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अल्पसंख्यक आयोग: देश के बहुसंख्यक समाज के साथ एक छलावा

Nagendra Pratap Singh
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मित्रों आप में से कितने लोगों ने अल्पसंख्यक आयोग अस्तित्व को भारतीय संविधान के तत्वाधान में समझने का प्रयास किया है। हम बहुसंख्यक समाज को बार बार धर्मनिरपेक्षता कि घुटी पिला पिला कर ये समझाने का प्रयास किया जाता रहा है कि हमारा देश एक धर्मनिरपेक्ष राष्ट्र है और यंहा पर सभी धर्म बराबर है।

जबकि वर्ष १९४७ में भारत का बटवारा हि धर्म के आधार पर किया गया था और मुसलिम मजहब के लोगों ने अपने लिए पाकिस्तान ले लिया था। याद रखिये मुस्लिमो ने हि अलग देश कि माँग की थी, किसी ईसाई, बौद्ध, जैन, पारसी, यहूदी या सिक्ख धर्म के लोगों ने नहीं किया था।

परन्तु हम बहुसंख्यक समाज के साथ वर्ष १९४७ में धोखा किया गया, क्योंकि हम सनातन धर्मीयो को तो केवल एक देश मिला पर इन मुसलिम मजहब के लोगों ने ना केवल पाकिस्तान ले लिया बल्कि भारी मात्रा में ये हिंदुस्तान में ही रह गए और इस प्रकार बड़ी धूर्तता से उस समय के कुछ धोखेबाज अंग्रेजो के गुलामो के कारण ये पूरी तरह  जम गए।

इन मुसलिम मजहब के लोगों ने अंग्रेजो की बनाई पार्टी के अंग्रेजो के चाटुकार नेताओं के मुसलिम तुष्टिकरण कि निति का भरपूर लाभ उठाकर हम बहुसंख्यक समाज के लोगों को हिंदुस्तान में भी दोयम दर्जे का बना दिया और देश के सभी संसाधनों पर धीरे धीरे कब्जा जमा लिया।

वर्ष १९७५ के पश्चात तो इनकी चाँदी ही हो गई,जब स्व श्रीमती इंदिरा गाँधी का युग आरम्भ हुआ और उन्होंने बहुसंख्यक समाज के विरोधी  कम्युनिस्टो की सहायता से केंद्र में सरकार बना ली और शिक्षा का क्षेत्र् इन बेईमान और मक्कार कम्युनिस्ट लोगों के हाथ में आ गया और इन्होने धीरे धीरे भारतीय संस्कृति और सभ्यता को मुगलो की सभ्यता और संस्कृति में बद्ल दिया और हमारे इतिहास को विकृत कर दिया।

और इसी क्रम में एक सबसे बड़ा धोखा बहुसंख्यक समाज और बौद्ध, जैन, सिक्ख और पारसी जैसे अल्पसंख्यक समाज के लोगों के साथ हुआ और वो था अल्पसंख्यक आयोग का गठन:- (Minorities Commission- MC) अल्पसंख्यक आयोग की स्थापना की परिकल्पना भारत के गृह मंत्रालय के संकल्प दिनांक १२.०१.१९७८  के तहत की गई थी जिसमें विशेषरूप से उल्लेख किया गया था कि संविधान तथा कानून में संरक्षण प्रदान किए जाने के बावजूद अल्पसंख्यक असमानता एवं भेदभाव को महसूस करते हैं। यह केवल और केवल मुसलिम तुष्टिकरण निति का एक आयाम और वोट बैंक की राजीनीति का एक खेल था, जिसमें फायदा केवल और केवल मुसलिम समुदाय को दिया जा रहा था, जिनके बाप दादाओ ने मजहब के नाम पर अपना मुल्क पाकिस्तान पहले हि ले लिया था।

खैर वर्ष १९८४ में, अल्पसंख्यक आयोग को गृह मंत्रालय से अलग कर दिया गया और इसे नव-निर्मित कल्याण मंत्रालय (Ministry of Welfare) के अधीन रखा गया, जिसने वर्ष १९८८ में भाषाई अल्पसंख्यकों को आयोग के अधिकार क्षेत्र से बाहर कर दिया।

वर्ष १९९२ में राष्ट्रीय अल्पसंख्यक आयोग अधिनियम, १९९२ के अधिनियमन के साथ ही अल्पसंख्यक आयोग एक सांविधिक/वैधानिक (Statutory) निकाय बन गया और इसका नाम बदलकर राष्ट्रीय अल्पसंख्यक आयोग (NCM) कर दिया गया।

वर्ष १९९३ में, पहले वैधानिक राष्ट्रीय आयोग का गठन किया गया और पाँच धार्मिक समुदायों- मुस्लिम, ईसाई, सिख, बौद्ध और पारसी को अल्पसंख्यक समुदायों के रूप में अधिसूचित किया गया। परन्तु जब तक अंग्रेजो की बनाई गई कांग्रेस का शासन रहा ईस आयोग के लिए केवल और केवल मुसलिम समाज ही अल्पसंख्यक के रूप में दिखाई देता रहा।

जैन धर्म मानने वालों को वर्ष २०१४ में अल्पसंख्यक समुदाय के रूप में अधिसूचित किया गया, जब आदरणीय श्री नरेन्द्र दामोदरदास मोदी जी के नेतृत्व में प्रथम बार हम हिन्दुस्तानियो के सरकार बनी और अंग्रेजो की बनाई कांग्रेस अपने कमज़ोर अस्तित्व के साथ विपक्ष में बैठी।

अब प्रश्न ये उठता है कि, वर्ष १९७५ में आपातकाल लगाकर विपक्ष के सभी नेताओं को जेल में बंदकर संविधान के ४२ वे संसोधन के अनुसार संविधान की आत्मा को बदलकर उसके उद्देशिका में सोशल और सेक्युलर शब्द जोड़े गए तो फिर उस संसोधन का ही तिरस्कार करके अल्पसंख्यक आयोग की स्थापना क्यों की गई।

याद रखिये राष्ट्रीय अल्पसंख्यक आयोग के प्रथम अध्यक्ष न्यायमूर्ति मोहम्मद सरदार अली खान (१९९३-१९६) थे।

यदि हमारे संविधान के अनुसार:-

१:-हमारा देश एक धर्मनिरपेक्ष देश है;

२:-अनुच्छेद १४के अनुसार ” देश का प्रत्येक नागरिक क़ानून के समक्ष बराबर है”!

३:-संविधान के अनुच्छेद १५ और १६ जंहा एक ओर “धर्म, जाति, समुदाय, लिंग, वर्ण, भाषा या जन्म स्थान के आधार पर नागरिकों के साथ भेदभाव का निषेध करते हैं वही दूसरी ओर राज्य के अधीन किसी भी कार्यालय में रोज़गार या नियुक्ति से संबंधित मामलों में नागरिकों को ‘अवसर की समानता’ का अधिकार है, जिसमे धर्म, जाति, लिंग या जन्म स्थान के आधार पर किसी भी प्रकार का भेदभाव निषेध करते हैं”।

४:- संविधान के अनुच्छेद २५ (१), २६ और २८:- लोगों को अंत:करण की स्वतंत्रता और स्वतंत्र रूप से धर्म का प्रचार, अभ्यास और प्रचार करने का अधिकार प्रदान करते है।

विदित हो कि उपर्युक्त अनुच्छेदों में प्रत्येक धार्मिक संप्रदाय या वर्ग को धार्मिक और धर्मार्थ उद्देश्यों हेतु धार्मिक संस्थानों को स्थापित करने का अधिकार तथा अपने स्वयं के धार्मिक मामलों का प्रबंधन, संपत्ति का अधिग्रहण और उनके प्रशासन का अधिकार शामिल है। इसके साथ ही इन अनुच्छेदों के अनुसार “राज्य द्वारा पोषित संस्थानों में धार्मिक शिक्षा या धार्मिक कार्यों में हिस्सा लेने या अनुदान सहायता प्राप्त करने की स्वतंत्रता होगी”।

५:- संविधान का अनुच्छेद २९:- उपबंध करता है कि भारत के राज्य क्षेत्र या उसके किसी भाग के निवासी नागरिकों के किसी अनुभाग को अपनी विशेष भाषा, लिपि या संस्कृति को बनाए रखने का अधिकार होगा।

 और यही नहीं संविधान का अनुच्छेद ३० तो इन तथाकथित अल्पसंख्यक समुदाय को “धर्म या भाषा पर आधारित सभी अल्पसंख्यक वर्गों को अपनी रुचि की शिक्षा, संस्थानों की स्थापना और प्रशासन का अधिकार देता है और विशेष रूप से 

अनुच्छेद 30 के तहत संरक्षण केवल अल्पसंख्यकों (धार्मिक या भाषायी) तक ही सीमित है और बहुसंख्यक वर्ग  तक विस्तारित नहीं किया जा सकता।

जब तथाकथित मुसलिम अल्पसंख्यक समुदाय के लिए जब संविधान ने स्वयम इतनी सुविधाएं दे रखी थी फलने फूलने और अपने समाज का विकास करने के लिए तो फिर अल्पसंख्यक आयोग क्यों बनाया गया?

१:-क्या ये बहुसंख्यक समाज के साथ किया जाने वाला सफ़ेद धोखा नहीं है?

२:-क्या हम बहुसंख्यक समाज के लोगों के हितों, अधिकारों और हको पर डाला गया डाका नहीं है?

३:-क्या बहुसंख्यक समाज के करदाताओं के कठिन परिश्रम से कमाई गए पैसों की लूट नहीं है?

आपको जान कर आश्चर्य होगा कि जब देश को तथाकथित स्वतन्त्रता प्राप्त हुई, उस समय पूरे देश में ५०० से ज्यादा छोटी बड़ी रियासते थी और दो चार रियासतो को छोड़ दे सब पर हुकूमत इन्हीं मुसलिम समुदाय के लोगों की थी, फिर जो कौम इतनी अमीर थी और जिन्होंने मक्कार अंग्रेजों के आने के पूर्व देश को जमकर लुटा और खजाना भरा वो हि लोग वर्ष १९७८ आते आते इतने गरीब कैसे हो गए की उनके विकास के लिए विशेष व्यवस्था करनी पड़े।

आज देश में सबसे ज्यादा अल्पसंख्यक यहूदी, पारसी, जैन और सिक्ख हैं पर ये आत्मसम्मान, स्वाभिमान और ईमानदारी से जीवन जीने वाली बड़ी हि बुद्धिमान और खूबसूरत लोग हैं। १:-आज धन के मामले में जैन समुदाय से ज्यादा धनी कोई नहीं।

२:-आज बुद्धिमता में पारसी और यहुदी समुदाय से आगे कोई नहीं।

३:-आज सेवा कार्य, देश भक्ति और अन्य सामाजिक कार्य क्षेत्र् में सिक्ख समुदाय से बढ़कर कोई नहीं।

४:-आज ज्ञान और धर्म के क्षेत्र में बौद्ध समुदाय से बढ़कर कोई नहीं।

५:- ईसाई समुदाय ने भी कभी अलग देश कि माँग नहीं उठाई।

परन्तु जो बहुसंख्यक होने के बावजूद भी अल्पसंख्यक होने का रोना रोते हैं, वो भला किस काबिल हैं, यदि कुछ अपवादों को छोड़ दिया जाए।जिनके तुष्टिकरण के कारण हमारे देश के दो टुकड़े हो गए, आखिर वो इस अल्पसंख्यक आयोग के अस्तित्व की मलाई क्यों खा रहे है?

आइये देखते हैं कि आखिर ये अल्पसंख्यक आयोग कार्य क्या करता है?

१:- आयोग संघ और राज्यों के तहत अल्पसंख्यकों के विकास की प्रगति का मूल्यांकन करता है;

२:-संविधान और संघ तथा राज्य के कानूनों में अल्पसंख्यकों को प्रदान किये गए सुरक्षा उपायों की निगरानी करता है;

३:-अल्पसंख्यक समुदाय के हितों की सुरक्षा के लिये नीतियों के प्रभावी कार्यान्वयन हेतु आवश्यक सिफारिशें करता है;

४:-अल्पसंख्यकों को उनके अधिकारों और रक्षा ऊपायों से वंचित करने से संबंधित विनिर्दिष्ट शिकायतों की जाँच पड़ताल करता है;

५:-अल्पसंख्यकों के विरुद्ध किसी भी प्रकार के विभेद के कारण उत्पन्न होने वाली समस्याओं का अध्ययन करता/करवाता और इन समस्याओं को दूर करने के लिये सिफारिश करता है;

६:-अल्पसंख्यकों के सामाजिक, आर्थिक और शैक्षिक विकास से संबंधित विषयों का अध्ययन अनुसंधान और विश्लेषण करता है;

७:-केंद्र अथवा राज्य सरकारों को किसी भी अल्पसंख्यक समुदाय से संबंधित उपायों को अपनाने का सुझाव देता है;

८:-केंद्र और राज्य सरकारों को अल्पसंख्यकों से संबंधित किसी विषय पर विशिष्टतया कठिनाइयों पर नियतकालिक अथवा विशिष्ट रिपोर्ट प्रदान करता है;

९:-कोई अन्य विषय जो केंद्र सरकार द्वारा उसे निर्दिष्ट किया जाए, करता है।

१०:-यह सुनिश्चित करता है कि प्रधानमंत्री का १५ सूत्री कार्यक्रम लागू है और अल्पसंख्यक समुदायों के लिये यह कार्यक्रम वास्तव में काम कर रहा है।

अब मित्रों प्रश्न ये है कि पैदा होने से लेकर अब तक,

१:-क्या अल्पसंख्यक आयोग तथाकथित अल्पसंख्यक मुसलिम समुदाय के समाजिक, आर्थिक, राजनीतिक और नैतिक विकास में एक तिनके के बराबर भी योगदान कर पाया है।

२:- हर वर्ष करोड़ो रुपए खर्च करने के पश्चात भी क्या अल्पसंख्यक आयोग :-

क:-मुसलिम युवकों के शैक्षणिक स्तर में वृद्धि कर पाया है;

ख:-मुसलिम युवकों कि सोच और समझ में से कट्टरपन्थ को निकालकर समाज के मुख्यधारा से जोड़ पाया है;

ग:-केरल से लगभग ५० से ज्यादा मुसलिम युवकों ने ISIS को ज्वाइन कर लिया, क्या अल्पसंख्यक आयोग उन्हें रोक पाया;

घ:-CAA का विरोध मुसलिम विश्वविद्यालय के स्नातक और परास्नातक की उपाधियां अर्जित करने वाले छात्र और छात्राओ द्वारा किया गया, क्या अल्पसंख्यक आयोग उन्हें समझा पाया;

च:- CAA के विरोध में हुए दिल्ली में तथाकथित अल्पसंख्यक मुसलिम समुदाय के भटके लोगों के द्वारा पूरे जोश और खरोश से दंगे करने, लूटपाट करने और हत्या करने से अल्पसंख्यक आयोग रोक पाया;

छ:-रामनवमी और हनुमान जयंती के दिन देश के ८ राज्यों में बहुसंख्यक समाज के धार्मिक यात्रा को तथाकथित अल्पसंख्यक समाज के भटके युवाओं द्वारा की गई, अराजकता, लूटपाट और हमले से अल्पसंख्यक आयोग बचा पाया;

मित्रों ये तो कुछ घटनाये हैं, आप इतिहास उठाकर देख ले वर्ष १९९० में कश्मीर में हिन्दुओ व सिक्खों के साथ किये गए भयानक जिहादी /आतंकवादी घटनाओ को अंजाम देने वाले शांतिदूतों और वर्तमान में राजस्थान के जोधपुर में ईद की नमाज के बाद पत्थरबाजी करने वाले शांतिदूतों की सोच और समझ में ज़रा भी अंतर नहीं आया है, वे आज भी उसी सोच के साथ जी रहे हैं, कुछ नहीं बदला है।

फिर ये अल्पसंख्यक आयोग कौन सा दायित्व सही ढंग से निभा रहा है, ईश्वर जाने, पर हाँ, बहुसंख्यकों को किस प्रकार उनके, हको, हितो और अधिकारों से वंचित रखना है, ये अवश्य सतत और अनवरत किया जा रहा है।

ये अल्पसंख्यक आयोग ना केवल बहुसंख्यक समाज के साथ धोखा है, अपितु जैन, बौद्ध, सिक्ख, ईसाई और पारसी समुदायों के साथ किया जाने वाला एक छलावा है।

यदि हमारा देश एक धर्मनिरपेक्ष देश है तो अल्पसंख्यक आयोग सबसे बड़ा है।

Polarizing the World: USA, China and the opportunity for India

Harsh Thakur
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Polarizing the World: USA, China and the opportunity for India

Last week the Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng cited the ‘Global Security Initiative’ (GSI) proposed by Xi Jinping a month ago at the Boao forum as a replacement for “confrontation, alliance and a zero-sum approach with dialogue, partnership and win-win results”. 

Since the Biden Administration came to power a shift was found from Trump’s idea that Allies are a burden, to the new American Rush to form alliances. A senior US official told the financial times, “The talks will focus on building interlocking and overlapping coalitions as opposed to a united front against China.” The formation of AUKUS can be taken as an example. Biden even tried to get a reasonable relationship with Putin so that the US could focus its energy on China. 

Bill Burns, the Director of the CIA in an interview with the financial times said, “(Putin) demonstrates that declining powers can be at least as disruptive as the rising ones.” With the Russia-Ukraine war entering its third month the idea of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan following a short and swift Russian takeover of Ukraine seems to have vanished. Yoon Suk Yeol’s victory in South Korea’s presidential election makes it even more clear how their nation would shift into the American Sphere of Influence. 

The US has managed to keep its balance between the Indo-Pacific and the unexpected Ukraine Crisis and not focus completely on a particular theatre except for those few times when they subtly asked India to join a side instead of sitting on the fence. Amidst it, India managed to walk the diplomatic tightrope, and with Modi’s successful European tour it looks so that as far as the discussion goes France is India’s New Russia. 

Russia-China “no limit” friendship brings Russia into the Chinese Sphere of Influence. Chinese Belts and Roads (BRI) initiative by 2022 has extended to about 146 countries signing the MoU. BRI still faces many geopolitical challenges. America’s Build Back Better World (B3W) is one of them. 

Yesterday, China signed a security pact with the Solomon Islands which now even allows them to have their military presence in the South Pacific. 

The Opportunity for India

The US already recognizes India as a key ally in its Indo-Pacific strategy, irrespective of their administration. For India the resumption of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the European Union last year was something to be excited about. It won’t be a cakewalk but certainly something to up to. India’s concerns about the Chinese debt trap were enough to make it hold out the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, and even BRI. 

Larger cooperation with Europe was on Modi’s agenda during his recent European visit. Europe and Indian partnership if kicked off properly can help India gain a lot of investment. The ideal approach for India is to use the European differences to its benefit. Germany faced a big problem due to the Ukraine Crisis namely suspending the certification of the Nord Stream 2. Unlike India which has a stagnant 10 Billion Dollar Trade with Russia, Germany has an ever-growing 65 billion dollar trade with Russia. Modi when met the Nordic Leaders even highlighted India’s beginning of an outreach to the smaller European countries. 

Coming to Asia, the Sri Lankan Economic Crisis even helped India to reduce the gap between Delhi and Colombo. Sri Lanka has about 50 million dollars as usable from the foreign reserves of 2.31 billion dollars. Sri Lanka is already scheduled to pay around 7-8 billion dollars this year of which an international sovereign bond worth 1 billion dollars matures this July, the island nation looks in big trouble. Sri Lankan authorities have already started the next round of negotiations with the IMF for a bailout. India as of now has provided more than 3.5 billion dollars to ease the problems. The economic crisis even turned into a political turmoil and India is closely watching those developments. This crisis for India is an opportunity to remove the Chinese foothold and bring the island again into the Indian sphere of influence. Nepal is also on the verge of a crisis like Sri Lanka. Nepal’s foreign reserves were reduced by 18% in mid-march. However, the attempt is to bring that India-Bangladesh equation to Nepal and Sri Lanka. 

The possibility of a Quad 2.0 had been going on in the strategic circles after the first anniversary of the Abraham Accords followed by the launch of the Economic Cooperation Forum (ECF). The idea of investments like the US, production capacity like India, innovation like Israel, and supportive capital like UAE had generated a lot of discussions. Indeed, utilizing the ECF for economic cooperation and progress is the best possible way to get things going. 

Lastly, a US-ASEAN summit provides an opportunity for India to play a greater role in Asia and Indo-Pacific with the US and its allies. 

Glorifying Mughals must end in India: Why Shashi Tharoor and the likes of him should stop deriving virtue out of vice

Dr Jadabeswar Bhattacharjee
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Glorifying Mughals must end in India: Why Shashi Tharoor and the likes of him should stop deriving virtue out of vice

Mughals ruled India from 1527 to 1757. Thereafter British ruled India for the next 190 years. Many Indians cry that Britain took away 45 trillion Pounds from India during its rule. A certain section of Indians, including Shashi Tharoor, showers praise on Mughals for not taking anything away from India. It is not clear if they do so out of ignorance, political compulsion or stupidity. British had “home” but Mughals had not. However, this section of Indians while praising the Mughals conveniently forgets the taking away of tens of thousands of Hindu slaves (including female sex slaves), as well as, gold, silver and precious jewels worth trillions of Pounds by other Muslim invaders who had “home” like British. They included Muhammad bin Qasim, Sultan Mahmud, Muhammad Ghori, Nader Shah and Abdali. No Muslim ruler or invader of India was ‘holier than thou’.

There is a general tendency among Indian Hindus to eulogize Mughals. The Islamists of India also join them in this endeavour. It is like praising the occupiers of your house who came from outside and ruled upon you because your great grandfather lost the battle to them. Certain Indian Hindus do not feel exhausted in praising Humayun’s Tomb, Agra Fort, Taj Mahal and Lal Qilla etc. Further, they extol Mughals for settling in India and becoming Indians by choice. But it is not understood how with their foreign language, traditions, dress, food, customs, mores and ethics they became Indians? In actuality, they had Mughalized India and made us classic cases of ‘Stockholm Syndrome’. Let us revisit the history and try to understand the reality.

In 1494 AD, following the death of his father, Babur (founder of the Mughal Dynasty in India), a 12 years old child, became the ruler of Farghana in Uzbekistan. After two years he conquered Samarkand (South Uzbekistan) but lost Farghana to a rebel. He tried to conquer Farghana, but in the process lost Samarkand too. In 1501 AD Babur tried to recapture both Farghana and Samarkand but failed. Babur was reduced to a vagabond warrior with about 200 to 300 armed followers.

In 1504 AD Babur moved to the South and captured Kabul more than 1000 KMs from Farghana. From there, Babur captured Samarkand for a brief period but lost it again. Babur was left with very few options after being soundly beaten by the Uzbeks in his bid to recapture Samarkand (1511-12 AD) and was lucky to escape unhurt. He knew his only chance of survival was to take on the weakening Lodhi Empire of Delhi and there was no going back once he entered the Indian subcontinent.

Babur didn’t need any invitation as he had already decided on invading India. In fact, Babur’s first attempt was made as early as 1519 AD in Punjab without much success. He would taste victory against Lodhi only in his fifth attempt at the first battle of Panipat in 1526 AD. In 1527 AD, Hindu Rajput Rana Sanga of Mewar confederacy with a big army engaged with Babur in the battle of Khanwa (60 KMs West of Agra), but Rana lost miserably to the small army of Babur. The Jihadi fervour of Mughals and their hitherto unknown fire-powered cannons sealed the fate of Rana.

Our history books have given more significance to the first battle of Panipat (1526 AD) despite knowing that the Lodhi Empire was a spent force and was long crumbling before this. Even the Rajputs had defeated Ibrahim Lodhi in Khatoli (1517 AD) and Dholpur (1518 AD). At that time, there were two superior forces which wanted to stake claim to Delhi’s throne – the Rajput Mewar confederacy under Rana Sanga and the Mughals under Babur.

It is the battle of Khanwa (1527 AD) which sealed the fate of India rather than the first battle of Panipat one year earlier (1526 AD). But Nehruvian Leftist historians of India had unnecessarily given importance to the first battle of Panipat to give Islamic touch to Indian history. A win for Rana Sanga would have laid the foundations of a Hindu empire. Babur’s win at Khanwa had a double impact on India’s geopolitics – the fragmentation of Rajput unity while the Mughals consolidated their Empire with tactical alliances and religious fervour.

Babur had no plan to leave India as he had nowhere else to go. And descendants of Babur remained in India for that reason only. Mughal rule is famous for its construction of great Mosques, Forts and Tombs. “Deen-e-Ilahi” of Akbar was literally the ‘religion of Allah’. All Mughal kings were more or less involved in the destruction of Hindu temples and force-conversion of Hindus to Islam. Shashi Tharoor and the likes of him should stop deriving virtue out of vice.

The dirty game of arrests: How the opposition is planting the last nail in its own coffin

Abhishek Mishra
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The dirty game of arrests: How the opposition is planting the last nail in its own coffin

The UP-election results have sowed the seed for political direction for the next five years. It is now widely believed that results for the 2024 elections, the writing is on the wall. Surprisingly, instead of learning from the electoral loss, opposition parties continue to lose the plot.

The plot is development and economic growth matter the most to an Indian voter. The voters are intelligent. To presume that voters are polarized is to challenge their wisdom. Yogi’s method is unconventional but the results are striking. By bringing positive changes in improving the law and order environment in the state, UP emerged as one of the most investor-friendly states. The change for the better was visible and UP voters extended support to the new leaf in UP’s economic revitalization. The basis for Yogi Adityanath’s resounding victory is the development on the ground and his support for standing for the Hindu cause. Post 9/11 and the burning of the train at Godhra, Hindus are voting for a party that guarantees safety and security. The Yogi government gave them both.

The UP-election result has left Congress and all other political parties aghast and deeply disturbed. They see no future; their cadres are demoralized. In frustration, they have started exerting pressure wherever they are in power. This is resulting in misuse of the executive. The executive has over the years failed to live as a pillar of our democracy. Most often than not, the Indian executive is meekly surrendering to political pressure. It began with the arrest of Arnab Goswami on false charges and most recently by the recent arrest of a sitting MP on her political posturing of reciting Hanuman Chalisa in front of CM House.

For the first time, Arvind Kejriwal had a police force under him and his party’s vindictive functioning became apparent when FIR are lodged and an attempt to arrest has been made against Aam Admi party veteran turned poet Kumar Vishwas and the arrest drama of Tajinder Bagga. From the Maharashtra government in the west to the Punjab government in the North to Bengal government in the east, there is an attempt to misuse whatever straw of power the opposition is left with.

The most recent multiple FIRs and attempt to arrest noted Journalist Aman Chopra by the Congress government of Rajasthan is another attempt to murder the democratic rights of free speech that our constitution provides. Of course, the right is not absolute but while registering an FIR and moving forward to making an arrest, the Indian executive needs to be more restrained. Our nation is too big and strong to be endangered by a tweet or comment of a politician or journalist or a common citizen.  

The opposition should realize that if Anna Hazare was not arrested, AAP would not be what it is today. Similarly, if L K Advani was not arrested, BJP would not be what it is today. Unwanted arrests create sympathy for the victim and can change the course of politics which in the current scenario means a further electoral loss in small pockets that the opposition holds. In a nutshell, by playing this dirty game of arrests, the opposition is putting the final nail in her own coffin.            

Misinformation, Disinformation, Fake News and more: How crocodile tears of the Left for the ‘truth’ are a sham, based on their own definitions

anupam8
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Misinformation, Disinformation, Fake News and more: How crocodile tears of the Left for the ‘truth’ are a sham, based on their own definitions

Recently the USA has established a controversial “Disinformation Governance Board” under DHS. Therefore it is in the news for all the wrong reasons. We, Indians, are often the victims of such disinformation campaigns and cannot ignore that. There are terms like disinformation, misinformation, and fake news being dropped flippantly these days. Very few people I have talked to can distinguish between them. According to the University of Washington Bothell website, misinformation and disinformation are both false information, but disinformation is spread deliberately while misinformation may not always be intentional. Similarly, fake news is defined as “crafted, sensational, emotionally charged, misleading or fabricated information that mimics the form of mainstream news.”

From these definitions, there are a lot of questions that can directly arise. There seems to be a lot of emphasis on the word mainstream news. This is pretty hard to define when thousands of news portals are generated every month. So how should one define a news mainstream? Viewership, accuracy, size, anything can be a measure of that. But since the left (never liberal) has a monopoly over a huge portion of this arena, all right-leaning, centre-right, and centrist news sources become “fascist” and NOT mainstream.

It becomes more interesting. Rumours used to spread from the beginning of the human race, but social media has accelerated it. Rumours are generally misinformation. But what if the rumour about a political party or an organization or a person is disguised as misinformation but actually is disinformation? Will the “mainstream” have the guts to call a spade a spade? From an Indian perspective, it does not seem like it. As an example, we can always cite RSS. The illiberal, islamophobic, Brahminical, patriarchal tags thrown by the left cabal can be proven untrue in every step of the existence of this organization.

So essentially, the crocodile tears of the left about being the defender of truth become a sham by their own agreed-upon definition. In the pre-internet era, we could have given them the benefit of the doubt by calling these tags misinformation. But now, when ample, easily accessible evidence is contrary to it, we have to call out their disinformation campaign. So the news media that, no matter how mainstream it is, spreads such adjectives are by definition spreading disinformation and has to be stopped.

Another example of a disinformation campaign disguised as misinformation is the Covid death toll in India. Wild statistical analysis with little to very less credible data and nonsensical assumptions were making headlines every day. Any serious scientist will always become conservative when making a real-life prediction and always look at the error variation. But since that restraint was not there among the “scientists” and “experts” of the left cabal, we must call this instance a disinformation campaign. This type of fearmongering has serious consequences for the country’s law and order, which makes it criminal. This instance is actually an abuse of basic statistical principles where conclusions are made very carefully and with proper justification. The “mainstream” news media amplifies such wild pseudoscience in the name of science without asking about the validity of the method and credibility of the data making them a party to the disinformation campaign to malign the present Government. Can we call the “mainstream” media “trusted” from the previous two examples?

Wikipedia amplifies these so-called “trusted” media by blocking the voices questioning them and maligning other media portals without providing a fair trial. The wiki editor cabal abuses their power daily to suppress news that is uncomfortable to them or dilutes it so much that it becomes a footnote. So, should we not call it a disinformation campaign?

Then there are “Fact-Checker” websites which are the loudspeakers of the so-called mainstream. The existence of fact-checkers is a symbol of the low public trust in the “mainstream.” The certification process for the fact-checking website is very lenient but ideologically driven to say the least. The problem is that people associated with these websites abuse the certificate and peddle their opinions as facts. But the certification agency does not seem to be worried about that. They put a deliberate blind eye to the problem; they do not even hold the “Fact-Checkers” to a stringent and uniform standard. For example, many websites tried to save Tahir Hussain in the Delhi riot despite having video evidence of his involvement using so-called “Facts.” The observation of the court was otherwise. Should the certification agency now do its duty and reprimand the portals that abused their certification? It does not seem like it.

Indians, especially Hindus, face many consequences of such a corrupt system worldwide. Any Hindu who stands up for their root, ritual, Sanskriti, and dharma is tagged as the equivalent of a white supremacist. We used to call it Hinduphobia, bigotry, etc. Now by the new definition, this is also a disinformation campaign. We must fight back with a counter-campaign because the truth needs its marketing as it stands now. Free speech should be there, but at the same time, we have to be careful about disinformation that has the power to threaten the life, livelihood, and moreover existence of a community. Free speech cannot include incitement or threat against Hindus.

Unfair scholarships for Muslims and terrorism: Why education won’t help arrest the problem of radicalisation

Moorthy S. Muthuswamy
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Unfair scholarships for Muslims and terrorism: Why education won’t help arrest the problem of radicalisation

It appears that the central government’s decision to allot 2.3 crore scholarships to Muslim children was carried out without fully considering a cost-to-benefit analysis and the decision’s long-term implications. Indian taxpayers have also subsidized two universities with Muslim character: Jamia Millia Islamia University and Aligarh Muslim University.

Yet no deed of goodwill goes unpunished. The majority community is at the receiving end of stone-pelting by the Muslim minority. Reason? Apparently, the majority community irked the minority by taking religious processions through its neighbourhoods.

These widespread stone-pelting incidents are far from conveying the intention to coexist. If one doubts that, look around in the immediate neighbourhood. From the Muslim-majority lands, most Hindus have been driven out to India. One may view Pakistan and Bangladesh as nearly 100% Muslim reservation lands. After driving out Hindus, even the Muslim-majority Kashmir valley became almost 100% Muslim reserved land.

These scholarships make the Muslims the privileged community not only in Islamic Pakistan and Islamic Bangladesh but also in secular Hindu-majority India! This ought to be grossly unfair as well as absurd.

There is such a thing called critical risk management, especially on existential matters. The country must assess the existential risk arising from the minority community’s intolerance vis-à-vis the majority. This is not to say that Indian Muslims are inherently intolerant people, but the circumstances that have driven them to be so must be understood and addressed.

First, a study of slain militants in Pakistan found that “poverty, limited education and time spent at a madrassa are poor predictors for determining either support for terrorism or participation in terrorism in Pakistan.” And that “some of Pakistan’s best‐educated young men are being dispatched to die in this unending conflict with India.” Another study of slain Pakistani militants who had fought in Afghanistan and India reached similar conclusions.

The above data is clearcut evidence that educated Muslims in a radicalized community are more prone to supporting and participating in violent extremism. But why is the data from Pakistan relevant to India? For one thing, India’s most literate state, Kerala, has produced the most number of ISIS terrorists. Importantly, it is because a good measure of radicalisation of Muslims in these two nations is comparable.

Support for Sharia law is one such measure for the following reason: From my recent research involving Muslim communities in 20 nations, in 10 countries where the majority of the Muslims favoured Sharia law, jihadist groups had a strong presence in eight nations and a weak presence in the rest of the two. Among the Muslims polled, the support for Sharia law in Pakistan was 84%, while it was a comparable 74% in India. Generally, the public support for Sharia goes hand-in-hand with its support for clerics.

All of the above data undercut the wisdom of granting scholarships and reservations to Muslims. Besides, on the flip side, these opportunities would otherwise benefit the majority community. Consequently, India will likely experience a double whammy situation: worsening Muslim extremism and the weakening majority community.

To ignore this grim reality is nothing short of suicidal for the Indian nation.

The terrorist acts of stone-pelting by mobs stationed in mosques tell us that clerics constitute a dominant force behind extremism. This is not to say that all clerics are encouraging terrorism, but as I argued in my previous article, the Deoband-educated clerics, who constitute about 90% of the clerical cadre in India, are so.

Economically disadvantaged people need help, but not when they are under the grip of violent extremism and are intolerant. A sensible policy would be to help the Muslim minorities in India by first liberating them from the forces that have made them intolerant and socioeconomically disadvantaged.

The central and state governments would be well-advised to retract scholarships and reservations given to the minority and remove the Muslim character associated with state-funded Muslim institutions. Such a quid pro quo also incentivises the community to address its radicalised self.

Moorthy Muthuswamy is a US-based physicist and a scholar of radicalism

Uniform civil code a boon or bane for India: Details

puneetsanadhya
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Uniform civil code a boon or bane for India: Details

Uniform Civil Code

Uniform Civil Code is a hot cake again these days and the concept of UCC is getting debated. For a long time, different groups have been expressing their views on it and it seems that there is a lot of confusion among different groups associated with different communities when it comes to the Uniform Civil code. The best part of all these heated debates that we can see on different channels is that most of the people who are representing different sections of society merely know the details when it comes to UCC and thus most of the time you will find them going in a different direction, which creates chaos like situation as the viewers formulate their views according to what they hear in form of debate, as the trend of reading is not seen these days.

History Of UCC

When it comes to a uniform civil code then the origin can be found back in the colonial British government in its report submitted in 1835, in which they had expressed the need for a uniform code in India when it comes to crime. Evidence and contracts, however here in this report it was expressed that the personal laws of Hindus and Muslims must be kept outside it, however, after the end of the British era with the increase in legislation dealing with personal issues a Hindu code bill was drafted on the basis of recommendation of Rau committee and was adopted as part of the constitution in 1951, after that couple of amendments were made in terms of Hindu succession act and in the year 2005, it was amended that daughters will be allotted the same share in the property of her father.

Personal Laws

Before we understand UCC and its importance, we need to first understand about personal laws and personal laws are laws that apply to a certain group of people on the basis of their religion, caste, faith and belief and when it comes to two major populations of India the source and authority of their religious belief are their ancient texts.

There are many parts like succession. Adoption, inheritance , marriage, co-paring obligation, partition in family property, guardianship and charitable donations etc.

It’s also important to quote that personal laws were first framed during the British period and they refrained to interfere in matters related to personal laws as they feared the opposition from religious leaders from different communities, however, any law changes with time as any law is made by humans and the need of humans keep on changing. So law needs to be amended over a period of time on the basis of human needs, as the main purpose of any law is to make the life of an individual better.

Effect of UCC

Current different sections follow different practices when it comes to personal Laws and the latest the triple talaq was something that caught the interest of many individuals as different communities have different laws when it comes to personal laws and the absence of UCC makes many individuals suffer.

However, the concept of UCC is to simplify the complex personal laws and treat every Indian in the same manner when it comes to Law, as everyone is equal when it comes to the constitution and no one can be treated differently on the basis of caste, creed or religion. It’s supported by Article 44 of the Indian constitution. As article 44 of the constitution expects the Indian state to apply directive principles and common law for all Indian citizens while formulating national policies.

Is UCC a boon or bane for India

India is a sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic, republic. This means that the State does not have a religion of its own and every citizen is equal, however, it’s important to understand that UCC is not going to interfere in any mundane monotonous activities of day-to-day life and there is no way that UCC is going to affect the man’s belief and the best example in the USA and Europe, as the doctrine of secularism in these countries, do not interfere in matters of religion, however, there is no scope to tarnishing the rights of any individual no matter what on the basis of any personal law.

Conclusion

There is no doubt about the fact that there is a high need for UCC in India as India can only be a truly secular country in the true sense only when all the communities belonging to different religions follow the same law both for criminal and civil matters, as the UCC is not going to affect religious freedom. It will help in bringing changes in the age-old traditions that have no relevance in today’s modern society, where women should be given equal rights and should be treated fairly. A uniform civil code in India will ensure not division on the basis of religion but unity by creating a feeling of nationality.

Pakistan’s Indian Muslim obsession continues but recklessly: While they focus on Jahangirpuri, Pakistan burns

Sarmad Iqbal
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Pakistan’s Indian Muslim obsession continues but recklessly: While they focus on Jahangirpuri, Pakistan burns

New Delhi’s Jahangirpuri recently became the centre point of violent communal tensions between the Hindu and Muslim populace of the Indian capital. The tensions flared on the holy Hindu occasion of Hanuman Jayanti when the Muslim residents claimed to have been offended by the mere chanting of the slogan “Jai Shri Ram” by a Hindu procession in the neighbourhood. The mere chanting triggered a violent reaction from the local Islamists and for several days, the area became a focal point of not just Indian media’s but also Pakistani media’s attention. The fact that it became an issue of importance for the Indian news outlets is understandable as it is the very country they operate from and exist in where the communal skirmish broke out but on the part of Pakistan’s proudly Indian phobic news outlets it seemed bizarre and amusing at the same time. 

The Delhi neighbourhood received 24/7 attention from the eyes and ears of Pakistan but what a pity that the country’s cities suffer from such careful inspection. If the same amount of spotlight had been shined on the deteriorating law and order situation in the country’s very own financial hub and largest city Karachi, then a deadly suicide bomb blast by a Baloch separatist in the vicinity of a QS World ranked Pakistani university targeting Chinese nationals could have been averted.

In the same city in the same month of April, in a sheer display of sectarian hatred, a Shia Muslim father’s request to a local Sunni Muslim mosque to announce his daughter’s alleged kidnapping was straightway rejected. Similarly, if Pakistan’s second-largest city Lahore had received even half of the attention Jahangirpuri garnered in Pakistan then the city’s top medical institute the Allama Iqbal Medical College (named after the country’s national poet Muhammad Iqbal known commonly as “Mufakkir-e-Pakistan” which translates as “The Thinker of Pakistan”) wouldn’t have to witness the horrendous firing incident by a college worker against his co-workers which consequently led to heightened panic at the educational institute.

It is evident that the educational institutions housing the future of Pakistan are certainly under immense peril but who’s going to address and carry out an in-depth discussion on this peril? The Pakistani government or the Pakistani media, the answer here seems to be none as both are quite preoccupied with a mere brawl in a locality in the “azli dushman’s” (the Urdu term used often in Pakistan to describe India as an eternal enemy) capital. The mere brawl has become so significant to the “siyasatdans” (the Urdu word for politicians) and “siyasi mubasireen” (the Urdu term for political observers) of Pakistan alike in an outlandish manner primarily owing to it involving India’s Muslim community which Pakistani leadership has always seen as Pakistan’s other extension in South Asia while the first definitely being the former Islamic East Pakistan and now the Sheikh Hasina run secular Bangladesh. 

In an official reaction to the bulldozing of a few properties purportedly belonging to Muslim residents of Jahangirpuri, the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs released the statement which read: “The wanton destruction of houses belonging to the Muslim community, depriving the inhabitants of their fundamental right to shelter and leaving them at the mercy of the Hindutva-inspired state machinery, is highly deplorable,”. The reaction is humorous to the core of it as it seems senseless when the government of a different country has to drag itself into a municipal issue in a locality in a city that is not even its own, the situation would have been equally humorous if the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi would have deplored some anti-encroachment operation by Pakistani capital Islamabad’s beloved Capital Development Authority in Saidpur village ( home to 16th century Rama temple dedicated to the Hindu God Shri Ram ji) but he seems quite busy to even engage in such idiotic display of tu kaun main khamakha. 

To poke a nose into the domestic affairs of another country while being unable to eliminate the food insecurity of gazillion households in one’s own country, is embroiled in a chronic political turmoil and being faced with worsening ties with some traditional allies such as the USA, doesn’t sound like a wise plan. Therefore, it is pivotal that the Pakistani leadership focuses on the alleviation of issues that hurt most their subjects which are the “awaam” (Pakistani public) then be perturbed by what goes on inside the alleys and on the streets of padosi mulk’s darul hukumat (Urdu for neighbouring country’s capital). 

YouTuber calls out Bollywood for its hypocrisy on the Northeast over the new trailer of ‘Anek’ by Anubhav Sinha: What he said

Ambar Chatterjee
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YouTuber calls out Bollywood for its hypocrisy on the Northeast over the new trailer of ‘Anek’ by Anubhav Sinha: What he said

Anubhav Sinha is about to release his new political drama/thriller Anek which will feature Ayushmann Khurrana as a Special Forces operative in the Northeast.

Reacting to the recently released trailer of the film that has amassed over a million views within hours of its release on YouTube, a popular YouTuber from Maharashtra, Pratik Borade called out Bollywood for its hypocrisy on the Northeast and said that if there is anyone responsible for pushing the Northeastern States and its talents to the backstage over the years more than the past politicians and media then it is Bollywood.

According to him, Bollywood never cared to tell stories of the Northeast or cast its actors in anything more than supporting roles. He added that casting northeast actors in supporting roles was also a recent development. Before 2014, Northeastern stories and actors never featured in mainstream Bollywood films even though the northeast was and still is a treasure trove of stories, cultures, legends, and an eclectic mix of colourful and rich ethnicities that live in peace and harmony.

The Link to the Anek trailer:

He was quick to call out past Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru for his neglect of the region and pointed out that Nehru appointed a shady missionary with a questionable marriage history, Harry Verrier Holman Elwin as the advisor for issues pertaining to the Tribals of the North Eastern Region. According to him, this step virtually paved the way for the missionaries to carry out an unchallenged spree of conversion of the Tribals of the region that resulted in most of the North-Eastern States converting to Christianity shunning their age-old culture and practices. He called out Verrier for being the biggest roadblock in the development of the region and Nehru for blindly trusting him and keeping the Northeast people out of the mainstream India sighting a ludicrous reason for protecting their culture and existence and at the same time converting them to Christianity at an alarming pace.

Coming back to Bollywood, he continued that after 2014, when significant development work was underway in the different North Eastern States and for the first time in decades, the armed insurgency was at an all-time low, the people in Bollywood are trying to refuel and fan the dying flames of insurgency by glamorizing and siding with the separatists in a film that is evidently sympathetic to the cause of the separatists.

Anubhav Sinha, The director of “Anek”

He further added that it is a tragedy that even with their unlimited resources, Bollywood never cared to make a film on the Great Ahom General Lachit Borphukan who annihilated the Mughals at Saraighat and defended the freedom and honour of Assam. Sadly, Bollywood chose to glamorize mass-murderers like Akbar in their films by painting a glamorized, liberal and sanitized picture of a man who was not so. Borade said that if Bollywood cared so much for the Northeast then they should allow talents and stories of the region to come to the fore and promote them through their films and series. He added that in spite of its apparently problematic content and ideology, Anek still looks like an extremely well-made film.   

The link to Pratik Borade’s video:

Newslaundry on ‘secularism’: Half-truths and complete omissions

Soumitra
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Newslaundry on ‘secularism’: Half-truths and complete omissions

If you have ever seen a courtroom scene in a movie you would have noticed that before the witness gives his testimony he swears to “Tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth”. On 11th May 2022, far left propaganda website, Newslaundry, released a video “How the Meaning of Secularism has changed through the ages | Sansad Watch Ep 33”.

If the host of the video Meghnad had sworn the above oath he would be lying. This video is a masterful depiction of half-truths and complete omissions that the left likes to make, especially when discussing topics like secularism.

Meghnad started the video by showing an advertisement released by the govt on 26th January 2015 on the occasion of Republic Day. The ad had a backdrop image of the preamble of the constitution. Meghnad correctly said that the ad image did not have the words, Secular and Socialist, in the preamble image and at the time the ad was released there was a lot of outcry from the leftists and opposition leaders. But he told the half-truth. He conveniently failed to mention that BJP spokespersons explained that the image was of the original preamble of the constitution that was adopted on 26th January 1950, and not the one which Indira Gandhi had amended.

He then said that BJP chief ministers of states like Assam, Himanchal and Uttarakhand are calling for debate on the implementation of Uniform Civil Code. He framed the sentence in a way which seemed to suggest that this is wrong. What he conveniently forgot to mention is that it is part of Article 44 of the constitution where it states that the government should aim to bring a Uniform Civil Code.

By the way, a Uniform Civil Code is the very definition of Secularism. Under a Uniform Civil Code, there will be no different laws based on religion. The government will not discriminate among people based on their religion. Thus advocating for a Uniform Civil Code actually makes BJP the actual secular party.

After some examples of views of different members of the constituent assembly on the meaning of secularism, and their final decision not to include the word secular in the preamble of the constitution, he directly jumps to Indira Gandhi in the 1970s when she imposed the emergency and inserted the words “Secular” and “Socialist” in the preamble through a constitutional amendment. Here again, Meghnad displays his penchant for complete omissions.

He gave an example of K.M. Munshi who said that the government should be able to make laws related to social activities based on religion, especially if there were some socially regressive practices. This view was generally accepted by the constituent assembly.  Meghnad failed to mention that Hindu Personal Laws were all reformed in the 1950’s and 70 years later we are still trying to debate reforming Muslim Personal Laws. Anyone who attempts to do it is termed communal. He conveniently failed to mention that only one group seems to have a problem with the Uniform Civil Code.

After covering Indira Gandhi’s constitutional amendment to insert the word “Secular”, he jumps to the 1980s to the famous Shah Bano case. He gives this case as an example of how the top court upheld the principles of secularism in giving maintenance to Shah Bano. But as usual, Meghnad tells the half-truth. He neglects to mention what happened just after the judgement when a “secular” Congress overturned the SC judgement to appease its Muslim vote bank.

The whole video was filled with these half-truths and complete omissions. The only thing I agree with Meghnad was that the definition of secularism is distorted by everyone. I would proudly say that Pseudo-Seculars like him have a definition of secularism which is 180 degrees opposite of the actual meaning of the word. This video shows how the left-liberal “intellectuals” peddle their lies and distort the truth.

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