatically carved a niche for herself. Coming from a conservative family, it was a huge personal achievement for young Nikhat. She made an indelible statement of having arrived on the global scene of boxing, especially when there are these college students stuck in Hijab controversy.
Recent report on Hijab in Karnataka College informs about a dozen or so girls makings rounds of District collectors office and other officials to influence the decision of colleges not to allow Hijab clad girls from sitting in the class. These girls, supported by their fathers, brothers and society men are not thinking beyond Hijab, as if it is the all important thing for them, while Nikhat Zareen travelled all the way to Turkey, and returned with flying colours of Gold Medal at World Boxing Championship with Indian Tricolour flying high. Isn’t there lesson for these Hijab stuck girls to learn from Nikhat Zareen!
Although Nikhat has won the Gold Medal some 2 weeks ago, none of our media men have seen the issue of Nikhat Zareen winning the Boxing Gold at Turkey, as a display of Muslim woman’s emancipation. Indeed some of us need to grow.
KARNATAKA: A Mangalooru datelined report “NITK faculty gets patent for cashew apple wine”, some weeks ago informed about this development.
Report informs that Associate Professor in Chemical Engineering in NITK Prof. Prasanna Belur, has received a patent for the production of wine from cashew apple and raisins. His invention or development in the laboratory is titled “A process for production of an alcoholic beverage from cashew apple and raisins”.
We all know that cashew apple when passed through some fermentation process, produced liquid akin to some kind of alcoholic beverage. This act of illicit production of alcoholic beverage was known to man and was being practiced from time immemorial in coastal Karnataka including Goa. But there was no scientifically developed laboratory tested process to commercially manufacture this alcoholic beverage, is rather new.
Although there have been attempts in the past, according to Prof. Belur, they were not good enough to maintain its consistent flavor and taste to pass-off as a product to be sold and bought over the counter. Thus, cashew apple largely remained an agricultural waste.
Now that, it has passed the test of efficacy by the Controller General of Patents, in the Ministry of Industries, Government of India, it has become a patent in favor of Prof. Prasanna Belur, under the ownership of NITK. Hope someday in the not too distant a future, the product produced under the above patented license could be available for consumption for tipplers in Mangalooru and beyond.
However, the report informed that NITK had filed the patent application in 2012 and got it cleared and received only on May 4th, 2022, after 10 full years! And mind you nobody questioned the delay, when it was possible to be cleared in one year. Is it that, the patent office was over burdened with hundreds of applications for patent?
How can we promote industries, if the department of patent takes inordinately long time for clearing the patent applications? And none questioned, nor did they regret the delay. This is Yeh Mera India.
NEW DELHI: HEALTHY FOOD AND FOOD FOR PALATE
A New Delhi datelined report “71% Indians cannot afford healthy diet”, is a release from Down to Earth periodical supported by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE).
According to the report the diet of these 71 % is low on fruits, vegetable, whole grain but high on processed meat, red meat and sugary drinks.
Clearly at the outset it can be surmised as 71% suffer from wrong diet instead of stating 71% Indians cannot afford healthy diet.
Citing Global Nutrition Report (GNR) 2021, CSE informs “71% of Indians cannot afford healthy diet when Global average is 42%”.
This is a case of barking up the wrong tree. Cost of red meat or processed meat and sugary drinks are far higher than whole grain, or some of the vegetables and cereals. These three constitute wholesome meal for any average Indian. It is possible to make an inexpensive meal out of these food items. According to GNR 2021, the diet of an average Indians lacks in fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts and whole grains. While it is true that certain fruits, vegetables and nuts are expensive, it is eminently possible to have, all these within reasonable prices, like, banana, watermelon, leafy vegetables, cucumbers, peanuts in adequate quantities including rice to make an affordable whole meal.
So, it is wrong to say that 71% Indians cannot afford healthy food. It may be true that there are Indians who cannot afford healthy meal, but the % cannot be so high, since most Indians, have wrong choice of food which are not only expensive but are also not healthy. So what is important is, what constitutes inexpensive healthy diet should be explained at school level for children to make informed choice of food so that they grow into responsible citizens, responsible for their own health to live with the principle of ‘prevention is better than cure’, so that we all look forward for healthy food rather than food ‘only for palate’.
MAHARASHTRA: IS LAW AN ASS!
Some weeks ago, there were three reports, all datelined Mumbai. They were all on individuals in conflict with law and hence were of serious nature.
"Father-son duo gets 10 years RI for kin's rape", was one of the reports. Other two were "Man gets 10 years RI for getting minor pregnant", & "Community work for bank MD, colleague after end of acrimony".
All these reports were reported in the Times of India Mumbai under its column TIMES CITY.
In the first, it was a case of father and son duo physically using the mentally challenged, daughter to the father and sister to the son. It happened in Kangaon near Bhiwandi. Since the wife/mother was not living with them, they both sexually assaulted the victim who was only 15 years of age then. Not knowing what is happening to her, it went on for quite some time, until one day neighbours found that she was pregnant and she disclosed her ordeal. A police complaint followed and the duo were arrested in March 2018. It took over 4 years to conclude. Thane sessions judge sentenced both-father & son- to 10 years rigorous imprisonment and strangely fined them both Rs. 5000/- each. These days we read about fines going in lakhs, this 5000x2=10,000/- appeared inexplicably low. How, a mentally challenged girl, who may be now adult look after herself! What is the rehabilitation package for the victim? How this 5000x2 can take care of her future?
In the second, a 26 year old man was in love with a 15 year old girl and developed physical intimacy wanting to get married and both families discussed the possible marriage. But the marriage did not take place, since the boy was ostensibly of lower caste.
Thus, when the girl became pregnant, they went for abortion and got it done. But hospital complained since the girl was minor. Police comes in, court proceedings starts and in their wisdom; the POSCO court convicts the man for 10 years RI. During the course of court proceedings, judge finds out that girl wanted to save the man by giving wrong name etc. So, clearly they- both victim & the so-called perpetrator-wanted each other. But the judge did not think of their welfare and therefore justice. He and the prosecution wanted the man punished since, the victim was minor. Prima facie, it was clearly a miscarriage of justice. The system could have risen to the occasion to get them married by convincing the families and making a wholesome statement. Instead they destroyed the life of the young man and made the life of girl miserable and uncertain. This is Yeh Mera India insensitive to the core, whether executive or the judiciary.
The third one was on the broken friendship and consequent complaints of a bank MD and his lady colleague. They became friends and developed intimacy and one day it broke. Some misunderstanding and overreaction, complaints land at the police station. Court case follows. But they decide, as matured adults, though belatedly, call it ‘enough’ and decide to tell the court that they are withdrawing the complaint and putting an end to the matter and declare that they would not contact each other anymore.
In the first place, why this had to be newspaper matter at all, except that it had some corporate intrigue! In the event, court asks the litigants to do some community work in some children’s home, which could be a better way in many cases than mentally and physically hurting punishment. Of course the judges used the occasion to use their skill in Queen’s English to display their erudition, a dimension of judiciary in English Speaking world!
MAHARASHTRA: Some weeks ago, there was this report in the print media, datelined Thane, Mumbai, "birthday boy & aspiring cricketer, 14, run over in sports complex".
That was a very tragic piece of news. Prashant was the only son of Dilip Mishra. He had come to Savlaram Maharaj Sports Complex in Dombivli to play cricket, as usual between 5&5.30 pm. He was on the field and a speeding car hits him. A profusely bleeding Prashant was rushed to the nearby hospital, only to be declared brought dead. Reportedly head was severely injured and that was the cause of death, according to hospital sources.
Car was reportedly being driven by one Jayesh Ravindra Nerlekar, all of 25, a resident of nearby housing society. He had entered with his car inside the sports complex for driving practice. He was reportedly drunk.
Reportedly, police were talking about strict action against the driver under the offence of rash driving.
Clearly, it's much more than that. It’s a case of trespass to begin with. A motorist cannot enter the sports complex ground, driving in, with the car. The driver was not a trained driver and he was practicing driving. Clearly he had no license. Trespass and driving without license are criminal offences. To top it all, the driver without license was drunk as well. So the death due to drunken driving amounts to killing not amounting to murder that is culpable homicide, where imprisonment is 10 years in jail.
Reportedly, the sports complex users had demanded in the past that complex should not be allowed for driving practice. But the Kalyan Dombivali Municipal Corporation (KDMC) ignored their complaints, tells the report.
The apathy of KDMC, poor security at sports complex and a drunken driver without license snuffed out the life of a young aspiring cricketer, all of 14, on his birthday.
May be at present KDMC has acted to ban the entry of cars into the stadium. To make the authorities act, a young boy had to make a supreme sacrifice. Why are we like this always acting when it's too late! This is Yeh Mera India!
MAHARASHTRA: DICHOTOMY IN JUDICIAL PRONOUNCEMENTS
Sometime it is difficult to understand the dichotomy of judicial pronouncements in courts across the country.
There was this report some weeks ago “Man who lost leg in road accident ordered Rs. 75 lakhs compensation”, datelined Mumbai. Another datelined Thane, outside North East Mumbai, was “No relief for kin of manual scavengers died in 2016”.
The former informed about one Ajay Ahuja, then 37, had met with an accident in Goregaon, North West Mumbai in 2016. On Oct. 19, 2016, Ahuja, now 42 years, was riding his scooter and was hit by a private bus. He was immediately hospitalized, but after 10 days in a hospital, his right leg was amputated. An FIR was filed, neither the private bus owner nor the Bajaj Alliance General Insurance Co., the insurers, entertained his claim. Victim claimed to have spent Rs.10 lakhs on hospital bills and claimed a compensation of Rs. 50 lakhs before the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT).
Upholding the claim MACT ordered Rs.75 lakhs as compensation to be paid by both the private bus owner and the insurance company. MACT observed that there is 85% permanent partial disability in the right leg, which is essential for the victim to perform his normal duties and therefore compensation should be Rs. 75 lakhs.
Prima facie, it’s an honourable resolution of the issue in favour of the victim, although being a medical officer he is not likely to significantly jeopardise his performance and therefore his earning capacity.
As compared to the above, the starkness of judicial apathy in treating the death of 3 persons inside a sewer manhole, so casually, is most unfortunate.
A labour court in Thane, reportedly denied compensation to the families of three manual scavengers who died inside a manhole on 2nd June 2016, due to inhalation of toxic fumes.
Victims, Mohammed Sheikh 27, Hanif Sheikh 41 and Ajaul Sheikh 41, had entered the manhole to clear the shit of civil society blocking free flow inside the sewer line. They didn’t have any safety gadgets while entering the manhole. They were on regular employment of one Sayrul Sheikh and were on monthly payment of some Rs.9000 per month, it is claimed.
According to the family of victims they had written to both the employer and his insurer, New India Assurance Co., but received no reply. The family approached the labour court and the judge T.A Sawant, as if, threw out their claim by refusing to award compensation on the spacious ground that the claimants failed to prove their case, while stating they had the primary burden to prove the case. What this ‘learned’ judge failed to see is, those who could prove the case are dead and gone, knowing full well that “dead men tell no tales”.
This judge T. A. Sawant had every opportunity of hackling the employer, who ran away from his responsibility, so also the insurance company who had covered the activities of this Sayrul Sheikh, the man who employed the victims who died while performing their jobs.
It was very likely that, victims may not have anything in writing about the job. They could have orally accepted to work for the employer and he was paying them without any receipt. Petty contractors employ many people on short term period without any written contracts. This practice is quite normal.
The judge clearly erred in not looking into this aspect while dismissing their claim that ‘there was no cogent oral or documentary evidence before the court in support of their claim’. To give any cogent oral submission the victims are dead!
There was every possibility like the MACT member Sanjay Chaudante, who looked into the compensation aspect more humanely and rationally to award Rs.75 lakhs, making both the bus company and the insurance company to jointly pay the victim in the case of road accident. Judge Sawant was clearly not driven by the justice aspect of the case. He was apathetic to the helplessness of victims’ families, in not thinking the way MACT member Chaudante did.
It was a sad day when the labour court failed to protect the interest of labour when it was eminently possible, when all they claimed was some 25 lakhs for all 3 families, when MACT awarded 75 lakhs compensation to a single individual, for only a partial disability with potential to earn a living was still almost intact. This is Yeh Mera India.
While we are about it, there were no communists, no NGOs, no PFI and their ilk or even AIMIM of Owaisi to fight for justice for these hapless families with their only earning members have dead and gone. Oh Poor Mother India.
NEW DELHI: NUPUR SHARMA
In a TV debate in New Delhi, the BJP spokesperson was reported to have remarked something, referring to a holy book. This happened on 27th May 2022. For a week nothing happened. On 3rd June, violence erupts in Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh, but controlled.
In between 4th and 5th June some sinister movements take place to internationalize the remark of Nupur Sharma. Here Nupur Sharma is only symbolic it looked like, in retrospect. It appeared more politics than anything else. On 5th June Qatar calls Indian ambassador and some 13 countries joined the issue to tell the Indian government, that it condemns the remark of Nupur Sharma. The union government led by BJP immediately suspends Nupur Sharma.
And strangely, rather very strangely, Indian media, including print media goes berserk immediately after the so-called international ‘barrage’ on the ‘remark’ by Nupur Sharma.
On 7th June there were print media reactions in TOI and other news papers. It included pieces by likes of Sanjay Baru “Unmaking of India” in TOI of 7/06/22, besides editorial comments, ‘Nupur, Naveen & Us’.
On 12/06/2022, the Sunday TOI carried a story from Swaminathan Anklesaria Aiyar, the brother of Mani Shankar Aiyar titled “Child Marriage: Why we should not point fingers”.
Sanjay Baru was a media advisor to PM Manmohan Singh, so he too is from media. Then you have this Shashi Tharoor, who revels in making outlandish remarks, on and off, to show off his mastery of Queens English.
All these above referred ‘gentlemen’ including the editor of TOI are without hesitation can be called jokers.
Why? One could ask.
The incident of these remarks on a TV debate by Nupur Sharma happens, mind you, on 27th May 2022. And these jokers did not think it to be an issue or had just ignored the debate itself, until June 6th that is more than 10 days later. They woke up, as if; it’s an issue to beat the BJP with, after some Middle Eastern countries made some noise more as a knee jerk reaction. For sure, if these middle-eastern countries were not to react, the whole issue would have been irrelevant to our media men and women.
But what did Nupur Sharma say?!
She is reported to have read out from a holy book some writings in the holy book itself. Here the question is, if the references are to the issue mentioned in the holy book, how does it become controversial or hurting the sentiments of followers of the hold book! If they are not happy that non-faithfuls should not read it aloud to the ears of world outside, these faithfuls must think of not including these details in the holy book in the first place. None in the media, or these countries, who called India to register their unhappiness, said ‘where Nupur Sharma is wrong’.
Swaminathan Anklesaria Aiyar called it “insulting remarks”, and tries to give lessons to Indians on child marriages, referring to a book by one Katherine Mayo. We do not need lessons from likes of Mayo. India already has laws banning child marriage.
Sanjay Baru writes “External embarrassment aside, offensive rhetoric from some BJP leaders also threatens internal social stability,” as if it’s an earth shattering development. The TOI editorial commented “There will have to be firm signals from the top and firm and quick actions” asking the government to take tough actions against Nupur Sharma. However there have been social media reactions galore on the over reactions of a section of Indians including exonerating Nupur Sharma, since there have been ongoing debates, the world over, including the faithfuls’ acceptability of these details in the holy book.
NEW DELHI: “Covid- orphaned child faces custody battle between aunt & grandparents” was a report datelined New Delhi.
Last year in the pandemic wave, reportedly a child was orphaned due to the untimely demise of both father and mother of the child. Father died on May 13, and mother followed a month later on June 12. The paternal grandparents living with the deceased couple took care of the growing child.
To get the child attend the last rites of his mother, relatives took him to Dahod some 100km east of Ahmadabad. His maternal relatives, all living in a joint family, decided to retain the child with them, with an unmarried 46 year old aunt taking care of him. Being a large family, child merged probably well with the family.
Anxious grandparents, who probably were emotionally dependent on the child of their only son, moved the Gujarat High Court for the custody of the child.
Although the court found that child was very comfortable with the grandparents, he naturally couldn’t make his preferences clear by opting for either the maternal aunt or grandparent, if the situation demanded.
The maternal aunt was a central government employee, with financial security and still young at 46, besides the joint family atmosphere in Dahod, was a better option, thought the G.H.C, and accordingly custody of the child was given to aunt. Besides, grandparents were depended on the pension only, of the grandfather.
Aggrieved at the loss of custody of child, grandparents knocked at the door of apex court. Apex court stayed this HC order, but allowed the custody to continue with the aunt but asked her respond to the petition by grandparents.
In a judgment, that made grandparents smile with satisfaction, the Supreme Court, reversed the judgement of HC and granted the custody to grandparents.
The counsel for grandparents had argued that, while HC looked at the age of grandparents with concern, it has ignored better education facility in Ahmadabad.
It looks like, grandparents lived in their own house, either owned by themselves or by the deceased parents of the child, hence accommodation was not an issue. The pension received by the grandfathers was probably enough to take care of the child and his education besides their own living expenses. More importantly however the child was emotionally secure with the grandparents and his absence from their life could have jeopardised the emotional wellbeing of grandparents.
Although all details are not available in the public domain about the case, the above inference seems to have worked. Hope both child and grandparents live happily hereafter. However, there was no reference to the maternal aunt’s visitation rights which could have helped all stake holders to remain in good contact for the future of the child. Wish that should have happened.
MAHARASHTRA: BCCI the cricket controller of India is reportedly richer by 48,390 crores. This income is reportedly for the period of 5 years - 2023/28. Reportedly the secretary of BCCI Jay Shah is thrilled with this IPL bonanza. And why not! This Jay Shah is the son of Amit Shah, the BJP strong-man and Union Home Minister. The amount works to Rs: 9678 crores per year. BCCI conducts 90 matches during the 5 year period and it costs them reportedly Rs:3 crores per match. This works to Rs.270 crores. This leaves a surplus of Rs.9678 crores. What could be the pay out to BCCI functionaries for their lavish styles including business class air travels! Assuming 678 crores for the entire year would take care of their stylish lifestyle with enough pay out as compensation, the balance of 9000 crores can attract income tax at 30% + 10% on it as other levies of Rs: 2970/- crores. That is the legitimate state dues BCCI should pay to the exchequer. Hope the cricket behemoth pays this money to the government. Will they!?
WORLD: A Washington datelined report informed “US Supreme Court expands gun right, strikes down New York Law”.
Something is seriously wrong with the concept of freedom, the US judiciary has.
Reportedly, in a major expansion of gun rights, the Supreme Court of United States of America ruled that Americans have a right to carry firearms in public.
We are told, since our childhood, that rights and responsibility goes together and that price of freedom is its responsible exercise. This clearly means we cannot have rights without corresponding responsibility.
But the judicial overreach by the highest court of the world’s biggest democracy has put the cart before the horse, by giving more fire power to its people, instead of curbing it. And come to think of it, that, it’s not simple majority in decision making! It was 6 for and 3 against decision to assert the right to carry the gun, in a situation where there have been many mass shootings in the recent past.
Surprisingly, it happened when the Congress in the Capitol Hill is working towards the passage of gun control legislation following mass shootings in Texas, New York and California.
According to the 2/3rd majority judgement of US Supreme Court “constitution protects an individual’s right to carry a handgun for self defence outside the home”. Not surprisingly this judgment has struck down the law in the state of New York, which require people to demonstrate a particular need for carrying gun in order to get a licence to carry gun in public.
No wonder, Kathy Hochul, the Governor of the State of New York has reacted rather sharply. “This decision isn’t just reckless. It’s reprehensible”, while noting that ‘this intervention by the top court of the land has come at a particularly painful time, when New York is still mourning the deaths of 10 people in mass shooting at a super market in Buffalo’.
Indeed at times, truth can be stranger than fiction. This exhibition of excessive rights can seriously jeopardise the very atmosphere of freedom by introducing fear psychosis among majority of US citizens, who are averse to keeping or using gun in imaginary self-defence scenario. Hope judges at the Supreme Court rethink of their ‘historic’ decision for the good of the free world, especially the United States of America.
ISSUES AND CONCERNShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17698815830925167776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2789748706304687420.post-1219958375278487312022-05-30T13:17:00.003+05:302022-05-30T13:17:25.174+05:30FOCUS-JUNE 2022RAMAKRISHNA MOVEMENT IN MANGALOORU-1947-2022
FOOT PRINTS ON THE SANDS OF TIME
That the Ramakrishna movement was the brainchild of Swami Vivekananda is well known. To give concrete shape to the message of Sri Ramakrishna and himself, Swami Vivekananda launched the monastic order. The first Ramakrishna Math was thus formed followed by Ramakrishna Mission. The objectives of Ramakrishna Math are to spread the idea of the potential divinity of every being and to manifest it through every action and thought. “Aatmano Mokshartham Jagad Hitaaya Cha” is the motto of Ramakrishna Math, which translated into English means “For the salvation of our individual self and for the well being of all on earth”. This is a shloka or verse from Rig Veda. In simple terms, the above shloka quoted by Swami Vivekananda means “For one’s own liberation and for the good of the world”.
Thus, Ramakrishna Math was formed to spread the idea of how to liberate oneself in thought and action that would lead to the good of the entire biosphere.
Ramakrishna Mission was developed through which the monastic order could carry on its services in co-operation with lay workers and devotees.
Ramakrishna Math was formed first in Baranagore to be the centre of spiritual teaching, guiding and inspiring earnest seekers and moulding the life of its monastic members. It was in 1886 and later shifted to Alambazar in 1891 and finally on December 9, 1898 to Belur. However, it was in 1897, on the return of Swami Vivekananda from the US, the first Ramakrishna Math was set up outside Bengal in the then Madras, to spread the mission’s work in South India.
While the Ramakrishna Math was for the spiritual development of monastics and devotees, the Ramakrishna Mission was to devote itself, in the light of the teachings of Sri Ramakrishna, to serve in the field of education, medical help, emergency relief in calamities etc. It was also to spread the message of Vedanta, which has universal principles underlying all religions.
Although the Math was established in 1886, it was only on 1st May 1897, Ramakrishna Mission was constituted.
The uniqueness of Ramakrishna movement is that, all religions are looked upon as paths to the attainment of spiritual illumination and all people as manifestation of one universal spirit.
The twin organizations of Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission belonging to Ramakrishna order have been functioning in Mangalore City since 3rd June 1947. Started out in a small rented house in the vicinity of Lalbagh but later shifted to an elegant mansion sprawling in an area of 7.5 acres of land adjacent to auspicious archaeological surroundings of city goddess Mangalambika, popularly known as Mangaldevi temple who is bestowing her blessings on the natives of Mangalooru for over 1300 years. Thus the combination of Math, Mission and Mangaladevi temple together at one place added to the aura and luster to the sanctity of the area. In view of this, earnest devotees throng the place throughout the year.
The Ashram which houses both Math and Mission in one complex meets all the urges of true devotees by catering to their spiritual longings by listening to intellectual discourses, sing devotional hymns or bhajans and songs in praise of God. At the same time the serenity of the ashram, the peaceful atmosphere which abounds there with lush green trees and plants made the people to flock to the area to seek peace of mind which also reminds them of age-old Gurukul system and Rishi Ashram away from the hustle-bustle of modern cities.
The Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission are celebrating this year, their scintillating, energetic and electrifying 75 years of existence in Mangalooru and the platinum jubilee has become the talk of the town. From a small torch trying to spread the light of Ramakrishna and Vivekananda, lit 75 years ago in Mangalooru, it has now become a torch bearer to the entire state of Karnataka by taking up manifold activities useful to the society at large. It was bestowed Karnataka Rajyotsava Award this year for the services rendered to the Society in and around Mangalooru. No wonder the local ‘Ramakrishnalaya’ has become a cynosure in the coastal region of Karnataka.
The growth of Ramakrishna Math and Mission started when it moved from the listless rented building to its own happy home. This happened due to the generosity of Sahukar Venkatesh Pai who was running a ‘Balakashram’ in the premises where the Ashram is situated at present. He decided to hand over the mansion along with the 7.5 acres of land, which he acquired from some British owners leaving the country around 1947, to Ramakrishna Ashram on 11.8.1951. Then onwards this vast area gave impetus to the manifold activities taken up by the Math and Mission and Ramakrishna movement in Mangalooru did not look back in pursuing its goal of helping individuals to find their own salvation and the welfare of the world. It was a slow but sure journey, made by the Ramakrishna movement in its path of making the mankind find its own feet in Ramakrishna Order.
Evolution of Ramakrishna Movement in Mangalooru may be best portrayed with the help of an Asta Dala Padma or Lotus with eight petals. Thus the beginning of Ramakrishna Movement may be depicted as the first petal of the Lotus as it got a well maintained infrastructure to start with.
Second petal depicts the dedicated manpower resources commanded by Ramakrishna Math and Mission, and as you will know any organization can be successful only if it is headed by leaders of substance in their avowed field. Ramakrishna Math and Mission Mangalooru were fortunate from the beginning and it found with it a team of Sanyasis or those who have renounced worldly attachment and celibates or brahmacharies of high attainments dedicated to serve mankind, well versed in their field, knowing the pulse of the people as envisioned by Swami Vivekananda. In this process Ramakrishna mission Mangalooru got a Swamijee to lead from the front every time when change in the set up became imminent. These swamijees brought such a change which lent colour and luster to the achievement of Ashram and that itself became a separate petal in the developing ashta dala padma every time on which today the Math and the Mission are cushioned. You will see one by one which happened in the system as the change in the hierarchy whenever occurred
Initially the Ramakrishna Math and Mission, Mangalooru was headed by Swami Vimalanandajee [1947-1951] started on a small note but under whose guidance the Ashram took to various activities like singing bhajans, conducting evening prayers, chanting of Vedic mantras, delivering spiritual lectures, performing poojas and archanas. It created a saannidhya or proximity to the divine. It laid the basic ground work required to purify the land on which it stood and lay the foundation for a bigger and broader role to be played later for the development of Ashram activities. Thus, it forms the third petal of Ashta Dala Padma.
Swami Adidevanandajee took over the reins of Ashram from 1951 to 1966. He was a legend himself in that he added special dimension of literary activities to the routine ashram activities. Thus making both vertical and horizontal expansion possible, during his time. Ashram not only made progress in its day-to-day mundane activities and running the Balakashram, but also it started extending free medical assistance to the poor and the needy without any discrimination of caste, creed or sex. Under the guidance of medical experts he started a clinic or chikitsalaya on 30.4.1955 within the Math premises. Service to God is nothing but service to the vulnerable and the helpless living beings. If we remember those difficult years of nineteen fifties, when our country was facing scarcity of all kinds, be it funds, food, and other resources besides shortage of medical experts, the extension of medical assistance proved a big boon to those residing in the surrounding areas of Ashram. Patients came from distant villages like Kotekar, Ullala crossing river Netravati by boats, and trains. More than 40000 patients might have received medical assistance those days from the dispensary run free of cost by Ashram, providing both allopathy and homeopathy medicines.
The bhajans or singing of holy hymns continued, chanting of Vedic mantras reached its pinnacle within the Ashram. The poor and beggars were extended necessary help and assistance. Balakashram got more students and to cater to their need, Swami Adidevanandajee thought of construction of new building to house the school and hostel for students. He also felt the need for a hall for giving spiritual lectures and to interact with public. In 1963 centenary celebration of Swami Vivekananda was approaching. To commemorate the same and to meet the space requirement for the celebration additional construction was taken up by him. His visionary planning of the building served the space requirement far beyond the need of the time into the next millennium.
During the period of Swami Adidevanandajee as the Head of Ramakrishna Math, who was proficient in Kannada, English & Sanskrit, various scriptures like Bhagvad Gita, Upanishads and many more Sanskrit prakaranas and shastra granthas were translated into Kannada . His love for Kannada language was exceptional and he took various initiatives for translation, propagation and growth of the language.
During the Vivekananda Centenary celebrations, he involved himself with great enthusiasm. He delivered discourses on Ramakrishna and Vivekananda throughout the year. In the concluding sessions of centenary celebrations literary giants like Da .Ra. Bendre,Archaka Venkatesha, Narayana Sangama and RG Kulkarni participated. These laureates brought out a book named Kavanaanjali published from Bangalore Math although seeds have sprouted in Ramakrishna Math Mangalooru.
Swami Adidevanandajee translated Patanjali Yoga Sutras and Vyasa Bhashya to Kannada. He continued his efforts and translated 10 Upanishads, parts of Veda,Viveka Chudamani, Brahma Sutra Bhasya, Lalita Sahasranama, Srimad Bhagavad Gita into Kannada. His painstaking efforts in this evolution would always be remembered by all the devotees of Math. In this great effort many people like Achyuta Kamat of Sharada Press, SS Raghavacharya, Professor in Philosophy, University of Mysore, assisted him.
Swami Harshanandajee who was already with the Math in Mangalooru also learnt Sanskrit and wrote Sabhashya Karma Yoga Sutra Shatakas and many other books during the centenary celebrations.
It is fondly remembered here that Swami Jagadatmanandajee who wrote the book ‘Badukalu Kaliyiri’ was visiting Mangalooru Ashram when Swami Adidevanandajee was the Head of the Math and while swamijee was translating Patanjali Yoga Sutra, Swami Jagadatmanandajee took dictation from him and assisted him.
This way Ramakrishna Ashram, Mangalooru took giant steps by translating Sanskrit books into Kannada. Shri K. Vasudeva Karanta, inspired by Shri Ramakrishna’s ideals motivated his brother Shivaram Karantha to translate the book on Ramakrishna Paramahamsa’s life published by Adwaita Ashram in English to Kannada and also rendered financial assistance to publish the book. To that translated works Swami Adidevanandajee wrote the foreword and got the book printed by Ramakrishna Ashram itself. In this way Veda Sahitya Ganga in Sanskrit which was not available in Kannada flowed and came down to Kannada Sahitya Bhagirathi and reached every corner of Karnataka by the efforts of Ramakrishna Ashram, Mangalooru. It may be concluded from the above that in the literary history of Ashram it is a golden period as far as writing, printing and publishing of books is concerned.
Thus, the period of Swami Adidevanandajee became the fourth petal on which rested the growth of Ramakrishna Movement in Mangalooru. Spreading the knowledge of Vedanta literature and message of Ramakrishna & Vivekananda throughout the length and breadth of Karnataka is the major achievement of Ramakrishna Math, Mangalooru, during the period.
The fifth petal pertained to the stabilizing of the growth already achieved. Swami Vijnanandajee Maharaj (1966- 1981) spread the message of unconditional love and affection towards people shown and given by the Guru Shishya duo- Ramakrishna Paramahamsa & Swami Vivekananda- widely understood through his inspiring talks at many schools, colleges and also in public gatherings. During his time at the helm of Ashram in Mangalooru devotees came in good number. They loved him, the students of Balakashrama revered him and monks of the order respected him for his simplicity and compassionate nature. More and more devotees came to ashram and involved themselves in its activities. The Ashram became irretrievably broad based with vibrancy.
The sixth petal on which Ramakrishna Math and Mission bloomed pertained to the other dimension of creating society of well-wishers which happened during the period of Swami Sundanandajee (1981-1998) being at the helm in Mangalooru. He gave a serene look to the Ashram by transforming its environment. He was associated with the activities of Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission Mangalooru even before he became the head of the Math. The Dispensary by the Math took shape due to his untiring work. Huge green cover grew all around the Ashram giving it the ambience of kuteera due to his love for gardening. He has conducted various spiritual and moral classes for children, summer camps for students, workshop for teachers etc. ‘Ramakrishna Balabrinda’ started imparting value education to local children on Sundays by choosing devotees’ residence at Mannagudda, a suburb of Mangalooru. Sharada Mahila Vrinda attracted female devotees under his guidance and carried on spiritual practices such as singing bhajans, saying prayers, chanting of mantras and other devotional activities of Math. ‘Warden Swamiji’ was the pet name given to him and he was respected for his benevolent and gracious nature by the students of Balakashrama.
The seventh petal of the Ashta Dala Padma on which Mission and Math grew in Mangalore pertained to the period of Swami Purnakamanandajee (1998-2010) In addition to all the spiritual and cultural development activities initiated by his predecessors, Swamijee concerned himself with the ‘welfare’ of ashram. A book stall came up at ashram premises with wide range of literature on Vedanta philosophy, Ramakrishna vachanas and other literature on Vivekananda was made available to general public. Swami Purnakamanandajee was the inspiration behind the construction of the magnificent bronze statue of Swami Vivekananda which was installed at the very place where his predecessor Swami Sundanadajee would sit every evening talking to the devotees. He was also instrumental in constructing Swami Vivekananda auditorium to commemorate the golden jubilee year of Ramakrishna Ashram Mangalooru. The said building constructed at a cost of Rs 1.2 crores was borne entirely by the devotees, alumni and well-wishers. It covered an area of 20000 square feet and has two floors and a basement. It consists of a huge auditorium, guest rooms, library, reading room and many other amenities. Swami Ranganathanandaji, the most revered President and Swamiji of Ramakrishna order inaugurated the building complex and added luster to the event.
Swami Jitakamanandajee took over from him on 15.8.2010 whose period marked an altogether different phase of development in the history of Ramakrishna Math and Mission and formed the Eighth petal. Math and Mission became synonymous with the throb of Mangaloorians’ hearts. Swami Jitakamanandajee who had served at Thrissur, Mysore and Kaladi ashrams before becoming Head of Mangalooru Ashram had entered the life of renunciation at a very tender age. When he was serving Balakashrama of Mangalooru, he wholeheartedly guided the numerous students by promoting their holistic well-being. He travelled all over the country giving talks on spirituality, human values, ethics and importance of moral education.
Under his guidance Ramakrishna Ashram Mangalooru opened a new leaf by responding to the clarion call given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Gandhi Jayanti Day in 2014 about Swachch Bharat Abhiyan. As per the Ramakrishna Mission Belur Math headquarters notice Mangalooru Ashram took up the campaign on cleanliness. Swami Ekagamyananda was made the convener for Swachch Mangalooru Abhiyan. It inspired the devotees; volunteers and the people of Mangalore and they took to the cleanliness drive with commitment. With this reach-out of Ashram it touched every nook and corner of Mangalooru. More than 60 organizations participated in it. Rallies were organized, some 10000 volunteers joined. More than 13000 students participated and worked as warriors of cleanliness. More than 2,000,000 hours of human resource was utilized in the Abhiyan. Some 2000 articles were published by the media regarding the Swachch Mangalooru Abhiyan by the Ramakrishna Math Mangalore. ISSUES & CONCERNS carried a lead article in its November 2019 edition. The volunteers have visited more than 40000 houses to create awareness among people regarding segregated disposal of wet and dry household garbage.
Pot composters at subsidy rate were distributed to more than 5000 households for introducing the concept for waste management. People were also trained through demonstration classes to convert the organic kitchen waste into natural manure. ‘Swachch Soch’ programs were arranged in city colleges with symposiums in about 50 colleges which was Swamijee’s brainchild. Cleanliness drive was organized in 100 villages in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts under Swachch Gram Abhiyan for rural areas. Swachcha Jana Samparka Abhiyan events were organized on daily basis at residential areas to create awareness saying that ‘our garbage is our responsibility’. Magic shows for cleanliness -innovated a new way to teach public about cleanliness by Shri Kudroli Ganesh and his team. The hall mark of the movement is that people from all fields of activity joined the program actively with senior swamijees themselves sweeping streets of Mangalooru. And thus, it became a success story of inspiring people. It turned out a new leaf in the annals of history of Ashram Mangalooru. This yeoman service was recognized by the Karnataka Government.
The basic foundation on which Ashram activities dwell is the routine service activities under the aegis of ashram which extend from daily worship and prayers to various other activities mentioned below:
1. Daily worship and Prayers:
The monks, the brahmacharis, the balakashram boys and the devotees congregate in prayer hall every day offering prayers, bhajans and daily worship.
2. Students’ scholarship program:
The ashram awards scholarship to deserving students belonging to economically backward classes.
3. Yoga camps:
The ashram frequently organizes yoga camps for the public teaches surya namaskaras, pranayama etc.
4. The Sharada library:
It has a well-equipped library having over 8000 titles covering spirituality, vedas, history, biographies, teachings of Vivekananda.
5. Cultural programs:
The Ashrama supports the organizing of yakshagana, Talamaddale, ashtavadana, gamaka vachana and many other local art and culture and giving scope to local artists.
6. Value education program:
The Ashram conducts value education program, personality development program, seminars, symposiums and workshops for students, teachers, lecturers, professionals and corporates by special resource persons. Math also has MOU with several educational institutions to impart training on value education.
7. Distribution of study materials:
The local students belonging to low-income families are supplied with free school supplies, the uniform, shoes, bags and necessary study materials.
8. Ramakrishna Bala vrinda:
The ashram is teaching on Sundays among the students living in the neighborhood of ashram about spiritual, cultural and moral values to be inculcated in them. Devotional songs, moral stories, Bhagavad Gita,Vishnusahasranama,Lalita sahasranama,yoga etc. are taught to them in the Sunday classes.
9. Sharada Mahila Vrinda:
The female devotees have formed this group and that they meet once a week at the ashram to practice bhajans, study scriptures etc.
10. Summer camps:
Summer camps are conducted for students of class 5-10. Moral science, value education, personality development program, painting, public speaking, dramatics, sports and games are the other activities taught to children during this program.
11. Free clothes distribution:
Economically backward communities living around the math and remote areas are supplied with clothes by math
12. Panchanada inchara:
Annual music festival is organized for the distinguished artists of the country to showcase their talents for the music lovers.
13. Bhava sangama:
Conferences of the Ramakrishna Math devotees are being conducted at the ashram every year wherein discourses, interactive sessions and cultural events are held.
14. Swami Vivekananda coaching center:
While above activities are regularly conducted, the Math also conducts survey of the schools of the locality in order to identify students from families belonging to the backward classes and low-income group, to support them. These students after school hours are given free coaching under Swami Vivekananda Coaching Center. They are also fed with nutritious meal besides milk.
Thus, it may be seen that Ramakrishna Ashram while crossing 75th milestone have registered significant achievements for which it has won laurels, accolades and awards and earned gratitude of devotees and general public of Mangalooru. Many plans are on the table awaiting action during the Platinum Jubilee year. By way of its approach to give Anna (food) to poor students, Akshara (literacy) by disseminating jnana (knowledge) through publications and translations of Sanskrit literature, Abhaya (counseling) to those who are in need of philosophical guidance and solace and finally Aarogya (health) through its swachchata abhiyan etc. has made the organization in Mangalooru unique. It could both look forward and backward simultaneously and position itself to create a Great India with its unique journey of the last 75 years. Its young and energetic sanyasis can create a glorious India which Swami Vivekananda dreamt 150 years ago. And as the Mangalooru centre complete its platinum jubilee and starts its journey towards centenary lets all pray that the Ramakrishna Math & Ramakrishna Mission Mangalooru grows in strength and resources to accomplish all that its visionary duo, Sri Ramakrishna & Swami Vivekanand had envisioned for our beloved Mera Bharath Mahaan. Long Live Ramakrishna Math Long Live Ramakrishna Mission. Om shanti
ISSUES AND CONCERNShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17698815830925167776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2789748706304687420.post-23099949571142619552022-05-30T13:16:00.001+05:302022-05-30T13:16:07.517+05:30MONTH-IN-PERSPECTIVE-JUNE 2022NEW DELHI: The news report datelined New Delhi “Making marital rape criminal: Delhi HC delivers split verdict” is not a comfortable thought at all. In a democratic milieu that we are in, and the kind of cultural moorings we Indians inherit, to think that woman is unequal to man is spiritual blasphemy. India in particular has a long history of ladies being kept at an honored pedestal and there are umpteen examples. That is being the case, it is absolutely in order to think that, SHE is as autonomous as HE is. No debate. Of course, in living together some adjustments are needed, which is an universal norm. Hence for learned judges of the Delhi High Court to disagree on the issue sounds rather shocking.
Delivering the judgment at Delhi High Court on the petition to criminalize the marital rape, two judges of Delhi High Court agreed to disagree. One said “its rape” and other said “it need not be”.
Justice Rajiv Shakdher, who headed the Delhi HC bench on the petition in question, has favored the striking down of the marital rape exception. But his colleague Justice Hari Shankar held that the exception is not unconstitutional. If the former has said provisions of IPC are violative of Article, 14, 15, 19(1) A and 21 of the constitution, the later stated that they are not violative of these articles of constitution, which envisage gender equality of all kinds and in all situations. The exception to IPC section 375 states, “Sexual intercourse by a man with his own wife, the wife not being under 15 years of age, is not rape”. But it is not clear if a forced sex without consent is exempted!
As a free nation, constitution makers have not differentiated between genders in its application to all, pari passu. SHE has as much right as HE has. Like all actions between adults are accepted to be legal only when the action is taken in the same spirit and same understanding and is completely acceptable to both. Especially when it comes to physical relations between married couple it has to be mutual and none can force it on the other, using one’s physical quotient. Clearly, if one partner is not participating, then it is violative of other’s right to freedom of expression and right to personal liberty. We all need to recognise that constitution prohibits discrimination on grounds of gender. Therefore prima facie, if the petition has accused her partner of rape within the confines of their legal relationship as husband and wife, on the forced attack on her persona, she has a very strong case. How can court be oblivious to this clear position?
If one of the judges have problem in accepting the well argued position, then he needs to be sensitized. This judgment should be challenged. At this point, the ambivalent stand of union government in not responding to the courts request to come clear on the issue has not really helped. This is rather sad. Thus, the Supreme Court looks to be the only place to knock at.
NEW DELHI:Some months ago there was this report “Grant bail to convicts who are not repeat offenders”, Supreme Court was advising Allahabad High Court to consider granting bail to convicts who have served 10 to 14 years or more in jail and are not repeat offenders, as this would ensure massive decline in pendency. There are inmates, who are undergoing jail term, and there are those whose appeal is pending against the conviction in High Court.
Reportedly, Allahabad HC and its Lucknow benches had over 190,000 criminal appeals pending as on 31/08/2021. And comes this conference of Chief Ministers and Chief Justice of High Courts in New Delhi.
“Devise ways to release 3.5 lakhs under trial prisoners: Modi”, was a New Delhi datelined report, post CM/CJ conference.
“Sensitivity of people is linked to speedy justice and this should never be forgotten. In India approximately 3.5 lakh prisoners are under trials, most of whom are either commoners or are from poor families. Every district should have committee headed by the district judge, to examine each of these cases and whenever possible release them on bail. I am appealing to all CMs and High Court Chief Justices to give priority to this issue while taking into a/c human sensitivities without compromising the legal requirements”, PM Modi was reported to have stated while addressing the conference.
Thus the issue of not only overcrowded jails but also the welfare of those who are rightly or wrongly inside the four walls of prisons, incarcerated for far too long without the application of mind by either the judiciary or the executive. There has to be a mechanism in place, on a continuous basis to visit jails by teams consisting of judicial officers and police personnel to have a firsthand knowledge of the silent suffering of these prisoners. Hope both the Chief Justice of India who is an activist judge himself and PM Modi, who shared the stage at the conference, are on the same page on this issue of serious concern.
NEW DELHI:Something is seriously wrong with the way our authorities think, or else, they would not have sold the land, where a primary school exists, to a developer to build a commercial complex and a multi-level parking area.
A news report datelined New Delhi says it all. “PIL Challenges building of parking by razing school”, is the report, informing that New Delhi Municipal Corporation has sold a piece of land in Karol Bagh in the national capital to Omtech Infrastructure & Construction Ltd. for Rs. 181 crore. A commercial area with a multi-level parking is proposed to be built on the land in question. The land has a primary school building established in 1927, informs the report. However there are no details of strength of school, like number of students and the classes that the school runs. It could be from 1st to 7th or there about.
Of course, if there are very few students, due to migration to English medium schools the demolition can be justified by making arrangements to shift the existing number of students to nearby schools.
But, being generally insensitive to these dimensions of development, Municipal authorities may have ignored the importance of retaining the school. In a situation, where might is right and those who are poor and vulnerable are only to be booted around, this incursion by the official apathy, even media does not make noise. It is likely the issue is not covered by any TV channel of Capital Area Region. Even AAP running the Delhi government is not making any noise!
This is Yeh Mera India.
NEW DELHI:The news report titled “GST council recommendations not binding on governments, say SC”, is an intervention by the highest court of the land which can be truly called an unnecessary judicial interference in the working of the executive and therefore un-called for.
A bench of Justices DY Chandrachud, Surya Kant and Vikram Nath, reportedly ruled that GST council’s recommendations are not binding on Union and State governments. It has also mentioned that Union and States are conferred with equal powers to legislate on GST. The ruling can hugely be disruptive in its sweep, if taken on face value.
GST council is a constitutional body. Ever since it was started in 2017, GST council chaired by the Union Finance Minister and having representatives of all states, has been the decision making body on all commercial tax matters. Therefore its decisions are binding on all State governments so also Union government.
By overruling the existing arrangement it introduces a degree of uncertainty that is bound to disrupt the existing tax structure and reverse back to the old system of too many taxes in too many places.
But what is more disturbing is the judgment or the ruling in this particular case has gone beyond the questions raised by the litigant.
The case between Union of India and Mohit Minerals Pvt. Ltd (MMPL) was dealing with levy of GST on ocean freight. Hence, prima facie, court had to interpret the Goods & Services Tax Act on the ocean freight only. Instead the court went into the legislative powers of Centre and State, which was never questioned by the litigant MMPL.
This is surprising besides being disturbing too.
As we all know, there were some 18 central and state levies within the country and therefore there couldn’t be one MRP on any product on all India basis. There were multiple prices being charged in different parts of the country, before the onset of GST on the same product.
M.S. Mani, an authority on GST writes “While consumers were unable to get an all inclusive price for products on the product pack, manufacturers had to also factor in the cost of setting up a warehouse in each state to avoid paying the central sales tax (CST) despite logistic considerations frequently not justifying warehouse. GST meant that for consumers every product would come with one all inclusive price mentioned on the product pack without any caveats. This uniformity was achieved by a constitutional amendment leading to the GST legislation and its implementation was overseen by GST council”.
Thus, it is clear in its intent and application. Therefore this latest development of Supreme Court ruling can put the cart before the horse instead of other way round.
However, what is interesting and therefore reassuring is the observation of Union Revenue Secretary (URS).According to Tarun Bajaj, the URS, “SC ruling unlikely to alter GST regime”. It has to be noted that there is already provision in GST not to accept the proposal of GST council if it chooses to, but states have not opted for it during all the last 5 years of GST regime. Both the Centre and States have worked on GST in a spirit of co-operative federalism and the uniformity in GST laws across states has benefitted both consumers and manufacturers. Hope status quo is maintained of ONE NATION ONE TAX, with may be some simplifications thrown in.
NEW DELHI:A report datelined Bengalooru “LIC’s unclaimed money can fund 2 Gaganyaans”, has not come a day too early.
Having started on 1st September 1956, this September 1st 2022, LIC will have completed 66 years.
Close to seven decades cover some 3 generations of Indians. Some 56 Indian and foreign, privately owned, Insurance Companies, were nationalized by an Act of Indian Parliament to create Life Insurance Corporation of India. It was in 1956. As LIC it has grown in both its infrastructure and value. To-day it’s reportedly close to 30 trillion rupees, that is a whopping 30 lakhs crores. It’s real huge.
And the report informs that there’s some Rs.21, 500/- crores unclaimed insurance policy proceeds. In other words, there are no claimants of the above money covered and payable to assured persons. They may be dead and gone with no kith & kin around to receive the proceeds.
Now that LIC is a public enterprise, established under an Act of Parliament, this amount is an asset of the nation and therefore should be available for some asset creation for the benefit of the country. Of course if LIC was not there, this unclaimed insurance policy proceeds would have been usurped by the private owners of those nationalized insurance companies.
While we are about it, it is also important to note that there are many deposit holders in public sector banks, which were earlier private and nationalized to become public sector banks, are also having unclaimed deposits by the deceased deposit holders, who did not nominate anybody to claim the deposit in case of death. These unclaimed deposits too can run into thousands of crores, which are a kind of national asset, like unclaimed insurance policy proceeds. Cases of unscrupulous managers joining hands with cheats to create bogus records to claim such deposits have been known to be there.
Under the circumstances Government of India, must bring a bill in the parliament to create a fund of such unclaimed money to use for a larger national purpose. May be government can ask suggestions from general public how to utilize such funds.
One such proposal is to develop a second national capital. New Delhi has developed to the brim. A new area in the Deccan could be thought of as a possible place. There are vast un-developed and under-developed areas in the South-East Maharashtra, North-East Karnataka and North-West Andhra. A look at these places can throw up a possible new place for the second National Capital, to experience development in true sense. Hope it’s not a wild dream.
BIHAR: Bridges and Bihar have some queer connections, more for its problems due to corruption and apathy rather than anything else.
Sometime around this mid April, reportedly, a 60 feet bridge, believe it or not, was stolen in broad day light. A group of men, posing as irrigation department staff, came with an excavator (JCB) and started dismantling a railway bridge which was not in use on Sone River. In 3days they dismantled the entire metal bridge, bit by bit and carted it away.
A sub divisional officer of the department reported the theft and interestingly, he himself was arrested among other 7 people for his complicity in the crime.
Awaiting inauguration, a newly built bridge on Kankai river in Kishanganj got washed away following rise in water level on 17th September 2021. Before that on 15th July 2020 a part of Sattarghat bridge on Gandak river collapsed after 29 days of its inauguration on 16 January 2020, by the Chief Minister. Reportedly it was 1.4km long bridge, took 8 years to complete costing close to Rs 270 crores.
And comes this news “Newly built bridge crumbles”, datelined Patna. Reportedly, a newly constructed river over bridge on Ganga at Sultanganj collapsed on April 30, 2022.
According to the Managing Director of Bihar State Bridge Construction Corporation, a part of the bridge collapsed at 4 am due to thunder storm. Reportedly, it was constructed at a cost of Rs. 1710/- crores.
An MLA, Narayan Mandal of Sultanganj alleged it was due to poor construction and sub-standard material. A Hyderabad based contractor had built the bridge, who had also built a bridge on Kosi River, which collapsed four years ago. The question was how such contractors with poor history, should have been given the fresh and much bigger contract. Clearly corruption was the basis of such huge contracts! Reportedly, this was supposed to have been a showpiece?
Bihar which is still considered BIMARU state after 75 years of planned development continues to be poorly managed by its political leadership. Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family, which ruled the state for good number of years with the help of criminals is still calling the shots at the hustings. It is a poor reflection on the people governing the state so also the people who voted them to power. When shall be the deliverance!
MADHYA PRADESH: A Jabalpur datelined news report “MP High Court exonerates tribal MBBS student in murder case 13 years after conviction”, was most disturbing for the machinations of authorities in fixing innocents in their nefarious scheme of things.
On 20th September 2008, Chandresh Marskole was taken into custody on the charge of murder of Shruti Hill, allegedly his girl friend. In less than one year, on July 31, 2009 he was pronounced guilty by a Bhopal sessions judge and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Immediately thereafter, he appealed against his conviction. However it took some 13 long years for the system to find time to hear his story of unremitting suffering at the hands of authorities.
On 4th May 2022, Madhya Pradesh High Court set aside the conviction of Chandresh Marskole and he was set free from prison immediately thereafter.
Chandresh Marskole, all of 23 years, was a final year MBBS student of Bhopal based Gandhi Medical College, when he was falsely accused of a murder he did not commit. Allegedly even the body, after the murder, was disposed by him.
After going through the details of the case High Court came down heavily on the police. “The enthusiasm shown by the police in conducting the case in a tearing hurry, adds to the suspicion. When a case is investigated, charge sheeted and concluded in less than a year, makes the cloud of suspicion even more dense, especially when norms are hugely different, in the state”.
Bench pointed out “Chandresh is a Gond and therefore a tribal. After his formal arrest on September 25, 2008, the appellant has continuously remained in jail, first as an under trial and thereafter as a convict. He has wasted more than 13 precious years of his life. He was 23 when arrested and to-day he is 36”, while noting “Chandresh was falsely implicated to protect, perhaps, the actual perpetrators of the offence who may have been known to the higher echelons of the state police”.
Court also noted the points presented by HR Naidu, the lawyer for Chandresh that, ‘case against appellant was trumped-up on account of the enmity Dr. Hemant Verma had with Chandresh due to campus politics’. According to him Dr. Hemant Verma, who was also the Prosecution Witness No: 1 (PW1) had used his influence with the then Bhopal Inspector General of Police Shailendra Srivastava and had falsely implicated Chandresh by concealing his own culpability in the murder of the deceased with the tacit complicity of police.
In conclusion court observed “The case reveals a sordid saga of manipulative and preconceived investigation followed by a malicious prosecution, where the police have investigated the case with the sole purpose of falsely implicating the appellant and perhaps deliberately protecting a prosecution witness, who may have been the actual culprit”.
The court also ordered a compensation of Rs.42 lakh to Chandresh, payable by the state government, while observing “No amount of compensation can ever replenish the lost period of youth that he suffered for no fault of his. He has been a victim, of truth being sacrificed, at the altar of motivated and malicious investigation”.
While, High Court needs to be complimented for the justice, although delayed by 13 long years, to the helpless hapless victim of time and circumstances, authorities in particular need to be, not only sensitized to the ground conditions, those responsible for the miscarriage of justice should be hauled-up before the court whether its Dr. Verma or the IGP Srivastava, who colluded to fix an innocent student who’s dream of becoming a doctor was destroyed. Unless that happens, there will always be victims like Chandresh suffering in silence and in solitude. Hope court suo moto takes up to see that the justice has been done.
TELANGANA: There were two social media posts going viral. One said, Amir Khan can marry and divorce a Hindu wife. Saif Ali Khan can marry and divorce a Hindu wife. Farhan Akhtar can marry and divorce a Hindu wife. But Hindu Nagaraju can't marry a Muslim Ashrin Sultana, instead he is lynched by her brothers, law of equality No: 786.
The other post says how liberals see lynching. They check victim’s religion. If victim is Hindu, they check caste. If victim is Dalit, they blame Brahmins, blame oppression, blame Modi, RSS, BJP and keep repeating. If not Dalit, liberals check if it’s a BJP ruled state. If not ruled by BJP, liberals ignore it and remain silent. If ruled by BJP, liberals will blame the law and order, liberals will demand CM must resign and blame Modi, RSS, Amit Shah. Now, what will liberals do if it’s the Muslim, who was lynched, they will take play card procession, storm social media and shout for minority rights, target Hinduism, BJP and RSS then keep repeating.
The above reproduction of social media posts became necessary unfortunately because of a TOI (Times of India) editorial of 7th May 2022. Commenting on the gruesome murder of a 25 year old Nagaraju on a busy Hyderabad Street by his wife Ashrin Sultana’s brothers, even as she pleaded with bystanders to intervene, the editor in his stupidity found it necessary to mention Nagaraju as a Dalit. “Married for just 3 months, interfaith couples Ashrin Sultana and B. Nagaraju knew each other through school and college and had been in a relationship for a long time against the wishes of her family. Religion and caste, Nagaraju was a Dalit, came in the way of her family accepting their adult daughters choice”, informs the editorial. It was clearly a Hindu man marrying a Muslim girl was not acceptable to girl’s family. Mr. Editor, if Nagaraju was Brahmin, would the family of the girl have accepted him?
The state is ruled by Telangana Rashtra Samithi. Editor did not demand that the government and police act tough with killers or blamed TRS for the killing. If reverse was the case and Hindus were the killers, editor would have gone to the market to scream, blaming RSS, BJP, Modi and Amit Shah. Why can’t he and his media do that against institutions and outfits with whom these killers are associated or AIMIM of Owaisi family. The editorial is completely silent on this sadly. That is liberalism for you, barking up the wrong tree.
According to the report datelined Hyderabad in the same TOI, there was no mention about Nagaraju being a Dalit. “Nagaraju was a Dalit” in the editorial was an addition by the editor. This is how discreetly these so-called intellectuals are keeping the society divided. Reportedly, the couple got married at Arya Samaj temple in Lal Darwaja area in Hyderabad on Jan.31. How many marriages take place between Non-Muslim girls and Muslim men? How many Muslim men have been killed for such interfaith marriages? These journalists, who try only to give lessons in tolerance and secularism to Hindus why don’t they write on the violence from Muslims against Non-Muslims? Editor in TOI editorial was beating about the bush by writing about gender sensitivities etc. without calling names.
KARNATAKA: Wonder why no one reacted in the social media on the report datelined Udupi “Hindi is not our national language: Yadav”.
Mind you, this is not one of those innumerable Yadavs from Bihar or Uttar Pradesh. This was the redoubtable Yogendra Yadav, one and the only Yogendra Yadav of multiple credits on his Curriculum Vitae.
He had such a wonderfully fantastic past, it is sad to see him so pathetic in his anxiety to be seen as anti-Modi, anti-BJP etc.
Everything appeared alright, until the over-ambitious Arvind Kejriwal threw Yogendra Yadav out of AAP, along with Bhushans, Shanti & Prashant, the father son lawyer duo.
Ever since his sad and abrupt expulsion from AAP and he launched his SWARAJ ABHIYAN, things have not been very encouraging for Yogendra Yadav. In fact, personally I was deeply disappointed when he was removed by the over-ambitious Kejriwal from AAP. I attended the first ever well organised launching of Swaraj Abhiyan in New Delhi, soon thereafter. But somehow Swaraj Abhiyan did not go far. Slowly he started to appear dispirited. However he emerged as a critic of BJP and its leadership. Particularly he appeared anti-Modi and started to become more critical in his language against Modi. Was he trying to become relevant, as he was losing his steam?
But when his sister’s hospital was raided by investigative agencies, he took it, personally, at least publicly, that it was Modi targeting Yogendra Yadav. That was rather ludicrous. Modi as PM was hardly bothered by public posturing of Yogendra Yadav or his ilk.
His sister’s hospital and residence were raided to find out details of purchases she had made from notorious diamond Merchant Nirav Modi, who is on the run, a fugitive from the laws of the land. She had purchased some diamond necklace worth lakhs of rupees paid in cash. Investigating agencies were going through details of purchases by different people from the Nirav Modi Diamond outlets. They stumbled upon a purchase which happened to be by a lady doctor Neelam Yadav who happened to be a sister of Yogendra Yadav and her son Dr. Gautam Yadav. So, where does Yogendra Yadav comes into the picture! But since then he has been making all kinds of noises. But clearly he has lost lot of his sheen.
The latest barb “Hindi is not our national language” has to be seen in this context. I am from coastal Karnataka, my mother tongue is Tulu, school language is Kannada I write in English and speak Hindi fairly fluently. I consider and have accepted Hindi as India’s national language, and there are millions in Karnataka who have no problem with Hindi being national language for some very good reasons. Of course, there are fringe groups, like in all places, who are opposed, for their own agenda. Would Yogendra Yadav have made this remark in his native Haryana that ‘Hindi is not our national language’?
Yogendra Yadav, was not required to go down so cheaply to please a section of the crowd of so-called Sahabalve Sauharda groups.
KARNATAKA:Crying with poor and siding with the rich is slowly and surely becoming the norm for most governments in the country.
The news report datelined Bengalooru “Over 11000 mid-day meal workers to lose jobs” is a very disturbing development in Karnataka.
Just before the reopening of schools reportedly government of Karnataka has relieved some 11000 mid-day meal workers, who had crossed 60 years of age as on 31.3.2022.
The government circular has also informed that those relieved are not eligible for any financial benefits.
Mid-day meal scheme started under National Food Security Programme was launched in 1995. But in Karnataka it was started in 2002/03. When started cooks were getting Rs.300 as compensation and in some 20 years, it increased to 2600/- With an assistant, the duo would work almost 5 hours every day. But it being a heavy work of cooking for hundreds of children it would leave them exhausted after the strenuous 5 hours labour. Probably they would have the mid-day meal in the school itself. That was the only other pecuniary benefit besides the monthly wages. But in this 300 some 20 years ago and 2600/- in March 2022, how much can it help these workers, which is not covered by any additional perk like, annual leave or any other terminal benefits, with no compensation during summer vacation!
Their situation is simply, get used and get thrown.
Directorate of Public Instruction (DPI) Commissioner Dr. R Vishal was reported to have stated “Like all government departments those who attain 60 years retire. Likewise mid-day meal workers too are being relieved from service”.
But what this joker of a DPI Commissioner did not mention was at what salary a government employee starts, what are the weekly, monthly and yearly benefits they are having, what is the last salary drawn on their superannuation and what are the terminal benefits they will get to enjoy their post retirement life.
These poor hapless helpless workers, started with a few hundreds and ending with few thousands, which may not suffice, even for their monthly expenses, let alone secure the future. When they go, leaving this mid-day meal job they will be having only emptiness to look forward, like that widow, Mahadevamma, from Chennapatna in Nanjangud Taluk said, “I am a widow with no children. Started in 2003 and relieved on 31st March 2022. I was asked to leave without any social benefit. My first salary was 300/- a month and my last salary was Rs.2600/”- Where will she go, from after 1st April 2022, nobody thought!
This is Yeh Mera India, where being born poor and lonely is a curse.ISSUES AND CONCERNShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17698815830925167776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2789748706304687420.post-20862913937192869962022-05-02T17:31:00.000+05:302022-05-02T17:31:00.145+05:30FOCUS-MAY 2022KASHMIR FILES: THE WHOLE TRUTH!
There is this video going round in the social media. PV Narasimha Rao, who was the Prime Minister of India during 1991-1996 sends a special emissary to the United Nations, the then opposition leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee, to represent India on the troubled Kashmir issue.
Addressing the General Assembly of the UN, Vajpayee states, “Before beginning my talk I want to tell you something about Rishi Kashyap, after whom Kashmir is named. Rishi Kashyap was walking through a thick forest and saw a beautiful lake. On seeing the lake, he thought ‘what a good opportunity to have a bath’. He took off his clothes, put them aside on the bank of the pond and got into the lake for taking bath. When he got out and wanted to dress, he found that his clothes were not there. It had vanished. A Pakistani had stolen them.”
Vajpayee paused for a while. The Pakistani representative, who was present in the UN General Assembly jumped on his feet furiously and shouted “what are you talking about? You are lying. There was no Pakistan during Rishi Kashyap’s period. When Pakistan was not in existence then, how Pakistani could have stolen Rishi Kashyap’s clothes?”
Vajpayee smiled and replied “Now that our Pakistani friend has made it clear that Pakistan was not there when Kashmir came into existence, still they claim that Kashmir belongs to them. How strange! I will begin my speech saying that Kashmir has been an integral part of India all along”. It is another matter that the assembly broke into a roaring applause at the ingenuity of Vajpayee, the Indian representative.
Then, comes along a former Chief Minister of Kashmir who is also a senior Congressman of eminence, Ghulam Nabi Azad. He confesses on a video that has gone viral, “Original jitne bhi musalman hai Kashmiri mein, o sab convert huye hai Kashmiri Pandithonse” – ‘All those who call themselves as original Muslims of Kashmir, are all converted from Kashmiri Pandits’. “Main kahta hoon ki 600 saal pahle merey buzurg bhi Kashmiri Pandith the”- ‘I am saying that before 600 years even my forefathers also were Kashmiri Pandits’.
“Mai Parliament mein kahunga, unko sharam aathi hai, nahee aathi hai, lekin itihaas jo hai vo theek kehena chahiye”. ‘I am prepared to tell in Parliament, whether others are ashamed to admit it, or not ashamed to admit it, the history has to tell the truth’. “Unke sabee leaders aur sabee partyonke leaders 600 saal pehle sabee Kashmiri Pandits thhe”. –‘All their leaders and leaders of all parties before 600 years were all Kashmiri Pandits’. “Kashmiri Pandit maare gaye, tabaah barbaad hogaye unse koyi inkaar nahee. Kashmiri Panditonke bagair Kashmir Adhuraa hai, incomplete”. – ‘That Kashimiri Pandits have been thrashed attacked destroyed and liquidated cannot be denied. Without Kashmiri Pandits Kashmir is incomplete’.
The above two anecdotes put the issue of Kashmir in some kind of a logical perspective.
History of Kashmir, from 10th century up to 1300, informs, the reign of Emperor Ashoka and other rulers from beyond the Khyber. Collapse of the local ruling family in Kashmir led to a Ladhaki Tibetan Buddhist named Prince Rinchin taking over the reins of Srinagar. He wanted to become a Hindu so that he becomes close to his people. But sadly, the Kashmiri Pandits refused to make him a Hindu. According to them, he could not become a Hindu because they could not decide which caste he should join on conversion. Thus the curse of caste had its spell even as early as 14th century. According to some historians, Prince Rinchin became a Muslim and a sequence of Muslim dynasties began to rule over Kashmir since early 14th century. Muslim rule continued until Ranjit Singh defeated Afghani rulers. Like Christianity spread in Europe after the conversion of Roman Emperor Kashmiris followed their rulers, if not all, most of them.
Dogras, who were the army heads in Ranjit Singh reign, fell out with Sikh rulers after Ranjit Singh and helped the Britishers in their war with Sikhs. With such rulers, what chance Hindus could have a case! Britishers gifted Kashmir to Dogras as a reward. So a Hindu ruler came back to Kashmir. But his subjects, in the meanwhile, were more Muslims than Hindus. As always Muslims were unhappy being ruled by non-Muslims.
Thus Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah became a product of evolving Kashmir. His grandfather was born a Hindu Pandit, whose family converted to Islam in 1766. Born in 1905, Sheikh Abdullah was probably the most educated of his time in Kashmir. After a post graduation from Aligarh Muslim University in 1931 he approached Maharaja Hari Singh’s office for a government job in civil service. He was rejected. This probably was a historic mistake of the Maharaja. Sheikh Abdullah manages to become a teacher in a government school in Srinagar and gets into public life to fight for Kashmiri’s right and formed a political outfit Muslim Conference. His higher education, tall built, sonorous voice endeared him to Kashmiris and he became their natural leader, to fight for them. However in March 1938, he changed the name of the party as National Conference, since he was very secular in his outlook and was therefore against the division of the country on communal lines.
Sheikh Abdullah took upon himself the responsibility of better life for Kashmiris and felt that people's power should replace autocracy of Dogra kings. His demand for freedom from Dogra autocracy got him into trouble with Hari Singh. On his way to Delhi Sheikh Abdullah was arrested and jailed for 3 years in July 1946. To the great joy of Kashmiris Jawaharlal Nehru visited Sheikh Abdullah in jail. Thus a bond was forged between Kashmiris, Nehru & Sheikh Abdullah. However under intense pressure from New Delhi, Sheikh was released sometime around end of September 1947. Immediately thereafter on 4th October he addressed a historic rally in Srinagar. “We shall not believe in the two-nation theory which has spread so much poison. When brother kills brother in the whole of Hindustan, Kashmir raised its voice of Hindu-Muslim unity. I can assure Hindus & Sikhs that as long as I am alive their life and honour will be safe”. M.J. Akbar confirms this in his book KASHMIR BEHIND THE VALE. “In Kashmir there was not a single communal incident during partition, despite the horrors in neighboring Pakistan”, (P/xiv/Introduction)
Like Nizam of Hyderabad, Maharaja Hari Singh too was keen to have independent Kashmir. Kashmir did remain independent, although for a mere 9 weeks, under some Standstill Agreement.
On 15th August 1947, India becomes politically independent. Unlike other states within India, Kashmir remained independent outside India, like other princely states. But the October 1947 attack on Kashmir by the Pakistani army in the garb of Pakistani tribals hastened the then Dogra ruler of Kashmir Hari Singh scurrying for help to New Delhi. On being told ‘only after formal accession treaty, can any help come’, Hari Singh was forced to sign on the dotted line, due to the crookedness of Pakistani perfidy. Thus on 26th October 1947, Kashmir became an integral part of India. However, it took some 14 months for the Indian army to force the Pakistan army into the wasteland of Northwest Kashmir. But Prime Minister Nehru, in his wisdom, despite advice of the then army leadership to the contrary, referred the issue to the United Nations. A bilateral issue, between two neighbors thus sadly became an international issue. Former Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshall Arun Raha was candid and categorical, that ‘the present day POK, the Pakistani Occupied Kashmir, would not have been there, if the country had gone for a military solution instead of taking a kind of ‘moral high ground’ and rushing to the UN for some peaceful resolution’.
Here, it needs to be noted that the Instrument of Accession did allow some elements of freedom. “Kashmir”, in the words of MJ Akbar “had joined the Union of India, but not the laws of India. It was still governed by the Jammu & Kashmir Constitution Act of 1939, with Delhi’s jurisdiction extending only to External Affairs, Defense and Communication”.
Having become part of India, election became necessary. In the September 1951 election, all 45 seats were won by National Conference and Sheikh Abdullah became the leader of the ruling party in Assembly. Nehru visited Kashmir soon thereafter to share the joy of new found freedom of Kashmiris. “Slogans like Kashmir will go with Nehru and India forever” rent the air. However, Dr. Karan Singh, the son of Hari Singh, being only a ceremonial head of state, was not happy. As head of state, he was not calling the shots. He managed to engineer the split in National Conference to upstage Sheikh Abdullah by his deputy Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad. Sheikh Abdullah was arrested on trumped-up charges of Pro Pakistani conspiracy on 8th August 1953, next day, the ‘Yes’ man Bakshi’s government was installed.
In 1954, a special Article 370 was drafted purely as “Temporary, Transitional” with some special provisions for the governance of Jammu & Kashmir. The article acknowledges the special status of the state of Jammu & Kashmir in terms of autonomy and its power to formulate laws for the state's permanent residents. Although it was clearly “Temporary and Transitional”, it was allowed to remain in statute books forever, for varieties of socio-political and personal reasons of men who mattered in the issue. Soon thereafter Article 35A was conceived through a Presidential Order only to help the ‘permanent residents’ with their rights and privileges as defined by the Dogra ruler Maharaja Hari Singh and notified in 1932. What is interesting about article 35A is, it is the not included in the main body of the constitution, that is after 35, 36 has followed without 35A appearing immediately after 35. Thus, 35A remained unknown to the public until it was challenged on its validity by Kashmiris themselves.
Article 370 was, by hindsight, a personal gift of Jawaharlal Nehru to Sheikh Abdullah and his Kashmir. This was forced through despite stiff opposition of B. R. Ambedkar, the then Union Law Minister and the architect of Indian Constitution.
Sheikh Abdullah was released after 4 years. Things were not easy for Sheikh Abdullah. He was alienated by the Bakshi government. He was clearly a thorn-in-the-flesh for both, Governor as well as Chief Minister Bakshi. On a conspiracy theory that he is entertaining thoughts of secession from India, he was again arrested in 1958 and jailed for 6 year. In 1964, he was released. However on 27th May 1964, Jawaharlal Nehru, a friend of Kashmir and Sheikh Abdullah, passed away. Losing a good friend distressed Sheikh Abdullah greatly. Lal Bahadur Shastri became the new Prime Minister, but the rapport of Nehru couldn't be sustained. The chasm widened and assertion for self-determination became shriller, leading to New Delhi becoming more hostile. Early 1965, Sheikh Abdullah traveled abroad and did the most unthinkable. He met and spoke to Chinese premier Chou- en-lai in Algiers. This was justifiably seen as a hostile act and his passport was cancelled.
Sheikh returned in May 1965. War of September 1965 humiliated Pakistan. It lost the war and failed to win Kashmiri goodwill as well. Sheikh Abdullah who was detained on his return from foreign trip was released in January 1968 at the behest of Jayaprakash Narayan. In the meanwhile with the questionable death of Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi became the Indian Prime Minister. 1971 war with Pakistan led to liberation of East Pakistan and creation of Bangladesh, chastened Sheikh Abdullah on the Pakistani crookedness. He lost all trust on Pakistan.
However India failed to use the bargaining chip of huge Pakistani POW while drawing Shimla Agreement with Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Kashmir was effectively partitioned by recognising a Line of Control, thus created POK (Pakistan Occupied Kashmir).
Sheikh Abdullah made up his mind to go with India and hoped for greater autonomy. In 1975, Sheikh Abdullah became Chief Minister with the help of Congress party, but the emergency that followed changed it all. Janata party came to power at New Delhi. Fresh election in Jammu & Kashmir brought Sheikh Abdullah back as CM. He remained CM from July 1977 until his death on 8th September 1982. Laid in state at the Srinagar Polo ground his body was draped in Indian tricolour. Yes, at last Sheikh Abdullah died as an Indian and Pakistan had no comment to offer.
Despite lecturing on democracy, Sheikh Abdullah, like the Congress, had groomed his son Farooq Abdullah to take over. Indira Gandhi came back to power after Janata fiasco and wanted a role in J&K. She changed the less pliant BK Nehru to more pliant Jagmohan as the governor of Jammu & Kashmir. New Delhi engineered a split in National Conference. Farooq Abdullah lost majority. His government was dismissed by the governor. It was a brazen butchery of democracy.
Many winters later and many ups and downs, there have been far reaching changes in the body politic of the country. Indira Gandhi was assassinated. Rajiv Gandhi became the PM after a massive sympathy win with over 400 seats in Loksabha. With such majority India could have been reshaped, but Rajiv Gandhi lost it all in five years. V.P. Singh became the Prime Minister. For whatever reasons, he made a Kashmiri as the most powerful member of his cabinet. Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, a Congress deserter, was made the Union Home Minister.
In the meanwhile militancy had raised its ugly head. Pakistan actively helped separatists.
On 8th December 1989, in less than a week in the hot seat as Union Home Minister, Dr. Rubaiya Syeed, an unmarried daughter of Mufti Mohammed Syeed, was kidnapped by four militants. Was it planned!?
Militants demanded the release of 5 terrorists held in jail in exchange for the release of Dr. Rubaiya. Farooq Abdullah, the then Chief Minister, was firm, not to yield to terrorists demand. He felt, it would lead to grave consequences of far-reaching nature. He wanted to explore all possibilities including negotiation. But Prime Minister VP Singh buckled under the advice of Union Home Minister and father of kidnapped Dr. Rubaiya. According to Farooq Abdullah there was a strong possibility of her release without the release of those 5 terrorists.
On 13th December 1989, Dr. Rubaiya was set free after two hours of the release of 5 terrorists by the government. Those released terrorists, reportedly left for their hideouts and then to POK, after a triumphant procession by locals.
By hindsight, could the appointment of Mufti Mohammed Syeed on 2nd December 1989, as Union Home Minister, kidnap of his daughter Dr. Rubaiya on 8th December 1989, and the release of 5 terrorists on 13th December 1989, all in a matter of 10 days, are interlinked!?
Was Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, an ambitious, but disgruntled Kashmiri, was planning some long-term coup? Wasn’t he playing a dangerous and diabolic game to promote himself and family?
HAS THIS BEEN THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR that led to the rise in violent separatist movement in Kashmir?!
New Delhi acted ‘tough’ after the ‘kidnapping’. VP Singh brought Jagmohan as governor Farooq Abdullah resigned. J&K came under president’s rule. Jagmohan ordered house to house search, unrest spread, youth started going to POK for arms training. Benazir Bhutto openly supported secession. Azadi became the shrill cry Hindus started to migrate out of valley in hordes. Close to 100,000 left the valley.
That was about the time that separatists led by Yasin Malik took upon themselves the task of cleansing Kashmir Valley of Hindus. He was the one who had murdered 4 Indian Air force officers on January 25, 1990. According to the recently released film KASHMIR FILES, Hindus were given three choices- Convert, Flee or Be Killed, by announcing in the loudspeakers from local mosque. Many fled but many got killed as well. Although film mostly centres round the family of Pushkar Nath and the suffering and annihilation experienced by the family. But the truth is far more horrendous and diabolic.
On May 1st, 1990, Sarvanand Kaul was picked up by terrorists. Son accompanies them. They were, according to sources in the public space, hung on a tree and terrorists most brutally killed them. Sarvanand Kaul, was a litterateur, a Gandhian, Urdu poet, writer, researcher and social reformer etc. He was also teaching in the local Madrasa. These details did not stop the separatist butchers of Kashmir in murdering him and his son in cold blood. Film has a passing glimpse of their hanging.
Girija Bhat, a teacher was similarly picked up, was collectively assaulted sexually. Body was cut into pieces and sent to Indian defense forces. The film shows a glimpse of her being cut into pieces. Scores of men and women being killed and thrown to Zelum river, film does not show these scenes. Terrorists even packed Hindus in gunny sacks and thrown into Dal Lake. The film does mention these atrocities.
LESSONS LIFE TAUGHT ME UNKNOWINGLY is an Autobiography of film actor Anupam Kher, a Kashmiri, and an actor in ‘Kashmir Files’. He mentions about a policeman, a Hindu visiting a shopkeeper, a Muslim, whom he retains in his shop until late evening only to be handed over to the terrorist. How, he was shot to bleed to death, and hung him from a bridge. The episode is not shown in the film.
Rahul Pandita wrote “Our Moon Has blood clots”. He describes therein the visit of 37 year old Navin Sapru to a local tailor to pick up his coat. He was caught by terrorists and was shot. As he was rolling on the ground, terrorists danced around him. The crowd around pelted stones at him and in some minutes he breathed his last. This too is not in the film.
Yes, the film initially shows only some killings of members of one family. But towards the end, the whole group belonging to the family was shown as being shot and killed. Policeman being killed, army men being killed and citizens being killed is shown in just passing. The film is an attempt at factual presentation of events during these uncertain days in the valley. It had remained away from public gaze for over 30 years. ‘Kashmir Files’ is a story needed to be told and heard. Vivek Agnihotri has rendered a signal service to the cause of Kashmiri Hindus.
<b>POST SCRIPT: There have been many developments, post migration of Hindus from Kashmir. Governments changed, last being that of a coalition between BJP and PDP led by Mehabooba Mufti. On 5th August 2019, Indian Parliament voted a resolution to revoke the temporary special status granted under article 370 of the constitution. On 31st October 2019, the state of Jammu & Kashmir was reorganised into two union territories namely Jammu & Kashmir & Ladakh. An election is expected to take place sometime in 2022. The development is expected to lead to some fundamental positive changes in the socio-political ambience of the state. Hope it does-Editors</b>ISSUES AND CONCERNShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17698815830925167776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2789748706304687420.post-37506635465135650602022-05-02T17:28:00.000+05:302022-05-02T17:28:56.381+05:30MONTH-IN-PERSPECTIVE-May 2022NEW DELHI: Sometime in May 2021, Waseem Rizwi had approached the Supreme Court with a PIL. In his PIL Rizwi had alleged that there are 26 verses or suras in Quran that promotes violence and therefore they should be removed from the Holy Book. But strangely learned judges of the highest court of the land dismissed it off hand, by terming the PIL as ‘an absolutely frivolous petition’ and fined him Rs. 50,000/- for refusing to withdraw it. The decision of the bench chaired by Justice Rohinton Nariman was patently wrong in dismissing the petition without hearing him and it was prima facie high-handed to penalize him by Rs. 50000/- for refusing to withdraw the petition. It was in his full senses that Waseem Rizwi had refused to withdraw his petition and hence paid the fine.
It is another matter, eventually Waseem Rizwi decided to leave his faith of over 50 years and he did leave, as if to say “hell with your judgment”. He could probably have remained a Muslim if court had heard him and there was interlocution on the issue. Sadly that was not to happen.
And comes this judgment from Delhi High Court, “Khalistan link: HC junks plea against Kejriwal” was a report datelined Delhi.
A Congress leader Jagdish Sharma had filed a PIL in Delhi High Court, charging that Arvind Kejriwal, the AAP convener and CM of Delhi, ‘has connection with Khalistan outfit and it should be investigated’.
In their wisdom the learned judges of Delhi High Court Justice Vipin Sanghi & Justice Naveen Chawla dismissed the petition terming it completely frivolous. The question is, why do judges have this ‘Holier than thou attitude’?
These courts are supposedly champions of free press, freedom of expression etc. So what is wrong with the stand Jagdish Sharma is taking? Why don’t you hear him out! After giving him hearing then, if you are convinced, dismiss his writ. But to dismiss it off hand, sends bad signal! While, it may be true that former Chief Minister of Punjab has already written to the Ministry of Home Affairs and this matter is with the MoH, what if a citizen wants him to be heard by the court, what is wrong with it especially when there is no guarantee that MoH will act!
NEW DELHI:There was this report datelined New Delhi “Compensation in 104 sewer cleaning deaths pending: Parliament Panel”.
‘Prohibition of Employment of Manual Scavengers and Rehabilitation Act 2013’ was enacted with good intentions. But sadly like Robert Lynd says, “Good Resolutions are the virtues of April with No September following”, it has remained mostly on paper.
If prevention and rehabilitation has been the core of the act, the non-payment of solatium to the dead in the man-hole or the sewer, is a reflection of the height of criminal apathy and insensitivity.
Manual scavengers dying inside the manhole has a long history in India. Every month somewhere in Indian city someone dies, and just goes into statistics. The practice of employing poor workers to do manual cleaning of drains and manholes has been an ongoing exercise despite there being laws to the contrary, an extension of the principle of “Crying with the poor but siding with the rich”.
There are committees formed in states and centre to go into the social justice and empowerment of lowly placed personnel in government employment. But sadly it does not have teeth to enforce the recommendation or to rectify the failure of government department or municipalities.
There are provisions in the law to financially compensate for the loss of life of any workmen while working on drains and manholes. Since these workmen are bread winners of the family the compensation has to come fast. But sadly in India after 75 years of freedom, irresponsible and insensitive system, consisting of babus & politicians, has put paid to the vision of a welfare state where poor have either stagnated at BPL or became poorer.
To think that the panel expressed its shock and disbelief at the non-payment of compensation by even rich states like Maharashtra with the richest Municipal Corporation of Mumbai, (MCM) “has declined to pay compensation due to scarcity of funds”. The last budget of MCM was for an outlay of around Rs. 46000/- crores, and they don’t have money to pay, a mere Rs. 10 lakhs, for its men who died cleaning its shit. What a sad state of being born poor in India?!
However the fact of the matter is no government, state or centre, has taken the issue-seriously of stopping the practice of manual scavenging and the rehabilitation of these workmen. Central government, which is supposed to have plans and programmes under Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is also not serious about the issue.
The union budget provision have been continuously on the decline, indicating the lack of seriousness the entire government machinery displaying on an issue of such grave human dimension. That is a sad reflection of the ‘welfare’ mind set of our governance. Indeed it’s a curse to be born poor in India.
While being on the subject it may not be out of place to quote the incident involving mega contractor Larsen & Toubro the main contractor on Navami Gange Project in Bihar. Two young work men, Saddam Hussien and Iqbal Hussien died cleaning the manhole sometime in May 2021. Compensation for their death is still not received by the family of the deceased.
BIHAR: Teachers, all over India, being made to work on non-teaching jobs is a well known dimension of educational scene within the country. Why they are made to work on such jobs is not clearly known, except to save some cost! Any state government has its own regular staff that is hardly productive. They could have been used by the government for such jobs. They are never used for jobs other than their government office jobs. It’s an open secret that a vast majority of government staff hardly work. They come late, go early and enjoy all benefits of a secure job with good pay, and are rarely accountable, but never used like Teachers, Anganwadi workers or ASHA workers. These Teachers, Anganwadi workers and ASHA workers are easy targets. At least regular government teachers get government grade salary, but Anganwadi & ASHA workers sadly are an exploited lot.
Be that as it may, comes, this report from Bihar. A Patna datelined report “Bihar Teachers refuse to work as spies of Prohibition Department”, informs that for once, teachers in Bihar decided to call it ‘enough is enough’. According to the report, Additional Chief Secretary, education department, Sanjay Kumar issued a circular on January 30, to all regional directors of education, district education officers and programme officers directing them to instruct the teachers of Primary Schools, Secondary Schools and Higher Secondary Schools, so also Urdu Medium Schools in Bihar to work as spies of the prohibition department and help identify the tipplers in their areas.
According to the circular, teachers are to collect information about the people involved in consumption and business of liquor then pass on the information to the given mobile numbers of the Prohibition Department. So also teachers have been asked not to allow misuse of school premises for consumption and storage of liquor. The district officers have been directed to take help of Shiksha Sewaks (non-regular government staff) in creating awareness. All have been assured of secrecy of identity.
Prima facie, the whole move is not just shocking but obnoxious to say the least. How can anyone in the administration even think that teachers, who are supposed to teach values to students, be engaged as spies on law breakers, especially drunkards!
No wonder, the Bihar Rajya Prathamik Shikshak Sangh has decided to publicly burn the circular. Hope the images of this burning of circular sends appropriate signal to the state administrative apparatus. Its time teachers assert themselves and tell the administration to use the under-employed staff of different government departments across the state, whenever need arises for such engagements. May be teachers can spend more productive hours with students in school, rather than endure the forced labour by morons in the administration.
While on the subject of exploiting teachers, it is pertinent to inform that in July 2021, the Director of Mid-day Meal scheme in Bihar, Satish Chandra Jha too had sent a circular to all teachers in the state directing them to sell gunny bags @ Rs.10/- each and deposit the money in government treasury. These sacks were the leftover of grain and other food items delivered at school under the Mid-day Meal scheme. Sadly, report informs, that these teachers were seen carrying these gunny bags on their shoulders in market place at different locations of the state. Can Bihar ever change from its infamous tag of BIMARU state!
MAHARASHTRA:The print media report “Hanuman Chalisa row: MP/MLA sent to 14 days judicial custody” made a disturbing reading, as if it has happened in Pakistan.
Navneet Rana is a Member of Parliament from Amravati, Maharashtra and Ravi Rana, her husband, is an MLA in Maharashtra Legislative Assembly.
According to the information available in public space, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, a breakaway group from Shiv Sena, led by Bal Thackeray’s nephew Raj Thackeray, had given an ultimatum to remove loudspeakers from Mosques by May 3.
The issue of Aazaan from mosque, 5 times a day, starting as early as 4:30 in the morning has been a universal problem. Many liberals among Muslims have echoed the sentiments of non-Muslims that this practice is possible to be toned down, if not stopped altogether. The fact that the loudspeakers have come only some 400+ years ago does not make the case of use of loudspeakers in Mosque stronger. The fact, that Aazaan was going on without loudspeakers for a whole millennium also make for either scrapping or reducing the frequency of loudspeaker usage.
There is a Mumbai High Court judgment available since many years, where-in HC has restricted the usage of loudspeakers between 10 p. m & 6 a.m. This was never enforced. The petitioner in this case was a Muslim gentleman. Government in Maharashtra should look at the High Court judgment once again to enforce this restriction. Coming to Hanuman Chalisa Raj Thackeray had threatened to recite Hanuman Chalisa outside mosque, if loudspeakers are not removed.
Frankly, issue here should not be loudspeaker, per se, but its limited or restricted usage, not only in terms of time but also in terms of locations and areas, like schools, hospitals, old age homes etc.
Inspired by Raj Thackeray’s threat, the couple from Amravati demanded that the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Uddhav Thackeray, a close relation of Raj Thackeray, recite Hanuman Chalisa on Hanuman Jayanthi Day, failing which they will recite Hanuman Chalisa in front of Uddhav Thackeray’s residence. The couple's statement did cause minor law and order problem, with some people flocking Thackeray residence.
But, the couple did not go ahead with their plan instead an FIR was filed and couple arrested on grounds of sedition.
It baffles simple logic, how reciting Hanuman Chalisa can be treated on seditious. One can understand the politics and political expediency of the state police, complying with the desire of political leadership of the state. But what about Judiciary! Judiciary should not suffer from perceptive logic. Courts go by ground realities and not imagination. Courts do not have the liberty to imagine and act. Courts’ actions too can be challenged on the grounds of individual freedom. Whatever other legal ‘causa proxima’ are there for court to consider, sedition is simply not the option.
The couple should approach Apex Court for proper hearing and justice.
KARNATAKA: The news that Karnataka Minister Easwarappa may, after all, resign his ministership, taking moral responsibility for the death of contractor Santosh Patil, has only blown the wind out of this sordid saga of sickening corruption that has made its presence, loud and clear, in the corridors of the party with a difference.
Probably it was a first of a kind, where a group of contractors from Karnataka represented the issue of 40% commission on government contracts, to the PMO for redressal. The party, with NaMo as the leading light of this party with a difference, led the 2014 Loksabha election to the portals of parliament on an anti-corruption plank. It was an emphatic victory by any standard. Coming as it did, as a single party majority, after over 30 years of coalition governments. NaMo had single handedly ‘cocked the snook’, at the combined might of opposition and emerged victorious and proved it again in 2019 to confirm that it wasn’t a fluke in 2014. Yes, without any shadow of doubt NaMo represents a uniquely different kind of leadership, unseen hitherto, anywhere in the world. No wonder he has been able to bring India to the centre stage of the happening world. Equally, without doubt, he has his personality issues. He is clearly a dominating figure in the BJP landscape, does not take kindly any defiance. It is his personal attributes of Spartan food habits, absence of human failings like, wine, woman, wealth and life style of working for long hours without any holiday break has endeared himself to the masses. He is BJP’s Numero Uno vote getter. So, those who want to remain in power circle play along to live another day.
After all most success stories have its own share of compromises and adjustments.
That is probably the reason that NaMo puts up with stories of corruption in his party and its governments, waiting for an opportune time to strike and strike hard.
Remember Eknath Khadse of Maharashtra, a known strongman with his own mass following. He was dumped unceremoniously for acquiring assets far in excess of his known source of income. He is still struggling hard to settle down in the eluding tomorrows.
Easwarappa had all the chances of saving himself and the life of Santosh Patil, who committed suicide out of sheer helplessness. He could have heard the cry of helplessness, when Santosh earlier wrote to PMO, met Union Panchayat Minister Giriraj Singh, met Party General Secretary BL Santosh to convey his anguish. But Easwarappa decided to play truant and ignored the groaning and moaning of those contractors who worked on those 100+ contracts in the Hindala Gram Panchayat outside Belgavi. Reportedly, the Panchayat President Nagesh Manolkar had confirmed the jobs having been done but still unpaid. Sometime the over confidence that nothing can go wrong ‘does them in’.
The anatomy of this 40%, understandably works like this. Many jobs which are not tendered openly but given to some select contractors begin with the instruction to start the job with an estimate of some kind. Some 15% or so is paid upfront to the person giving the verbal instruction to commence the job. Immediately thereafter paper work follows, so that the contractor is protected and this guarantees the performance from the contractor. Of course the quid-pro-quo, you scratch my back and I scratch yours, goes on to live forever during the currency of the government. By the time payment is received by the contractors the remaining 25% is distributed along the way to the clearance of bills. But then all governments are same, ask HD Deve Gowda, who was also a former PWD contractor, before being Chief Minister of Karnataka and then PM of India for 10 months and 21 days. His son HD Kumaraswamy will vouch for it.
So, it’s the general public who end up paying for these politicians and PWD contractors, besides the bad quality of job performed in 60% contract value.
May be the resignation of Easwarappa signals the end of his political life, it has created space for someone hopefully better than him, or is it too much to hope.
Surprisingly RSS being the mai-baap of BJP really couldn’t do much to clean the stable of black sheeps among them. Hope they take pro-active role in cleaning the mess created by politicians who were earlier swayamsevaks of RSS.
KARNATAKA:A report datelined Hospet (Vijayanagar) “BJP plans programs to expose Congress’s Hijab stand”, has instead exposed the party with a difference.
The opposition parties are crying hoarse on Santosh Patil suicide and 40% commission charge. That’s the issue the party has to take it head on, not hijab.
Congress has already demanded the ban on SDPI & PFI for the misplaced hijab hype. Thus there is no steam left to fight for hijab. Now 40% commission and Santosh Patil death is the hot issue. Don’t run away. There are blacksheeps in the party, accept it and try to make amends.
Election to Karnataka Assembly is not very far. So, best course available is to clean your stable. The report “7 teams to probe Patil’s death”, indicate the importance the government is giving to the issue. So do not try to side track. There may be more heads to roll. Because other parties too have done it, it does not give license for you to chase commission. Corruption in PWD contracts is well known all over the country. No state or party is free from this gargantuan malady. But you are supposedly a party with a difference. Your top man NaMo is a clean man when it comes to corruption. You have no choice except to follow his example.
There are only 2 factors helping BJP, at the hustings all over India, where BJP has a foothold, NaMo factor and the increasing number of Hindus, who have switched loyalty from other parties, for those parties’ failure to be fair with the majority community. These two factors will certainly help in the short run. But, sooner the party with a difference proves itself as truly a party with difference the better. No future can be guaranteed otherwise for the party. 2024 Loksabha election may still favour BJP led NDA, but 2023 election to Karnataka assembly can be dicie.
So take care. Voters are not idiots. Like the adage, you can fool some people all the time but not all the people all the time, holds good.
KARNATAKA:Anywhere in the world Homo sapiens would like to perpetuate the memory of their beloved sons of the soil by naming after them long lasting structures, infrastructures, utility buildings and the likes. It's not unusual at all, for those who are only living in the memory, who have dead and gone are the favoured ones to be immortalised by these symbolic gestures.
But, surprisingly and strangely, when the name of BS Yediyurappa was mentioned by no-less a person than the Chief Minister of Karnataka Basavaraj Bommai to name the Shivamogga Airport, it funnily smacked of political calculations. At least that was the general feeling felt by most Kannadigas. BS Yediyurappa is a former Chief Minister of Karnataka, for more than one term. He is also a disgruntled BJP senior functionary. He was, kind of, forced out of the office of CM under duress. He is therefore sulking in the wings. He is also capable of causing avoidable damage to the fortunes of BJP in the state. So just to placate him perhaps, this move was afoot, with the blessings of the party higher-ups.
In the event however, BSY, came out literally shining from the funny imbroglio involving naming of yet to be completed Shivamogga Airport. Reportedly, he had remarked that CM Bommai should ‘rethink’ about the naming of the airport.
BSY wrote a letter to the CM, “thanking him for the love and recognition showed on him”. The letter is understood to have mentioned about ‘several patriots and legends who have contributed to the development of the country and the state and are far more deserving’ than himself. While he mentions his ‘own contribution to be minimal as compared to other scores of legends’, he submitted that it is not appropriate for the government to name Shivamogga Airport after him.
That’s a very honorable statement coming from the Karnataka strongman, his disappointment of quitting CM’s office notwithstanding! Two cheers to BSY.
However it is pertinent to mention a similar incident a year ago that happened in Motera, Ahmedabad Gujarat. In their eagerness to please Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA) had named the Motera Cricket Stadium as Narendra Modi Stadium. It was clearly a sacrilege when its original name was Sardar Patel Cricket Stadium. The expected dust blown in public space for the controversial move of GCA, has settled down at present. But NaMo in his wisdom did not go back to the GCA to tell them to respect the name of Sardar Patel and replace his name with that of the original IRONMAN. That sadly did not happen. Under the circumstances, the stand of BSY is exemplary. Hats off to Bookanakere Siddalingappa Yediyurappa!
ISSUES AND CONCERNShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17698815830925167776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2789748706304687420.post-17479746955086781662022-04-04T11:38:00.001+05:302022-04-04T11:38:25.438+05:30FOCUS-APRIL 2022AAP as opposition Mascot!
The ‘Grand Finale in 2024’ as some media men preferred to put it, the national Loksabha Election due in May 2024, has come into early focus, with the result of the five states that went into hustings during February/March 2022.
The results have been largely on expected lines, with UP being firmly and solidly behind BJP and other 3 states too have toed the line to be in the BJP camp. However what is dramatic is the emergence of AAP, running away with almost 4/5th of the share of seats at 92 out of 117 in the election to Punjab assembly. That’s a huge stamp of approval. Suddenly, the so-called regional party of Delhi now has two states under its belt, the only non-BJP party, besides Congress to have government in more than one state. In Punjab AAP nearly demolished the previous government of Congress.
DMK is only in Tamil Nadu, TRS or Telengana Rashtra Samithi is only in Telangana, TMC only in West Bengal, JD(U) only in Bihar, JD(S) only in Karnataka, NCP only in Maharashtra.
In the opposition conclave, in their anxiety to form alliance opposed to BJP, they have never considered AAP in the past. Now there cannot be opposition alliance without AAP. That’s the fundamental take-away from election 2022.
Hitherto, Mamata Banerjee of TMC had hogged the limelight at the expense of Congress. But now Kejriwal of AAP has snatched the limelight. Mamata Banerjee, tom-tomed as possible king maker in Goa, drew blank. In Goa AAP won two seats. Besides, AAP always had MLAs in Punjab. In the last assembly-2017/21, AAP had 20 MLAs.
Clearly, post this election to Punjab and Goa, ‘Kejriwal will be the strongest and the biggest opposition leader in the country’ said Robin Roy an independent Journalist from Mumbai.
Emergence of Kejriwal as the formidable opposition leader with 2 governments under his AAP belt and with 2 MLAs in Goa, has lent an interesting dimension to the opposition conclave with Mamata ruling the roost. How will she take Kejriwal being in the opposition camp against BJP! Would she play second fiddle to Kejriwal! That’s an interesting development.
However when all is said and done, Punjab being a full-fledged state so also being a border state with Pakistan, its governance is not likely to be easy as Delhi which according to The Hindu editorial is a Municipality. The Hindu editorial of 12/3/2022 says, “It is one thing to succeed in governance in what is largely a Municipality by eschewing ideological perspectives and focusing on just populist measures. It will be a challenge to affect this in an important border state such as Punjab. AAP has its task cutout?”
AAP has won Punjab with its promise of clean governance and populist measure on health and education besides freebies. No doubt any clean party without corruption should be elected, to govern, but what about the actual delivery of services it has been elected to provide?
There is this news in circulation in the social media, which also include a video of the Delhi assembly proceedings which informs about things that have gone haywire. The news informs that the Deputy CM, Sisodia of Delhi has written letter stating ‘government do not have funds to pay salaries to teaching and non teaching staff of Delhi government funded college. So increase fees and use welfare funds’.
In the National Performance Grading Index Delhi schools stand at No.32. Score of Delhi is 124 in the learning outcome as compared to UP which got 132 marks. So the claim of model schooling in Delhi is largely evaporated. 745 schools in Delhi are without principals. 418 without vice principals, shortage of 24000 teachers in New Delhi. 2200 guest teachers haven’t been made permanent and their salaries not increased since 2019. 700 schools in Delhi do not teach science. Vocational trainers (VT) get half the salary at 16000/- of what VTs get in Haryana & UP. No increase for VTs since 2019. Independent source has confirmed the above charges of Leader of opposition in Delhi to be true. So what could happen to the promises made for Punjab electorates with literally empty coffers greeting the new government in Punjab! Only one of Kejriwal’s promise of Rs. 1000/- per month to all women of Punjab could cost the exchequer Rs. 18,000 crores per year (1.5 crore women at Rs. 1000/- per month for 12 months). The new CM of Punjab has already called on PM, asking for financial handouts.
Thus the question is HOW LONG FREEBIES CAN SUBSTITUTE FOR EFFECTIVE GOVERNANCE!
ISSUES AND CONCERNShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17698815830925167776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2789748706304687420.post-21024831724411670862022-04-04T11:36:00.002+05:302022-04-04T11:36:16.769+05:30FOCUS-APRIL 2022ELECTIONS 2022-2024-
WHAT NEXT ?
Elections come and elections go. In a democracy it’s nothing new. It’s been happening for all the past 75 years. In the past we used to have what was called as General Election that is one country one election. For varieties of political reasons and machinations, it’s no more so. Due to this development, happened mostly during the period Indira Gandhi reigned, we have one Loksabha election for the whole country and state assembly elections on different dates. Hence there is election atmosphere during most part of the 5 years period, with election in one state or the other.
With 8 elections due to be held in 2022, five of them are already over and the results of them are already there for all to see. Of the five states that went to elect its Members of Legislative Assembly, four have gone to the kitty of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), rightly or otherwise. Whether one likes it or not, at the end of the day JO JEETAA VAHEE SIKANDAR! The 5th state of Punjab has been bagged by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). It was a landslide victory by any standard of comparison.
States already completed the process of election are Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa & Manipur. The states expected to complete the process before 2022 are Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat and possibly even Jammu & Kashmir.
There have been talks about the above assembly elections or state elections, could be a kind of precursor for the Loksabha election due in 2024. This assumption is not entirely misplaced for varieties of reasons.
The result that we Indians have witnessed, has given a clear thumbs-up to the biggest political party of India, the BJP. It has managed to present its government once again to the people of 4 states, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa. The state of Punjab, however, has gone to Aam Aadmi Party. Of course it has been a kind of, an entirely unexpected scale of victory which needs to be looked into, since in all other states, where AAP contested the performance of AAP has been quite dismal.
So, despite there being a plethora of political parties, only BJP and AAP have romped home in style. Of course emergence of AAP as victorious in Punjab, where it got over 3/4th number of seats, has led to remarks like, will AAP emerge as alternative to BJP! That’s a long shot by any stretch of imagination, as of now. But credit has to be given where it is due, although there are many stories floating in the social media about some external force inimical to Indian interest, has allegedly played sinister role in propping up the Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab. Be that as it may, this aspect is not the issue under Focus here.
Here, we are trying to extrapolate the victory at state level to national level when election to Loksabha is due in 2024, especially because BJP has improved on its vote share in all five states that went to polls, so also the results have jolted the opposition unity moves.
Writing in the print media, political analyst Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, said “since it is often stated that the road to Delhi starts from Lucknow, it is indisputable that the results of the election in UP will have far reaching impact on the future of the country’s politics and the contours of Indian democracy. However the importance of outcome of these assembly elections goes beyond the influence it will exert on the presidential election later this year”.
While it is true that one out of every six Indians lives in UP, there are more people in UP than in Pakistan or Brazil so also most Prime Ministers of India have come from UP, including the present incumbent, the de facto head of the state. Prime Minister Narendra Modi got elected from Varanasi after leaving his regular constituency in Gujarat.
Thus the importance of Uttar Pradesh as the swing state influencing the course of national politics cannot be denied.
An editorial of a Mumbai based news paper, before the announcement of election results had commented, “Uttar Pradesh will lay down the road map for the future, both in terms of content and direction, given the volatile circumstances caused by the worst global pandemic and the consequent economic down turn have created”. Same media member had also commented before the result “If BJP wins again, (they were hoping BJP may not win), Narendra Modi’s prospect of retaining power for the 3rd term will doubtlessly brighten up once again,” while adding “It will, after all, be nothing short of a miracle if BJP pulls it off despite searing price rise, Covid mismanagement and unprecedented unemployment. The less said the better about the impact of the farmers’ agitation on western parts of the state. If BJP defies political logic to survive, the entire credit will go to Modi’s perseverance and the invincibility of the Hindutva agenda in northern India”.
In the event, when the results came pouring in, it left nobody in doubt about the prospect of the biggest political party of India romping home in style. They won 273 seats, albeit less than 320 seats of 2019, out of 403 seats, which is clearly more than 2/3rd.
While recognizing the importance of Uttar Pradesh in the national politics, there could be factors that keep such importance alive, even in 2024 scenario!
For example, for the first time in over 3 decades, the same party was elected back to power. That shows, to a large extent, where the wind is blowing.
International media had its own take on these elections to 5 states. While commenting on BJPs electoral victory in UP and elsewhere it had stated that ‘these victories once again reinforces the dominance of Prime Minister Modi in Indian politics for the foreseeable future’. Washington Post said “The results make Modi’s BJP the favorite to win the next national election in 2024”. The Daily Telegraph said “The election is expected to be a barometer for the national political mood”.
Thus as political analyst Thakurta has stated, ‘contours of Indian democracy’ will certainly get affected by the electoral happenings in these 5 states, more so with Uttar Pradesh.
However, it will be interesting to look at what really influenced the course in the electoral victory of BJP, especially in Uttar Pradesh.
According to the findings of the Centre for the Study of Developing Society (CSDS), post poll survey 2022, ‘welfare scheme and its positive effects on people played an important role. However for UP in particular, religious polarization also played a crucial role in increasing BJP vote share and therefore victory’. Survey, reportedly, finds that people were more satisfied with central government schemes and the central leadership under PM Modi. This was across the state and therefore, this poll has set the course for 2024, in its own way. Survey also stated that both in UP and in Uttarakhand party mattered more than the candidate.
According to Badri Narayan, Director of GB Pant Institute of Social Sciences, “One of the most important factors in BJPs success is the growing beneficiary consciousness among the poor, marginal and weaker sections. The other factor that worked in favour of BJP is Modi’s image. It is interesting to note that despite various complaints against the BJP led regime Modi still commands deep trust in the heart of the people in UP. Third important factor was law and order and Suraksha (safety in everyday life) and it worked in BJPs favour. It worked as security from crime, violence, land grab and the threat of muscle power”. Like many commentators, he too stressed the Hindutva narrative as a factor influencing the UP outcome. According to him “Hindutva polarization happened in silent mode without any Shree Ram Temple or Kashi Vishwanath corridor issue coming into election rhetoric with counter polarization playing some role among different groups”. No wonder political researcher Asim Ali called it “It was as much Ram as it was ration” while adding “There are two major national implications of the UP election. One Yogi, the first CM in the history of the state to be given a renewed mandate after completing a full term in office is now a leader of serious national prominence. And two, having yet again conquered the heartland of Indian politics, BJP has ensured that its national dominance is set to continue for the foreseeable future”.
Seema Chishti, a journalist writer based in Delhi had her own take on similar lines. "What must leave the BJP pleased is that the elections from desperate states around India have resulted in its bettering its performance and by a significant margin. The BJP era appears to be in top gear and cruising", while adding "The decimation of the informal economy in UP has consequences that hurt the poorest. Youth unemployment is among the highest in the country and has grown in the past five years, with 16 lakhs fewer people employed in the state in 2022 than they were in 2017. NITI Ayog ranked UP at the bottom of the multi dimension poverty index. But the incumbent Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath returned to power, in a first since 1985. So in the face of deep economic distress BJP gets full majority in Lucknow, one must look at the implications of, when the voter does not factor his own well being when making electoral choices. The 'something else' that has driven Mr. Adityanath back to Mukhya Mantri Niwas must concern us".
While it is true that there have been issues of all kinds which needed redress but still voters have preferred to bring back Yogi Adityanath, there must have been some profound reasons. The so-called Hindu Nationalist Party, the BJP, was in the fringe of national politics for a long time. From a mere 2 seats in 1984/85, slow and steady it inched its way up. From the largest opposition party in the parliament and some 4 state governments in 1990s, with its own coalition government, between 1998 to 2004 it has been a revelation.
The party came back, as if with vengeance, in 2014 with its own government at the center without coalition crutches, repeated its victory in 2019 with increased number of seats, there must be some solid reasons which somehow media is refusing to recognize. In the meanwhile in 2017, UP electorates gave BJP 325 seats, the highest for any combination in UP, and it sent 80 MPs to the parliament in the 2019 election to Loksabha. It couldn't have happened just like that. All political analysts and their journo friends must ponder, before criticizing and writing it off. According to Swaminathan Anklesaria Aiyar, “The sheer scale of Yogi’s victory requires a re-assessment. Voters have shown their appreciation for Yogi’s improved administration in the delivery of various schemes. Critics tried to highlight a couple of communal phrases in Yogi’s speeches and portrayed these as his election thrust. This biased analysis blinded (these journos) to what really mattered. There is much more to Yogi than communalism and critics have ignored or down played many real achievements”.
Then there are sections of society going en-bloc to certain camps, as it happened with SP in Uttar Pradesh and with TMC in West Bengal. If its polarization of one kind, reverse polarization has to happen. India is alive and kicking. Silent majority cannot be taken for granted for too long. They will decide the future of India. This reading has to be acknowledged by the media and the interlocutors therein. Hope it happens within the Idea of India.
ISSUES AND CONCERNShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17698815830925167776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2789748706304687420.post-53786817015637125852022-04-04T11:35:00.004+05:302022-04-04T11:35:22.885+05:30MONTH-IN-PERSPECTIVE-APRIL 2022UTTARAKHAND: A Nainital datelined news report “MBBS students tonsured, paraded with hands tied”, made a disturbed reading.
According to a story filed by Sonali Mishra of Times Group, some 27 boys were seen being paraded with hands tied and they were tonsured. Reportedly they were made to walk in circles around the Haldwani Medical College campus. They were all first year MBBS Students, tells the report, while informing that a video was made of this “ragging”.
Disturbed by the visual in the social media, netizens reportedly called out the administration of the college to take action against those responsible for the humiliation of these juniors. According to the report, in the video, 27 boys can be seen with their hands tied behind their back, looking down on the ground while walking in silence. Wearing doctor’s apron and mask with their heads shaven, they avoided eye contact with passersby and vehicles on the road, truly, a humiliating experience for those ‘hapless’ students.
Reaction of the college principal appeared little comical and clearly bureaucratic. Reportedly, the Principal Arun Joshi (in all probability, a medical doctor) down played the incident, stating “No complaint has been received in the case. Often students shave their heads themselves. It is not always linked to ragging. Many students join college with military haircuts. This incident is not unusual”.
In true bureaucratic style the principal had reacted “No complaint has been received”. Like police, without complaint he cannot take action. If students are afraid to complain, so be it. ‘It’s none of my concern’. Just having head tonsured is not ragging according to this principal Joshi. But who has tied their hands to their back! They cannot do it themselves! Someone else had to do it. But since they didn’t complain, no action can be taken, according to this Principal Arun Joshi.
Report also informs that, the college has a history of ragging. There were in the past, cases of suspension of students and fine of Rs 10000/- imposed on every student suspended. Report also refers to a case of a student having complained to the UGC (University Grants Commission) alleging torture by seniors. This was despite there being an anti-ragging cell in the college. So much for the trust in the college administration with people like Arun Joshi at the helm! May be court in Uttarkhand should take up suo moto such cases so that people like Arun Joshi are shown their place.
NEW DELHI: For quite some time in the public space there have been talks about the rationalization of our tax structure, especially GST. We have heard in the past and we continue to hear in the social media about the suffering-real and perceived-of a section of Indian society, due to GST.
We all know that GST has rates starting from 5% at the lowest to 28% at the highest. It is levied under a four tier structure that attracts taxes at rates of 5%, 12%, 18% and 28%.
Present rate of 5%, at the lowest slab, is mainly applicable to essential items, services and packaged food. All these rates of 5% to 28% are equally halved as central and state.
Ever since GST regime came into operation from July 1st 2017, the entire country has come under one tax structure for all sales of goods and services, thus independence of resource mobilization by states is lost. But it is important to have a single national tax regime for varieties of socio-economic reasons. It is true some states have lost its revenue with one GST for the entire country. This loss however is compensated by the centre. This compensation regime, as per the act has to expire on 30th June 2022, just 3 months away. Hence there is a clamor from states to rationalize the tax structure to possibly increase the state share of tax collection. There is also demand to raise the lowest tax from 5% to 8%. According to the data available every 1% raise will yield Rs. 50,000 crore as additional resources and 3% raise will get Rs. 1,50,000/-, more than enough to cover the compensation needed from the centre to the states.
Increasing the rate is the easiest action to take, but there is a GST council and then there is a Group of Ministers (GoM), who is also going into the rationalization effort on GST. They should be able to widen the tax net instead of opting for the easy course to just raise the rate. But again, in the GST net there is the pension scheme insurance policy too. Here there is no provision to exclude senior citizens. Besides, there is no justification to charge GST on pension scheme under Life Insurance Policies.
There is also the possibility to do away with 12%, to make only 3 tier GST slabs of 8%, 18% & 28%, by merging all items in 12% category into 18%. This will be very tragic. Most medicines are under 12% GST bracket, if increased to 18% this will be very harsh on all patients who include a vast section of our middle class & lower middle class population. According to information available in the media there were some 228 items attracting 28% which has been brought down to less than 35, that is some 85% were let off due to pressure from trade and industry. 28% being the rate of GST for luxury purchases and items of conspicuous consumption, there is certainly better scope to expand it and leave the pharmaceutical & medicines at 12% and possibly have some items at 5% only.
Hope the powers that be, look at it rationally on the whole gamut of GST rates and come up with proposals not to hurt those, who need succour.
NEW DELHI:United Nations General Assembly had set up in 2015, Sustainable Development Goals for the world for its 192 member states, supposedly a blue print to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all, with the intention to achieve them by 2030.
It has 17 goals. Some are most important like, zero hunger, zero poverty, good health & well being coupled with clean water and sanitation, followed by quality education, affordable and clean energy, reduced inequalities, affordable health care, sustainable urban growth, responsible production and consumption, climate action, gender equality, creation of strong institution for peace and justice & strengthening global partnership for these goals.
An action plan was drawn up and member countries were told to start the work towards attainment of these goals.
Every year United Nations comes up with a report duly monitored by its units in different parts of the world.
According to sources in the UNO, India’s position this year is 120, lower by 3 from last year’s rank of 117 among these 192 member countries. Priding to be the 4th largest economy in the world and dreaming to be a super power, it’s a shame that India scored just 66 out of 100, to rank below Bhutan at 75, below Sri Lanka at 87, Nepal at 96 and Bangladesh at 109, only Pakistan at 129 is worse than India at 120.
It’s been a failure from many fronts, be it zero hunger, good health, gender equality or sustainable urban spaces, quality education etc, informs a report from Union Ministry of Environment.
It is true, unlike all those South Asian countries, India is a very large country with equally large population with complex reality of multi ethnic, multi religious and multi lingual society. Added to that is the messy democracy of last 75 years where nobody is accountable for the wage that he receives.
That is how Kerala is supposedly at the top with best indicators, followed by Tamil Nadu and Himachal Pradesh in the 2nd position. Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Goa and Uttarkhand is jointly in 3rd position. Sadly for Bihar it’s a long-way to catch-up combined with its other part that became Jharkhand, who have remained at the bottom among all states. This picture has to change, but when? It is a profound question making its interminable rounds. Oh poor Mother India!
NEW DELHI:Before the close of financial year, the central government announces the rate of interest for employees provident fund. It’s an yearly exercise. Interest that EPF gets is always better than the PPF, that is Public Provident Fund. EPF is meant for employees of companies, industries and other employment agencies, who are required to pay similar amount into EPF as an employee benefit. Presently its 12% of wages/salaries an employee gets. Employees share is deducted by the employer from employee’s wages and an equal amount is contributed by the employer. Then it is deposited with the Regional Commissioner of Provident Fund. This fund is invested in different portfolios and earn profits on these investments. This profit is distributed among members of EPF after providing for the cost of management etc.
As compared to EPF, PPF is one sided investment. Any member of the public can invest in PPF. It is a savings scheme available to general public with tax incentive offered since the investment is generally locked for 15 years. The principal contribution and income earned are both exempted from income tax. The scheme is managed by Ministry of Finance, government of India. It is meant for people who are not beneficiaries of EPF.
A report in the print media informed some weeks ago “EPF rate cut to 8.1%, to limit savings. Trade Unions representative decry decision?” This is just to sensationalize by the media.
8.1% is 12% more than 7.1% which PPF has received for 2021-2022. EPF has contribution from both employees and employers so also earns more than PPF, and yet Trade Unions are crying hoarse and media is joining the chorus.
In fact, if the government equate both EPF & PPF as one, in giving the same rate of interest for both, that will be more equitous.
These employees who are covered under EPF are from organized sector and therefore there are better post retirement sources to fall back, unlike unorganized sector workers, who have no financial security at all.
A PPF a/c holder gets only his principal money and interest. Whereas an employee covered under EPF gets not only his contribution, so also, he gets employer’s share of contribution both attracting higher interest rates. Therefore an EPF a/c holder should be happier than otherwise he is presented to the public as suffering etc.
Media must stirve for equity in this scheme of EPF & PPF suggesting equal interest rate for both and not hype the perceived loss of EPF a/c holders just to spite the government!
UTTAR PRADESH: Five of our states went into elect its MLAs, spread over a good part of the month of February 2022. Came March 10, 2022, to inform all Indians, who have made to the finish line. The television and print media went to town with profoundly mixed reactions.
Reportedly Bharatiya Janata Party, which is the bête noire of almost the entire political class and of most members of the media, both men and women, romped home in style. Of the 5 states, the party crossed the finish line to form the next government in four states.
However of all the victories, the winning number of 274 out of 403 in the UP assembly election is a huge re-confirmation of its acceptance, especially in 37 years, for the first time an incumbent government was voted back to power.
This was despite “my gut feel, affected no doubt by near trampling at the Akhilesh rally, is that the opinion polls predicting a BJP victory may prove to be off the mark” writes Swaminathan S Anklesaria Aiyar , a brother of Congress man Manishankar Aiyar, who after the result reacted “Yogi’s crusade against crime pays dividend”, while admitting that left liberals and most journalists have, in his own words, “This biased analysis blinded them to what really mattered”.
Also what is significant is despite promising freebies and allowances AAP has drawn blank in UP. It has contested all 403 seats of UP assembly but has drawn 0 with a vote share of a mere 0.38%. In fact even NOTA (none of the above) received more votes than AAP, with many losing deposits. However it is interesting to note that AAP in its freebie spree had offered 300 units free electricity to every household in UP and promised to waive all pending household electricity bills, if voted to power. Farmers are not to pay for power bills and promised creation of 10 lakhs jobs. Rs. 5000/- allowance promised to all unemployed, so also Rs.1000/- to every woman in UP, besides waiver of farm loans. In its anxiety to win election in UP AAP offered Rs.1 crore to every family of every martyr and same amount to Covid warriors! Manifesto of AAP also promised no fee hike in private schools so also Rs. 10 lakhs insurance to every scribe.
With these promises in its manifesto, question which clearly come to mind is, does Arvind Kejriwal has any idea of the size of population of UP! Or was he just fooling gullible voters!
It has close to 200 million population, of that some 95 million are females. So we are talking about Rs. 114000/- crores as only allowance to women. From where he will get this kind of money! Some 33% of the employable persons of about 150 million is the figure of unemployment dole, it works to Rs. 3,00,000 crores that is 5000 x 50 million x 12. With all other freebies, how much will go in largesse only! Yet, what could be the reason, not many bit the bullet and party drew blank, a big ZERO!
Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, who had bent to touch the feet of Rahul Gandhi, who in age, could be like his son, had told during electioneering in UP that “Only Congress knows how to run the nation”. How true, that Congress couldn’t even retain its 7 seats it had in the outgoing UP assembly! It could manage to win only 2 in the 400 seats it contested. Slightly better than AAP which drew blank and reportedly Congress lost deposit in 387 seats with just 2.4% vote share.
AIMIM, despite its high pitched polarization rhetoric failed to open it accounts. AIMIM had visions of PM Modi retiring to Himalayas and Yogi Adityanath to Gorakhnath Math after losing elections. Assaduddin Owassi, the president of AIMIM (All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen) got an ‘egg’ on his face with a big zero, despite having contested some 100 seats. Reportedly 99 candidates of AIMIM lost their deposits. A visibly despondent president of AIMIM, Assaduddin Owassi had yelled out “Yeh Kya hogaya”.
UTTAR PRADESH:There was this report, immediately post declaration of results on the 10th March, “Akhilesh asks SP workers to prepare for 2024”. As of now, he has little choice except to look forward. After all Samajwadi Party (SP) is a UP version of JD(S) of HD Deve Gowda, purely family outfit. Time is seriously running out for family run political parties. A lesson Akhilesh will learn only after another miss at the victory line.
Reportedly, he is blaming the EVM’s for the loss of the winning majority. Those who lose, they keep blaming everything else except themselves. He simply does not deserve to be voted to power. May be BJP governance has lot to be complained about. But they are anytime better than SP. BJP is a democratically functioning party, unlike any other party except may be communist parties. They have made their mistakes, so also issues, but they have vision for India and its people. SP and similar outfits, be it NCP, JD(S), RJD etc. are family outfits and works mostly for the family and its cronies. Voters realize this. Indian voters, at least a significant part, are no more like sheeps, they think and vote. Surely they were disappointed with BJP for varieties of reason. But they are still a better bet for honesty of purpose. Both PM Modi and Adithyanath are models in selflessness, which ordinary voter understands despite their many inadequacies. So, he trusts them to deliver, if not today, surely tomorrow. The following 5 years will prove. Yogi will work better and with purpose. He will not let down his people. SP has the highest number of Muslim candidates who won, 31 of them, so, SP caused polarization therefore reverse polarization benefitted BJP. This is bound to happen. In 1986, BJP had only 2 seats in the parliament. Now they have more than 300. This is the result of reverse polarization. And no political party learnt why BJP is gaining electorally slowly but steadily. It will continue to happen. Something which is difficult for SP to come to grips with due to its own party dynamics.
GUJARAT: In civil life we come across situations, where differences crop up mainly for money or money's worth, besides other matters of pure misunderstanding or gross injustice. Sometime, one can approach some well-meaning forums, arbitration platforms and come to some kind of a settlement without having to approach the courts of law. In such situations there are levels of give and take and create a win-win situation to all stakeholders.
Of course, there will be those, who can be uncompromising and then going to court would be the only option.
However, if there is a dispute, between an individual and a government department or government agency, it's very unlikely that, it can be settled outside the court, for varieties of reasons. So going to court becomes the only option.
On 6th September 1986, Pan Am Flight 73, from Bombay (Mumbai) to New York, scheduled to stop at Karachi and Frankfurt, was hijacked by terrorists at Pakistan’s Karachi airport. Before terrorists could be overpowered, due to the delaying tactics of crew members led by (now famous) Neerja Bhanot, they had shot and killed some 20 of the 380 passengers, which included 20 Pan Am crew members.
Among those 20 killed, was a lady, the wife of an Indian from Ahmadabad. After long process of insurance litigation, the man received the compensation for the death of his wife, who was a bonafide passenger in the Pan Am Flight 73 on 6th September 1986, when the hijack took place.
Of course, the compensation had to be according to the American terms of insurance contract. Accordingly the husband of the lady passenger killed by terrorists was compensated with, reportedly Rs. 20 crores. By Indian standards it's a whopping sum. Since it was received by the bank of the husband of the lady, he declared it in his income tax return.
But the Income Tax Department felt, there is revenue for the department. Department reportedly has asked the man to pay some tax on the compensation receipts. Not convinced the man had approached the Gujarat High Court. A report datelined Ahmadabad "Gujarat HC to decide if terror attack relief is taxable", informs that the division bench of Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice Nisha Thakore asked the I.T department "Is the revenue department seriously contesting something that has been received as a compensation? Can it be taxed?” They are relevant questions, can blood money received as compensation be treated as income!?
MAHARASHTRA: “300 BMC proposals worth Rs.2500 crores passed in 25 minutes”, was news datelined Mumbai, reported the print media.
In a system where public servants, if elected representatives are to be called so, are there mostly to serve themselves, rather than the people who elected them, this news is not at all surprising.
Probably in one of the earliest cases of such nature, the infamous Classic computer purchase case in 1990s under the then Chief Minister of Karnataka S. Bangarappa come back rushing to the mind. He had similarly purchased some 100 computers at some exorbitant price of some Rs.5.3 crores without tender and had advanced Rs. 1.5 crores to some dubious company on the verge of quitting office.
The above news from Mumbai tells that “hours before the tenure of Shiv Sena led BMC ended office on 7th March it passed more than 300 proposals worth Rs. 2500 crores within 25 minutes on the last day of the standing committee meeting”.
Reportedly proposals included construction and repairs of hospitals, water tunnels, sewage lines, repair and construction of small internal roads, construction of wall around Deonar dumping ground, beautification of gardens and open grounds, besides other jobs like desilting of minor and major drains, provision for solid waste management, storm water drain etc. Opposition corporators, as expected strongly objected to the lack of procedure and raised points of order before the meeting commenced. But Shiv Sena corporator and Standing Committee Chairman brushed aside all protest.
Prabhakar Shinde, an opposition corporator reportedly remarked “these 370 proposals, even if taken one minute per proposal its 370 minutes, but this corporation has cleared all 370 in 25 minutes,” he told the video record of the commotion of rushing the proposals through despite protest by the opposition corporators.
What is serious and therefore reprehensible is the chairman of Standing Committee Shiv Sainik Yashwant Jadhav’s residence was raided by income tax department only some days ago! Standing Committee chairman is clearly under cloud. Therefore this clearance of over 300 proposals within 25 minutes is highly improper and questionable.
But then, decided to strike it rich before the last-ball was delivered, the ruling combine had planned it to leave it for the last minute to play the ‘helplessness drama’. It’s another matter that opposition has threatened to go to court to stop these contracts being awarded. But then by the time court takes cognizance and acts, may be, it’s only postmortem, too little too late. Poor mother India!
KARNATAKA: Eagerly awaited judgment of Karnataka High Court has come after all. “Karnataka High Court dismisses pleas seeking hijab in classrooms” while stating “wearing headscarf not essential under Islam” court also observed “unseen hands may have fanned hijab row”. As against the stand of the Karnataka High Court, six girl students of Udupi Government PU College have reportedly declared that “we will not go to college without hijab and we will fight this in every possible way, legally”. A report in the middle page of TOI “Hijab judgment gets mixed response; coast stay calm”. This was only expected. There will always be those for and those against, those accepting it and those disappointed by it. In this particular case there was no middle ground. However what is important is, both Udupi & D.K districts have remained peaceful.
Reportedly these girls questioned the government “if uniform is more important than the education of Muslims girls”. “Not to attend college without hijab” is the decision of these girls and their parents. So clearly, for these girls, hijab is more important than education, since there are ‘N’ numbers of Muslim girls who attend classes without hijab. It is the misplaced assertiveness of these students, their parents and their political supporters.
Of course the happiness expressed by some BJP MLAs and Union Minister Prahlad Joshi was really uncalled for. Life could have gone on without expressing visible joy at the HC judgment. Response of non-BJP political parties was on expected lines admonishing BJP in Karnataka to behave. Then you had Omar Abdullah & Asaduddin Owassi giving lessons in secularism as usual, knowing full well how un-secular they themselves are in both their precept and practice.
Udupi girls, while asserting that they will approach the Supreme Court to challenge the Karnataka HC judgment had stated “We are mentally drained. If BR Ambedkar was alive, he would be weeping” But Ambedkar’s book “Pakistan or the Partition of India”, (KALPAZ publications) among other remarks he writes, “These burka women walking in the streets is one of the most hideous sights one can witness in India. Such seclusion cannot but have its deteriorating effects upon the physical constitution of Muslim women”. P/220
However, it was pleasantly surprising this time round TOI has published mixed responses from different quarters instead of being loaded with lopsided reportage including the editorial. It had an article from a faculty of National Law University Delhi, commenting on the HC judgment, “Wrong question, Wrong call” then another piece” Karnataka HC Takes Right Decision on Hijab” by a lady Islamic Scholar and chairperson of Centre for Peace and Spirituality. The editorial was exclusive with a title ‘Court is Correct’, while agreeing “Karnataka High Court was broadly right in declaring that educational institutions enforcing uniform isn’t violative of fundamental rights”.
As compared to the earlier stand of TOI this appeared journalistically many sided trying to be non-partisan.
KARNATAKA:Some weeks ago, there was a news report in the print media datelined Chikmagalooru, “Ostracised couple threatens conversion”.
According to the report, 25 year old Somashekhar of Sahyadripura in the Chikmagalooru district, while working in a factory in Bengalooru developed friendship with a girl, 23 year old Mahalakshmi of Tumakooru.
Friendship bloomed and they got married. That was back in 2019. They happened to be from different caste; ostensibly the boy happened to be of a higher caste and girl a lower caste. Family of the boy had no issue with the caste of the girl, informs the press.
Life was routine without any hick-ups for the couple, until Covid hit and it was lockdown, and during the 2nd lockdown in 2021 the factory, they were working, closed down and they returned to the boy’s village to stay with his parents.
On returning to the village, other villagers came to know about the marriage of young Somashekhar with the girl of a lower caste. Elders of the village decided that none in the village should speak to the family of the boy including the young couple. If anybody found talking with this family shall be fined Rs. 5000/, ordered the committee of elders. Even village temple was declared out-of-bounds for them.
Clearly these elders in the village made the life of the family of Somashekhar miserable.
Speaking to media, who descended on the village on learning the episode, harassed and anguished Somashekhar had reportedly stated that “If boycott continues whole family will convert to Christianity”.
In the light of anti-conversion bill of Karnataka, recently passed by the Karnataka legislature, the power that be, should look into such developments within the Hindu society and punish the caste perpetrators so severally, that they do not dare boycott anybody for any perceived wrong, before blaming Christian missionaries and others. In fact, such situations are the causa-proxima for people leaving the Hindu faith, due to such evil caste practices.
Reportedly, when some activists met the Chikmagalooru DC, KN Ramesh, he assured them that he ‘will take action on those responsible for the boycott if they do not immediately withdraw the boycott of the family of Somashekhar’.
Hope DC means what he stated and takes action to reprimand those responsible for such stupid practices.
KARNATAKA:Coming August 15th, we as a nation would complete 75 years of political freedom. Looking back over the shoulder would certainly give a profoundly mixed feeling of euphoria and disappointment at the road we traversed.
Road transport is one of the most significant propellers of socio-economic development and progress. It’s the road that connects the country, from village to semi urban to urban to interstate. It’s the road connectivity that binds a state and therefore the country.
However, after 75 years of planned economic development and progress, to think that there are 3002 villages in Karnataka alone that do not have RTC buses plying in and out of these villages. So, inhabitants of these villages are seriously handicapped to catch-up with the everyday vicissitudes of everyday life. Sadly for them the political freedom 75 years ago did not bring about the socio-economic freedom which other countrymen experience and enjoy at different degrees to whatever extent possible.
Reportedly there are 578 villages in Chitradurga district alone, with no KSRTC bus service serving these villages, followed by Tumakooru with 510 villages and Chikmagalooru with 408 villages. There are some 17 districts with different degrees of KSRTC non-connectivity. It’s a pathetic situation.
Reportedly there is a need for some 1000 buses, over and above the existing 8000 buses, to be acquired by KSRTC, besides some 3500 additional bus staff. KSRTC finances are in doldrums without any additional budgetary support by the state government. Every year purchases of buses by KSRTC have been dwindling. This financial year 2021-22 reportedly it was just ONE bus KSRTC could procure, while the earlier year it was 147 for 2020-21. Thus it’s important that government comes to the rescue of KSRTC, so that there is a planned and time bound programme to make every village of Karnataka accessible by RTC buses.
It will surely have multiplier effect of opening opportunities of livelihood besides better access to education and health. Surely Members of Parliament and MLAs from these districts can take many positive initiatives to alleviate the suffering of people from these 17 districts to bring them to the main stream of socio-economic development of the country. Hope the cry of helplessness of those villagers resonates within the corridors of Vidhan Saudha in Bengalooru and some positive progress takes place.
KARNATAKA:Reportedly, sometime last year, 2021, Karnataka State Contractors Association had written to PM Modi that they had to pay, to elected representatives and government officials to secure tenders and start work on projects some 40% commission. This 40% must be the value of tender/contract. So in the rest of the 60% contractors have to procure their material and provide labour to complete the job and hopefully get paid without any additional % to these leaches. Surely it is not the problem of these leaches to know, if material supplied to the contract in question is sub-standard and the finishing poor. If the general taxpaying public suffers it’s not the worry of these leaches.
Surprisingly, nothing was heard after the complaint to PMO. It is strange, why the high priest of anti-corruption is quiet on this! Indeed sometime truth can be stranger than fiction.
And comes this report in the print media “Minister wants bribe, says contractor in letter to PM”. One Santosh Patil, a contractor from Belagavi, has completed, along with some other contractors, some 108 petty and medium sized contracts at Hindala Gram Panchayat ruled by BJP on the express verbal instruction of K. S. Eshwarappa, the Minister of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj in Karnataka government. The value of the contract thus executed is over Rs. 4 crores, claims Patil. Reportedly the president of Gram Panchayat Nagesh Monolkar has confirmed that these jobs were executed promptly and that they have not been paid.
Santosh Patil has been following up payment with the minister since almost a year after the completion of jobs (May 2021) without success. He alleges that they are being harassed by both the minister and his associates for commission to get paid.
It is another matter that Minister Eshwarappa has denied of any wrong doing, which is the normal escape route for all those in power.
Reportedly harassed Patil has shot a letter to PM Modi and Union Panchayat Minister, Giriraj Singh, complaining about the whole issue. He called on Minister Singh, General Secretary of BJP BL Santosh, and Karnataka incharge secretary Arun Singh appraising the matter.
It’s very strange and very disturbing that how the present dispensation at the centre is tolerating such corrupt practices and happenings despite their ‘avowed’ intolerance of corruption among corrupt politicians and public servants!
ISSUES AND CONCERNShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17698815830925167776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2789748706304687420.post-33904052900482280322022-03-12T12:01:00.006+05:302022-03-12T12:01:52.514+05:30FOCUS-MARCH 2022IDEA OF JUSTICE: FROM TARUN TEJPAL TO FRANCO MULAKKAL
G. Gopakumar, a judge of an additional session court in Kottayam, Kerala, an important hub of various church denominations, has reportedly acquitted disgraced, defrocked former catholic bishop Franco Mulakkal. He was an accused of repeatedly raping a nun under his charge. Judge G. Gopakumar cited, failure of the prosecution to establish the crime, for the eventual acquittal of Franco Mulakkal by the additional session court in Kottayam.
Reportedly, this Franco Mulakkal is the first Catholic Bishop in the country to have faced trial on the rape charge. It was on 27th June 2018, the victim of Bishop Mulakkal’s lust had complained at the Kuravilangad Police station in Kottayam, that she was sexually assaulted 14 times by this bishop between May, 2014 and 2016. Some 5 nuns took to fasting under the aegis of Joint Christian Council (JCC), demanding arrest of Franco Mulakkal. JCC had blamed authorities in Kerala for no-action despite many months after complaint, adding that Catholic Church in Kerala is pressurizing government ‘not to act’.
Sex within the portals of church has a long history. But it’s not the church alone, where ever celibacy is being practiced, sexapades is fairly routine, some becomes public knowledge, some enjoy it quietly and some endure it to live another day, being helpless to protest. However in this particular case, apparently the victim suffered the attack on her persona for too long and too often. Probably she couldn’t endure it anymore. Prime facie, she may not be alone who have suffered the physical ignominy by the influential Bishop. Under the circumstances, the laity has to involve itself to support the protesting group of nuns.
Post FIR at Kuravilangad police station, investigation by police had learnt that Bishop Mulakkal had indeed abused his position and got physical with the victim repeatedly. Accordingly Kerala High Court was informed, followed by a special team of Kerala police travelled to Jalandhar along with some journalists. It was alleged that private security guards at Bishop House in Jalandhar had assaulted these accompanying journalists from Kochi. He was brought to Kottayam and after getting clearance from the Kottayam government hospital, about his health condition, he was jailed. But sadly he was soon granted a conditional bail of no entry into Kerala and reporting to police in Jalandhar once every two weeks. On securing bail, nuns of Jalandhar welcomed Mulakkal with visible warmth, indicating that these nuns were strangely not with the suffering victim, one of their very own, who endured the lecherous pressure of Mulakkal some 14 times in over 24 months period. Clearly, it appeared that this Bishop Mulakkal had the clout and power to influence the course of justice. This is the most disturbing aspect of bail having been granted to this alleged habitual criminal.
Being on bail he moved several petitions to obstruct the progress in the case including a petition in the apex court seeking to squash the charges against him. While rejecting his plea, the Supreme Court warned him not to throw his weight around with his spiritual authority against the court.
Under the circumstances, the verdict by the session court has been received with shock in many quarters. The National & State Women’s Commission Chairpersons described the verdict as shocking while the police officials in charge of the case said ‘there is no parallel to the verdict in the history of Indian judiciary’. Reportedly, the nuns who had agitated for justice to the victim said ‘the verdict showed that those who have money and clout can get away with anything in Kerala’.
Coming to the judgment itself, there were some glaring infirmities like, ‘the case has begun around two years later, after the last incident of alleged rape, resulting in lack of medical evidence’. Besides for some inexplicable reasons, prosecution was unable to produce the victim’s mobile phone or laptop before the court. Since there were allegations of obscene messages from the bishop to the victim and these messages were reportedly saved in the computer of the victim. Thus it couldn’t be proved. So also, strangely the medical report presented by the prosecution was different from the original report, contended the defense.
However it is also true that the victim-nun attempted many times, before approaching the police, to present her case to church authorities, which reportedly fell on deaf ears. According to reports, the nun first reported the alleged assaults to Church authorities as early as January 2017, approaching several senior Church functionaries. But none took it seriously. Thus years, in the intervening period, were lost. An SIT was formed only after the protest, by the supporters of nun before the Kerala High Court and Franco Mulakkal was arrested. He was charged under different sections of IPC, including rape, intimidation, illegal confinement and others. He is reported to have stayed in jail for 25 days, but not surprisingly found great support from both church and politicians.
But, again for some unknown reasons, the judge seem to have predilections, in seeing the victim negatively in adopting a softer approach towards the accused. Was it pre-planned! Or else, it’s not clear at all, how judge G. Gopakumar, concluded that the accused Franco Mulakkal is innocent to be freed, despite the visible reaction among the public in support of the victim. If the intention of the judge was to give justice to the victim, judge could have taken more time to get to the truth of the matter, especially when the victim was fighting a powerful person. Cross examination of the accused was not called for either. Hence the insinuation that the accused is being protected is sustained.
It was indeed a case of David fighting Goliath. It is perceived in many quarters, closure to church, that although many nuns suffer in silence, they do not have the courage to go against the powerful clergy. ‘It had taken ‘herculean effort’ by the survivor and fellow nuns to get the case taken up, with the Catholic Church offering little support and instead taking retaliatory action against her and those who stood up for her?’
Under the circumstances, it’s only the laity that should come forward with open support for such victims. But sadly the truth is, laity is apparently not too much bothered, or else, as Prof. Valson Thampu says "Does the Christian community have any right to be shocked at this alleged miscarriage of justice? How consistent is the track record of the community and the Church in their commitment to do justice for women? Consider for example, the role played by the Church and the community in the Sr. Abhaya murder case. Prolonged efforts at conspiration were made and enormous amounts spent to protect the criminals and to deny justice to the victim. When after 28 years, the court found the accused in the case guilty and punished them; the stooges of the Catholic Church did everything imaginable to discredit the verdict. Over 20 dead bodies of nuns were found from the convent wells in Kerala. They died, we were told ‘under mysterious circumstances'. None of these deaths bothered the community. No effort has been made to investigate these suspicious deaths to know the truth. If they have been murdered as Sr. Abhaya was, the criminals remain beyond the reach of the law. This is the measure of utter indifference by the Christian community in Kerala. Justice is not available to them either from the Church or from the community". So the question what next for the victim vis-a-vis the alleged sex maniac Franco Mulakkal is making its rounds!
“Such judgments are making mockery of our justice dispensation system when a bishop is acquitted after abusing his power”, writes Olav Albuquerque, and added “A bishop can destroy a nun spiritually by making a mockery of her vows of chastity to subjugate her through her other vow of obedience to his lust which is an abomination of canon law. This is why this nun was forced to complain to the police after her complaint to the pro-nuncio proved futile;” while writing a piece, “Bishop acquittal reverses reforms in rape law post-Nirbhaya”.
Hope the prosecution takes it up at higher level more seriously to see that the case meets the ends of justice.
Tarun Tejpal, who is no more tarun (young) but wants to live like one, with all kinds of monkeying, like Hindi film actor villain Jeevan Kumar says, “Bundar kithna hee boodha ho, gulati maarna nahee bhooltha”, that is, ‘monkey however old, does not forget rolling upside down’. So the monkeying is always alive with likes of Tarun Tejpal.
He is India’s original muck-raking journalist with his mouth piece TEHELKA. As the saying ‘those who live with sword shall perish with sword’, same way, those who live with muck will end-up with muck. From 2001 to 2014 it’s been a journey of some 15 years. Started with politically inspired ‘expose’ in defense deals during NDA regime in New Delhi, he continued with the fall of NDA government in 2004 and grew, in leaps and bounds, during the following years with political patronage of the day. Clout and confidence that you acquire illegitimately or undeservedly always lead one, to over-confidence. With such over-confidence, one takes many things for granted and disaster could be waiting in the wings to happen. And it happened on the 7th November 2013, with devastating effect, probably with no escape route.
Tarun Tejpal and his TEHELKA were organizing a literary meet at the swanky up-market Grand Hyatt Resort in Goa in November 2013. On November 7, Tejpal was in the elevator accompanied by a young intern, a friend of his daughter of similar age group. Tejpal reportedly took liberty inside the elevator to ‘penetrate’ his daughter like young female, despite resistance with utterances like “This is the easiest way to keep your job”. But unfortunately for him, over confident of his political clout, he had stretched his luck a little too far. His luck ran out and he became the guest of Goa Police. Bail followed. Court as usual took 7 years 7 months. On 21st May 2021, a session court in Goa pronounced him ‘NOT GUILTY’.
Government of Goa immediately reacted shockingly to challenge the order in High Court. Women’s Rights Group felt utterly let down by the lady sessions judge Kshama Joshi, despite there being convictable evidence. Calling the judgment deeply disappointing and de-motivating for victims to come forward to lodge complaint against bosses perpetrating sexual crimes in work place, questioned the grounds of acquittal of Tejpal, especially when he, on his own, had admitted it as a “drunken banter” “a bad lapse in judgment” “an appalling misreading of the situation” etc.
Clearly, it appears to be a miscarriage of justice. How did a lady judge couldn’t see merit in the complaints of the youngster, is a very disturbing question. Report in print media informed that Tejpal’s daughter read out a statement issued by Tejpal to the waiting media. But nobody in the media asked, how was the typed letter ready in such a short time with deliberate language immediately after the pronouncement of the judgment!? This has clearly indicated that Tejpals were privy to the copy of the judgment. ISSUES & CONCERNS had written back in June 2021, and we quote. “According to grapevine, the letter was ready 2 days earlier on the 19th itself. So, was Tejpal in the know of the judgment before it was delivered!? Therefore, was the judgment fixed?! It’s a disturbing question making its rounds? But, surprisingly, where is the media expressing its unease! Or, are the ‘who’s who’ in the media caught in the midst of “Me too”, like MJ Akbar!” unquote.
This is another dimension of Mera Bharath Mahaan, where people with clout and money power can get away with impunity. Poor Mother India! Judiciary at all levels, helping the moneyed and powerful has a long history. After all who are the victims? Faceless, defenseless and voiceless! Even the system and the political class works for the powerful.
Go back in time. To be precise, on the night of 2nd / 3rd December 1984, Bhopal, the site of world’s worst industrial disaster, where some 20,000 were killed and half a million maimed. Haven’t our political class and the judiciary even then favoured the American giant Union Carbide, the powerful and moneyed, by returning the verdict of mere ‘negligence’ instead of man-slaughter! Was there a quid-pro-quo!
A.M.Ahmedi the then Chief Justice of India, who delivered the highly controversial judgment, was rewarded by the company, to head its Trust in India, to oversee compensation and rehabilitation of the affected people.
Such brazen act of selfishness is fairly in vogue in our Yeh Mera India, where justice and truth is sacrificed for the benefit of moneyed and well connected powerful people. But sadly when it comes to those faceless millions within the jails across India, whose cry is lost in the wilderness of the compounded apathy and selfishness, of all of us including judiciary and legal fraternity, it’s not just the systematic rot, it’s dumb charade.
ISSUES AND CONCERNShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17698815830925167776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2789748706304687420.post-84366794936136312702022-03-12T12:01:00.001+05:302022-03-12T12:01:12.174+05:30MONTH-IN-PERSPECTIVE-MARCH 2022NEW DELHI: Has the democracy gone berserk in India? It’s a strange and crazy question. But frankly India is slipping badly in ethical standard needed for a vibrant democracy. It is demo-crazy or else nothing can explain why there are close to 5000 cases pending against MPs and MLAs in the highest court of the land.
A New Delhi datelined print media report informs that amicus curiae, senior advocate Vijay Hansaria has informed the Supreme Court that as of December 2021, there are 4984 cases pending against sitting and former MPs and MLAs. Reportedly it was 4110 in December 2018, now increased by over 20% since then.
According to Sr. Advocate Vijay Hansaria, the author of the report to the Apex Court, shockingly there are cases pending for more than three decades against these people's elected representatives.
Report informs that of the 4984 pending cases, 3999 cases were against MLAs of which 1675 were against former legislators, leaving 2324 against sitting MLAs. Interestingly in 1991 cases even charges were not framed and in 264 cases there was stay granted by High Courts.
The report by the arnicas curiae was prompted by a case connected with the proposed expeditious trial of MPs and MLAs for the purpose of debarring convicted MPs from contesting elections as asked by the apex court.
Reportedly, the submission by the senior advocate Hansaria, has contained details of state wise data on pending cases. The list informs Uttar Pradesh, being the biggest state also has the distinction of being at the top of the list with 1339 vases pending for final disposal as on December 1, 2021, that is some 27% of all pending cases an on date. Reportedly Bihar was next in line being at the top after UP.
These exercises by the apex court are to expedite the disposal of those pending cases against people's representatives. This is Yeh Mera India.
NEW DELHI:The news report datelined New Delhi of February 23, “SC upholds Muslim law depriving widow & daughter share in property”, made a disturbing reading.
According to the report, the apex court was disposing a writ where litigation had started in 1977, some 45 years ago, before the trial court in Kolar in south Karnataka. It was for the division of assets belonging to one Mohiuddin Pasha. There are no details in the report, how it travelled to the Supreme Court and remained unsettled for 45 long years.
Report informs that Pasha had died in 1964. He had two sons Rahaman and Azgar from his 1st wife Noorbi, who died in 1944. Then Pasha married Mazambi, from whom he had 5 children. Pasha’s son Rahaman from 1st wife had married Rahamathunnisa and had a daughter Noorjahan. Unfortunately Rahaman died in 1945 that is 19 years before his father Pasha died. When Pasha died in 1964, his second wife with children and Rahaman’s widow with daughter sought the division of Pasha’s property.
However Muslim Personal Law (MPL) did not give any property right to the widow of Rahaman, who has died before his father Pasha. MPL did not give any property right to Noorjahan also, the daughter of Rahaman. So, as per MPL only second wife Mazambi and her children would get the property rights. Probably this is how it went to court in Kolar, and may be the court did not pass any order acceptable to all. Thus, it has come to the apex court, as the ultimate arbiter of justice. But sadly as the report informs, the highest court of the land went by MPL and denied the share in the property to the widow and daughter of Rahaman.
For once, the zealous protector of right to equality, the Supreme Court, has succumbed to play by the iniquitous MPL. How can, a personal law be so framed and enforced where equity is not the basis! There are no details in the report, why and how the highest court of the land could not stand by the daughter and her widowed mother, who have no man to stand by them in case of need! How can elders in a social set-up accept such inequity in its systemic enforcement of denials of natural right of inheritance to their women folks!
Such cases of inequity are the reasons why the country should have Uniform Civil Code. To deny the right of a widow and her daughter, only because the husband of the widow and father of the girl had died before the original ancestor, is patently wrong and absolutely unjust. These women are deprived of their rightful, legitimate share in the ancestral property due to some patriarchal mind set, which created MPL. This is injustice in all its unfairness, plain and simple. Strangely none in the media felt outraged and expressed their disapproval of such crude practices.
MAHARASHTRA: That all state Home Ministers are the ultimate bosses to the police brass is a well known truth. But the scenario in Maharashtra appears to be more murky. With lot of things having happened post alleged ‘Antilia Bomb Scare’, skeletons of different dimension keep falling off the cupboard at Mumbai Sachivalay, at regular intervals.
Latest is the revelations of the Officer on Special Duty (OSD) with former disgraced Home Minister who was a guest at Arthur Road High Security jail. Ravi Vhatkar the OSD has reportedly opened a Pandora’s Box on transfers of policemen in Maharashtra, under the former Home Minister Anil Deshmukh. He was from Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), a coalition partner in the Maha Vikas Agadi (MVA) of Maharashtra government.
According to him there were secret parleys on transfers and postings of middle level police officers.
He was deposing before the officials of Enforcement Directorate on his knowledge of things happening in the office of discredited Home Minister, who had to resign under dark clouds of serious accusations of financial skull-drudgery, by the former Mumbai Commissioner of Police Param Bir Singh.
A report datelined Mumbai, informed, ascribing to OSD Ravi Vhatkar, that private and secret meetings were held by former HM-Anil Deshmukh, Anil Parab, a Shiv Sena Minister and concerned Police Commissioners with regards to finalizing the names for transfers and postings of police officers upto the rank of inspectors of Maharashtra. No records or minutes of such meetings were maintained, the report informed, while adding that a list would be prepared by the OSD based on all communications/ recommendations received from Ministers, MLAs, MLCs, ruling party representatives, and list would be handed over to the Home Minister Deshmuk. Anil Parab would make a list of recommendations from Shiv Sena functionaries on these postings and transfers. Shiv Sena is the leading light of the MVA, the Maharashtra coalition.
On list being submitted to the Home Minister, he would have police commissioners and Anil Parab in attendance, deliberate and decide the finalization without any noting. So also there were no set known guidelines for taking final decisions, OSD averred.
Surely Home Ministers of all states would be taking decisions on similar lines, but it is only now that the cat is out of the bag. This is the governance of the richest state of India. As they say secret cannot be hidden beyond 9 months, when the product of the sin is delivered for all to see.
MAHARASHTRA:Sometime in December 2021, there was this ad in the Mumbai based print media, inviting “NOMINATONS FOR JAMNALAL BAJAJ AWARDS 2022”.
As the name suggests, awards are in the memory of late Jamnalal Kaniram Bajaj, who died rather young at the age of 52 years only in 1942. Although he belonged to an affluent business family, it was his distant relation Seth Bachhraj, who adopted him and young Jamnalal grew into a respectable business leader under Seth Bachhraj’s guidance. Bajaj group of companies has some 24 large and medium sized companies, involved in trade, commerce and industries. Among them the most famous is Bajaj Auto Ltd, the biggest two wheeler and three wheelers manufacturer of the country. However his interest did not remain in business alone, he dabbled in politics of freedom movement by joining the Congress party. After Gandhiji arrived on the Indian independent movement scene young Jamnalal took great liking for Gandhiji’s simple living and high thinking. Accordingly he embraced philanthropy also, along with other activities of trade & commerce. He constructed temples for those who were denied entry into temples managed by high caste priests. He constructed wells for those who were denied drawing water from community wells, by caste Hindus. Thus he was a very concerned human being. Unfortunately he did not live long enough to witness the political independence of India. He died on 11th February 1942.
In his memory his family instituted awards to recognise individuals from around the world who promote Gandhian values, those who are into community service and social development. During the last over 40 years, since 1978, Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation has identified and honored many stalwarts from around the world including late South African President Nelson Mandela. So the importance and significance of these awards can be gauged. Chief Guests at the awards ceremony has been a kind of who’s who of India’s elites, like late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, His Holiness Dalai Lama, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, President Pranab Mukherjee, Nobel Laureate Kailash Satyarthi, Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev and many others, some 40 of them so far.
Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation was being administered under the leadership of Rahul Bajaj, who sadly passed away on Saturday the 12th February 2022. All of 83, Rahul Bajaj was the chairman of Bajaj Group. Under his able leadership Bajaj Group grew exponentially. He was the father of TWO WHEELER revolution in the country with his ‘Hamara Bajaj’ tune singing for Bajaj Chetak scooter, which became an aspirational symbol of Indian middle class. It was synonymous with the hopes of a better future for most Indian middle class families. Under his visionary leadership Bajaj scooter found foothold in most parts of the world in direct competition with Japanese products. He was also like his family peers, a very concerned individual. In his capacity as the Chairman of Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation, he had the foresight and magnanimity to include likes of Nobel Laureate Kailash Satyarthi as a Trustee of Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation. The advertisement inviting nomination for the annual awards had also informed that Kailash Satyarthi will be the Chief Guest for the 2022 awards distribution function. It is indeed a matter of deep satisfaction and happiness for ISSUES & CONCERNS that Rahul Bajaj considers the Nobel Laureate as an honourable and an important inclusion in the activities of trust, especially when the national government of India failed to recognise and honour this rare human being.
Kailash Satyarthi was recognized the world over as the Champion of Child Rights. He got Nobel Peace Prize in October 2014 besides many other international awards. We all know, that Nobel Prize is the ultimate in recognition of one’s contribution towards a universal cause, yet government of India has done precious little to acknowledge the contribution of this stalwart of a human, who refuse to accept that “our laws are incapable of saving our children from child labour”.
At this point we stop to pay tribute to the noble soul of Shri Rahul Bajaj to Rest In Everlasting Peace. Hope Nobel Laureate Satyarthi will serve the Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation and continue to keep the lamp at Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation burning bright and long. Om Shanti.
KARNATAKA: A Mangalooru based report had informed about the fare like in KSRTC buses since last few days. Reportedly and understandably some of the passengers were unhappy.
Among those unhappy was UT Khader, a former minister in the Karnataka government who is presently an MLA. General public and MLA are not same. General public can be excused for their ignorance but not an educated MLA and a former minister. He cannot get down to the level of general public to air his view, may be because he is not in the government, but now in the opposition. It is likely that all MLAs or former ministers of other political parties in opposition may also have reacted the same way-unhappy about the fare rise-since they are in the opposition. Similarly when your own government does it, you go to town to justify it, rightly or wrongly.
Coming to KSRTC, it is certainly not exploitative. It must have justification as a cost centre to maintain a fare structure or to increase it. It is true, diesel price has been increasing and KSRTC has not increased it for quite some time. So some increase should be supported. However in the light of what AAP government does for its female commuters in Delhi, may be Karnataka too should find out, how it can replicate to reduce fare to all and may be reap even political dividends. But not free like AAP government in Delhi.
However, funnily, no minister or MLA, whether UT Khader or any ruling party MLA has not gone on record on the steep increase by private bus operators in Dakshina Kannada. They are quite literally over charging if not looting without any control by RTO. This is sad and bad. Private operators should be reined in by RTO and political class should make necessary noises, unless they are hand-in-glove with the private bus lobby. Hope government intervenes to rein private bus operators to regulate bus fares.
KARNATAKA:Her name was Suma. She was a 4th standard student going to a government school in a village outside Udupi, in coastal Karnataka. She was the only child of her parents Richard and Rita. He was an attender at a power company, some 20kms away from his residence. He was getting only Rs.500/- for a whole month as salary. The year was 1995. He bought a second hand bicycle to peddle his way to work, just to save bus fare. Wife Rita was working as a domestic helper to earn some more to keep the wolf away. They had only one dream to educate their only girl child. They were ideal parents for that child. But poverty and lack of earning had made things difficult.
They could afford only one set of dress, the school uniform, for their darling daughter. Richard would wash his daughter’s uniform on Saturday evening. Through Saturday night and Sunday, the uniform would dry and ready on Monday morning for Suma to wear again to school. During monsoon months, it would not be fully dry, but child Suma had to endure it, for want of another set of uniform. Certainly life was difficult. But seeing their child going to school like all other children in the uniform was making Richard & Rita happy. She was one like the rest of the children in the school. Poverty was not visible in the uniform.
What if the uniform was not there and she had to go with any dress to school? The poverty could be writ-large on the dress, with only one dress being worn to the school, day after day, washed on Saturday, dried on Sunday, but worn again on Monday!
How it could have worked on the psyche of the small child Suma and that of her parents! It could have had disastrous psychological impact, which none could have endured. Result could have been, probably the child would have given up school and become a child labourer along with her domestic-helper mother.
Indeed uniform was the savior. A government school meant for poor children, or even a government college where poor students go to study Uniform is the savior of human dignity. If uniform was not there? It’s a very disturbing question, affecting the psyche of millions of parents across the country who could not have afforded different dresses for their children. Indeed uniform is the savior under the prevailing Indian conditions.
The story of Suma is real with names changed. It is true that with some positive development in the life of Richard & Rita things changed for better. Suma is a successful academician today.
KARNATAKA:There was this print media report datelined Bengalooru, “When 2 budding women cricketers had to pay the price for speaking up”.
The report made some interesting reading. Cricket is in the blood of most Indians, especially men, but it has proved that women are not far behind with willows and cherries, swinging and hitting. After all games that need physical swinging and hitting has its therapeutic effects, it has no gender bar whatever the game. Hence, no wonder even girls have taken to the game of cricket almost like a duck to water.
Thus, it was way back in October 1976, there was this maiden All Indian Women’s Junior Cricket Championship in Kozhikode, Kerala, or Calicut as it is called in English.
Reportedly Karnataka team travelled by bus to Kozhikode, and played its first match on 14th October 1976 against Andhra Pradesh. Karnataka outplayed Andhra Pradesh without much difficulty. Players in the team recollect that they had no cricket kits or jerseys provided by the government or the Karnataka Cricket Association, yet they all procured their needs themselves. Despite all drawbacks Karnataka team made it to the final against Kerala, the host state. On October 14, 1976, the final match was broadcast live by the All India Radio and all institutions in Karnataka were given holiday for students to follow the match through the live commentary. And Karnataka Junior Women’s Team despite being under dogs emerged victorious after thrashing Kerala in the final by seven wickets.
Naturally there was a grand reception to the team on returning to Bengalooru. Karnataka Cricket Association felicitated the team at high-end West End Hotel in the city centre, followed by an announcement by the Karnataka government a reward of Rs.5000/- for the team, consisting of 15 girls aged between 11 and 15 years. So it was a princely sum of Rs. 333/- for each one of them, a big sum those days.
But believe it or not, reportedly the money never reached the players. According to Jayawanthi Shyam, then 11 year old bowler in the team, the women’s cricket organizers made these players sign some papers; probably vouchers for the cash prize received, but didn’t part with the money. Thus, these young players were cheated by the organizers, who pocketed the award money received from the government. How cheap that some adults-and sportsmen to boot-can enjoy the money that truly belonged those 15 young girls! Currently Jayawanthi is the National Basketball Coach for Women.
But, these sadist organizers didn’t stop there. They went further and stopped, two girls-Jayawanthi and another girl Melissa- from playing further cricket after 1978. Reportedly, it so happened, that Sophia School in Bengalooru was conducting annual athletics meet and basketball tournament and a sports journalist happened to have dropped in to cover the sports events. He interviewed these two girls in the school campus on their achievement in state level basketball and athletics. In the course of the interview, the journalist casually asked what have they done with the prize money of Rs. 333/-! These girls innocently mentioned that they never received the money.
Understandably, when the report appeared in the press that these young cricketers never got that 5000/- prize money, it became a noisy issue on the floor of the Vidhana Saudha, the assembly. Reportedly the then Minister of Youth Services KH Srinivas, promised these girls another reward and issued show cause notice to the State Women’s Cricket Association (SWCA).
Women to women, these SWCA functionaries, punished these budding cricket talents by not giving them any opportunity to play for the state thereafter, by just making them sit through for having spoken to the press. This is Yeh Mera India, in its unsporting ways.
KARNATAKA:‘Law is an ass’, is an idiom in vogue and is used at different place with different connotations, when usually there is a miscarriage of justice in the enforcement of law.
One M.S Kodekal, a clerical grade officer in the Public Works Department in Dharwad, was caught with Rs. 50 found in his socks on the basis of a Lokayukta trap on January 16, 1998. At that time, reportedly, he had 15 years of service left. After departmental proceedings, he was compulsorily retired on September 7, 2004.
Prima facie, compulsory retirement of a staff for an alleged financial misconduct of Rs. 50/- is hugely disproportionate. Under no law, such massively hurting punishment could have been meted out to anybody anywhere!
Aggrieved at the huge loss of livelihood due to the compulsory retirement, Kodekal knocked the door of Karnataka High Court. But as the general pace of our development, legal process too took 24 years to decide the case. How this middle level staff of Karnataka government would have managed to live without salary from September 2004 to 2022 that is close to 18 years is a question none bothered to ponder about, including the staff union of Karnataka government, which in all probability did not take up the case.
Better late than never; the High Court Bench in Dharwad, disgusted at the scale of injustice forced on Kodekal remarked “Punishment of compulsory retirement awarded to him is shockingly disproportionate to the gravity of the alleged offence”, and asked the authorities to review the matter. However what was worrying is the attitude of authorities who took such disproportionate punitive action.
The case was a complaint by an Assistant Executive Engineer (AEE) Chandrachari, who was transferred from Byadgi town in Haveri district to Dharwad. His service records had to be transferred. The concerned Second Division Assistant, one Naiker, had demanded Rs. 150/- as unofficial consideration to do the job. AEE gave 3 currency notes of Rs. 50/- to Naiker, who in turn gave one to Kodekal being his colleague. Thus in the trap that was laid for Naiker, Kodekal too got caught in the crossfire.
Kodekal was probably an unwitting beneficiary of the bribe. He never demanded the money from the complainant. But Kodekal probably had the knowledge of the deal and hence Naiker shared the booty, although Kodekal claimed it as a hand loan from Naiker.
Surely the authorities could have taken different view of the roles of both the staff, which they didn’t, so too was, the State Administrative Tribunal (SAT), which had dismissed the petition of Kodekal. Actually Kodekal challenged the compulsory retirement before the Karnataka SAT in 2004. And believe it or not, KSAT took 12 long years to dismiss the petition- June 2016 -on a case of a mere Rs. 50/- as bribe!
Dharwad Bench of Karnataka High Court did note that the role of Kodekal was “extremely passive” and “two unequals have been treated equally, besides complainant did not pay the amount to the petitioner”. Therefore prima facie, there cannot be any case against the petitioner. However, he was a partial beneficiary of the bribe and therefore, he could have been punitively fined to recover a bigger sum than Rs. 50/- which Kodekal had received. Hence under no-circumstance he deserved compulsory retirement.
Now coming to the main accused, Naiker, who benefitted by Rs. 100/- the compulsory retirement is very harsh for him as well. Probably he didn’t challenge the disproportionate punishment. But, this too deserve a relook and to review the quantum of punishment. In a scenario prevailing in the corridors of power where crores are the figures spoken about in such financial misdemeanor, this scale of punishment for bribes of Rs. 50 & Rs. 100 is the cruelest that can be classified as! Oh poor mother India!
While we are about it, it is interesting to note that according to a data of Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) of Maharashtra, authorities are yet to suspend some 148 government officials for actions of corruption while discharging their official duties. They include 12 class I officers, 10 class II officers, 72 are class III officials. Data also revealed 26 officials who should have been terminated for corruption offences were still not terminated. Data informed that, some of the cases in which officials have not been placed under suspension were as old as 2014. If ACB has been involved, it must be of larger size of corruption and here we have peanuts-Rs. 50/- Rs.100/- and they lose their job! This is another dimension of Yeh Mera India, where powerless end-up as victims and powerful survive and thrive, inequity galore in Mera Bharath Mahan!
The TIMES OF INDIA, India’s largest English newspaper of Sunday the 13th February 2022, had, believe it or not, 9 reports, news items and articles on hijab and related issues. This is the level of ‘importance’, this India’s largest English newspaper gives to a divisive issue like hijab.
The newspaper had this top billed first page news “US wades into hijab row”. On page 2 was “Communal flare-up along coast for political gain: Gowda.” This report ascribed to former Prime Minister Deve Gowda, the JD(S) Chief, fishing in troubled water for his own political survival and that of his kith and kin.
Page 4 had “BJP government should have nipped hijab controversy in the bud: Experts”, “DDPI circular raises eyebrows”, “Police hold peace committee meetings”, “Role of organization under the scanner-Hijab Row”. On page 10, there were two pieces by two writers “Why I started wearing the hijab” & “If I question you about how you dress, you too will feel attacked”.
The first report was about a tweet by an official of US President Joe Biden’s administration. She tried to lecture on religious freedom without knowing anything on the genesis of the issue. No wonder India’s Ministry of External Affairs reacted sharply by asking her ‘not to poke her nose into internal matters of India’. Rest of the reports are only highlighting an insignificant issue, making a mountain of a mole hill. What newspapers like TOI should recognise is, that there is more than one dimension for any issue. The newspaper could have also presented the views of the other side due to which the issue has become 'controversial'. Among these 9 reports, there could have been at least one or two reports about the contrary views on the issue. TOI didn’t do it, which means it failed in its journalistic duty of covering both sides. As they say, there are 3 sides to all issues, your view, my view and the correct view. A newspaper’s responsibility is to play the role of a median, which can bring about the greatest good of greatest number, by creating an atmosphere of consensus without taking any side. TOI has clearly failed in this objective. Besides, there are many well placed well educated Muslim women, who would be more than willing to talk about why they abhor hijab and why it is a sign of backwardness. Their opinion could have made the reportage more representative. That too TOI didn’t care to present.
The controversy involving hijab by Muslim women is pretty old but keeps raising its head at different intervals to keep the non-issue alive as an issue of political relevance, since there is a significant section of women among Muslim who do not wear hijab. Most important aspect of hijab is why at all it has come about long after the advent of Islam. There are enough and more information in Islamic scripture about all do’s and don’ts for its followers. About hijab, the public space like websites, Wikipedia etc. have many information stating, why women wear hijab, which is mostly known to most of the readers of newspapers. But there is a reference in its scriptures about those days when toilet inside the residential premises was not there. Both men and women would attend to the calls of nature in some open, secluded place away from the public glare. The practice was that women would go only after the sun set so that their identity is not visible. But when an important lady of the clan was recognized by somebody while attending to her nature’s call, and it became a public knowledge, it was decided by the higher authorities in the hierarchy of Islamic teachings and practices that women must wear a full body cover with only eyes exposed to see. This is fairly a plausible explanation. Then the evolving life styles over the centuries have given different interpretation of the necessity of hijab for Muslim women, which some believe has not been mandated in the Islamic scriptures. So clearly, one is free to wear it or not to wear it.
But here is a situation, in those educational institutions where they have mandated the wearing of uniform for all its students, both male and female. So if there is a rule to wear uniform, then there is no debate. The matter ends there. Don’t the Aligarh Muslim University insist on Salwar Khamees for all its female students who include a large number of non-Muslims!
Here it is pertinent to reproduce a photograph available in the public space of Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein, King of Jordan with family who is the 41st generation direct descendant of Prophet Mohammad.
KARNATAKA:There is this news in the print media on Monday, the February 21, “KSRTC introduces city bus services to Mangalooru Junction Railway Station”.
Reportedly on Sunday, the February 20, KSRTC Mangalooru division commenced city bus services between State Bank Bus Terminus and Mangalooru Junction Railway Station. MJRS, is a point where there is a track diversion for trains to go towards Kerala or to proceed to Mangalooru Central Station, the Mangalooru Terminal point of Southern Railway. MJRS is in the outskirts of Mangalooru city.
Many passengers get down at MJRS from trains proceeding to Kerala, so also to avoid possible delay due to signals before the train reaches Mangalooru Central. Similarly, there are many who come to MJRS to board trains from Kerala to North, also to board trains to Bengalooru or other destinations. So there is fair amount of traffic and there was a dire need for transport connectivity, especially buses, either from KSRTC or private operators. In fact, private operators were plying limited number of services.
However KSRTC service was the long felt need of locals. A social activist Gopalkrishna Bhat, reportedly has been fighting for over 8 years for the KSRTC services- to and from MJRS. He had even approached Lokayukta, informs the report. Reportedly the then Lokayukta, Justice P. Vishwanath Shetty had directed both Deputy Collector and Regional Transport Authority (RTA) to look into the suggestion way back in 2017.
The report in the print media informs that Mangalooru City South MLA Vedavyasa Kamath flagged off this KSRTC’s latest bus service between MJRS and SBI Bus Terminus. Two buses are expected to ply between these two points, with 19 trips on both sides of one hour interval, starting at 6.50 am to 6.35 pm from MJRS and from 7.30 am to 5.55 pm from SBI Terminus. The bus route is MJRS, Padil, Maroli, Nanthoor, Kadri, Bunts Hostel, Jyothi Circle, SBI Terminus. It is expected to greatly help both passengers of rail services so also residents of MJRS/ Padil area. It will be a boon of some kind, for aam aadmi.
While thanking KSRTC for starting this bus service, it may not be out of place to mention that Social Activist Gopalkrishna Bhat should have been part of the flagging off function and probably even honoured. This act on the part of the KSRTC or the local MLA would have, in all probability, helped sustain social activists to continue their selfless activism. Politicians who spend time cutting ribbons and public sector organizations providing services should remember such social activists to keep alive the dynamism in our socio-political sphere. This write-up is intended to be a tribute to the efforts of activist Gopalkrishna Bhat, may his tribe grow.
ISSUES AND CONCERNShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17698815830925167776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2789748706304687420.post-85023551687400499122022-02-03T16:42:00.001+05:302022-02-03T16:42:51.544+05:30FOCUS-FEBRUARY 2022INDIAN HISTORY: SHOULD WE REWRITE IT!
Sanjaan was a well known port in the Valsad district in the coastal Gujarat state. According to sources among Parsis, they migrated to India between the year 785 AD and 936 AD at the height of their persecution in their land of birth in the distant Persia, which is the later day Iran. They were a very prosperous, civilized and cultured community. They came in search of security of their persona and security for their faith. Having trusted their land of migration, they remained unconditionally faithful to the soil of their adoption and in return they remained completely protected in an atmosphere of peace and stability. Parsis prospered and flourished. Rest as the cliché goes, is a resplendent history and a glorious public knowledge. But sadly, did not find itself written into the pages of India’s evolving history. Why and how of it could be some interesting reading of some calculated disinformation/misinformation effort of some vested interest groups. First of all, why would this persecuted community opt to travel to India confident of being secure and protected?! And come to think of it, their hopes and trust were never betrayed. (SEE BOX)
History of Jews in India dates back to antiquity, informs Wikipedia. Judaism is one of the first religions to arrive in India in recorded history. But sadly it remained there only. There appears to be some 2200 years of history of Indian Jews, but not much is available to corroborate this development. Jews are also a persecuted community in different parts of the world. But their history of being in India is one of peace, stability and prosperity. They are most happy being in India. Like Parsis they too are hardworking, intelligent and peace loving community.
They too lived and prospered but steadily left India to their new country Israel, carved out of Palestine. Yet there is a significant number of ‘Jews’ present across India. However, Indian writers somehow glossed over the presence and contribution of Jews in India and Indian school students remained ignorant of these historical details and contribution of Jews for the development of India.
Khurshed Batliwala, is a Parsee gentleman. He is an M.sc in Mathematics from IIT Bombay. Most Parsees in India are called ‘Bawa’, so is Khurshed. Over two decades ago, apparently he decided to teach people how to meditate and become happy than teach them mathematics and make them miserable. So he joins Art of Living centre of Sri Sri Ravishankar. From a volunteer he became Director managing huge events. He has even grown as an eminently readable writer. His books are published by publishing great like Harper Collins India. He is an extremely innovative teacher in making any student a better learner. He is a highly acclaimed and prolific speaker with numerous TEDx talks to his credit. “He brings to the table smooth blend of cutting edge technology and science coupled with the ancient wisdom of India which he contemporises and makes relevant for the ground situations and emerging challenges” inform Amazon in their website.
Recently there was this video making its round in the social circuit. In one of his talks to IIT students, he digresses into the classical India. He starts, “All of you have heard of Varaha avatara or the incarnation of a boar. (This is one of the incarnations of Lord Vishnu, supposedly to save the drowning earth). The boar, according to mythology appears to save the earth and the picture of the earth being lifted by boar clearly shows the earth being round. This is a picture of some thousands of years ago. Even then our ancient knowledge masters knew the earth is round, which westerners learnt only less than a century or so ago. In fact, he says our languages in India calls Geography as Bhoogol, meaning circular earth. Then we call the earth as Jagath, ‘Jiski gathi hai’, the one that moves. In other words Jagath means moving earth. We knew the earth is round and is moving. This was thousands of years ago.
He takes students into space and tells “there is this star called ANTARES. ARES means MARS, which is a red star, ANTARES means like MARS. It is 15th or the 16th brightest object in the sky. Our ancient elders called it Jeshta. Jeshta means the eldest or the biggest. It is indeed the biggest since it is 40,000 times bigger than Sun. This was known to our forefathers some 5000 to 7000 years ago, as the biggest, which to our naked eye is just a point in the sky. How did they know it! Then in this BIG BEAR CONSTELLATION, there are two stars, not one star, as it was believed earlier, is called Arundhati Vasishta, where one star rotates circling the other star. How was it possible to know that it was indeed rotating, to the bare eyes without telescope!
Then come to Metallurgy. There are these pillars which are rust proof. Most famous are the one in front of Qutub Minar in Delhi and the other in Kollur, near the Western Ghats in the coastal district of Karnataka, some 100kms from Mangalooru. The pillar outside Qutub Minar dates back to 402 and the one in Kollur dates back beyond AD into BC. Both these pillars have remained rust proof for all these thousands of years. What is the technology behind such creations! So Indians of the yore had brains beyond logical comprehension. And come to think of it, the pillar in Kollur was learnt to have been constructed by the tribals of the area in honour of Adi Shankaracharya when he was passing through Kollur while on his journey of spiritual quest. So the knowledge of such kind was available even with those socially behind in the hierarchy prevalent in Indian society of those days.
Then for 4000 years, Indians had with them the technology of making zinc and none else in the entire biosphere. One day a Chinese stole the technique and a Britisher followed him to steal it again. William Champion is the first one to start a Zinc Distillery in Great Britain in the year 1543, claims Khurshed Batliwala.
Then there is this Shloka (a hymn or verse in Sanskrit) in praise of Lord Krishna, he points out. There is nothing truly special at its normal appearance. But when you apply the theory of KATAPAYADI SANKHYA, it reveals a whole lot of significance. It is a theory where words can be represented by substituting it to numbers. When you substitute these words in the Shloka, you get a value of Pi(π), corrected to 30 decimal places, which clearly means, our rishis knew encryption also, thousands of years ago.
Khurshed then takes the audience to Vasco Da Gama, the Portuguese who landed in the court of Zamorin in Kerala. He had left Lisbon in search of India, with the biggest ship then available in whole of Europe. Being afraid of travelling in high sea, he stays put in Cape of Good Hope at the bottom of African continent. There meets an Indian trader Kanhabhai, from Gujarat, who had ships 10/12 times the size of ship, that Vasco Da Gama had, to help him travel to India. Here the point he was making was, even Indian ship building was far bigger and advanced than Europeans of those days. These details that he was sharing with his students clearly indicated the very high level of intellectual and material attainments. But our history writers, committed to some weird ideology, blacked out these inspiring details and our young evolving minds remained ignorant of India’s superlative greatness in the days of yore, some thousands of years ago. How these faculties were so greatly developed! Khurshed tells that ‘there is only one reason, all our saints were scientists. All of them did Pranayam, all of them did yoga and all of them meditated. And when these yogic lessons are practiced over long years, you no longer remain limited by physical instruments. Thus, if you want to travel to space or the depth of an atom, you just close your eyes and get there to see it in person to know it accurately!
That’s how; they could study the CONSTELLATION in the distant sky and accurately talk about stars and galaxies. Or learn the technology of making rust proof iron, or make commercial zinc, or build huge sea going ships and many other attainments. So, the basis of our intellectual and scientific prowess is the spirituality, which has been systematically destroyed by Britishers and other invaders. British replaced Yoga by P.T and sadly even after 70+ years of being a free country, our governments have not gone back to Yoga to remove P.T from school curriculum.
Another place and another time, spiritual master, Jaggi Vasudeva, also known as Sadguru chatting with an ideologically marooned visitor, and how systematically clips the visitor’s arguments to tell him emphatically that YOGA is the solution for many of country’s problems.
The visitor asks, why Lakshya Foundation is trying to forcefully include yoga in school curriculum? Which is only an exercise? And this forceful inclusion is in conflict between liberty and faith!
Sadguru, refutes all allegations forcefully. According to Sadguru, Yoga and chemistry or physics are not the same thing. In school, you were forced to learn physics and chemistry, and none complained. Besides Yoga is never a mere exercise. When you are made to learn the chemistry of the plant you were told its biology. When you were forced to commit unspeakable cruelty on frogs to learn its chemistry you call it zoology, but when asked to learn about your own body and its inner mechanism, it become forceful and you call it a mere exercise, why? Brain of Indians is still in Greenwich Mean Time. British left Indian shore in 1947, but are stuck in our head. That’s the problem. Yoga is the science with which India grew. This is the science with which Indians achieved heights of success. At one time we were the greatest economy and largest exporter on the planet earth. We were the most scientifically advanced nation thousands of years ago, simply because people understood the human mechanism well and how to take it to the highest level. Today we are down below. We need to rise. It is time to rise. If the nation has to rise, we individuals have to rise. If individual human beings do not achieve a certain level of balance and excellence within themselves, how do you expect to take a nation ahead! That is why every child, should learn Yoga irrespective of community. We want every child anywhere in the world to benefit from the practice of Yoga, because this is a profound science of inner well being. And this talk of faith in conflict with yoga is all politics. Tell me if you bend your body will your faith go away? What kind of a faith is that? Yoga is not asking you to worship any God. If you breathe the way it’s done in yoga, how your faith will go away? If you don’t breathe your life will go away. You must know that. It’s all politics. If yoga was introduced by any other party none would have protested. It’s because it’s being brought by a party, allegedly of Hindus, you are protesting. That is the problem!
Here we have discussed issues relating to our national and social past of India from the perception of two intellectuals. They have told and conveyed enough and more within the limited space. There may be intellectuals who differ in perception of what these two gentlemen have conveyed. Readers are free to agree or disagree and respond appropriately. We are a democratic nation; all have their right to opine. And this is the first attempt at writing on issues relating to India’s history. There will be series of such writings at different intervals and carry the debate towards a state of conclusion, so that an attempt to rewrite the Indian history is purposeful and objectively carried forward which will tell the truth as truth is.
ISSUES AND CONCERNShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17698815830925167776noreply@blogger.com0