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Importance of teaching history

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I am not a historian neither history has been my favorite subject. But when we were in school, we were taught history. We knew about great leaders like Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev. We also learnt about Mahatma Gandhi, Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj as well as Premchand. We were inspired by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Chandrashekhar Azad and Lala Lajpat Rai.

We still remember all these super heroes and how they fought for the freedom of India because we were taught about them from STD 5 onwards. But look at todays kids, ask them about any of these freedom fighters. They rarely might answer your you. Why? My daughter studies in CBSE board and is now in STD 6. But still there is no subject of History. Recently when she was watching a movie on Rani Laxmibai, she asked me about her. I told her how bravely she fought and sacrificed her life for nation.This is just an example about how my daughter’s history is! There are many such kids who are not aware of it. This is just not good for a nation like India which has a Golden History of fighting for Freedom. Young mind can learn a lot from history.

I don’t understand how can a Board of so many intellectuals design a syllabus omitting History which had inspiring real life tales of so many Super Heroes. If we really want our kids to be physically and mentally strong then history must be taught.

QUAD Summit: What it means for India and way forward

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It is the result of China’s aggressive expansionist policy that has given some fuel to the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD), gathering Australia, Japan, Indian, and the USA in one place. China showing aggressiveness in the South China Sea (SCS), Ladakh and Hong Kong has made these four nations come together and take concrete decisions. The intentions of China and its future plans are crystal clear – invade Taiwan and capture the strategic connectivity project, seize the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), challenge the USA for supremacy, and impose a China-centric international order. So, the summit happened with an aim of establishing regional peace, regional cooperation architecture, stability, and prosperity.

Though China is also pushing hard for vaccine diplomacy after the whole world blamed it for the origin of COVID-19, Japan has announced assistance for developing cold chains, refrigerators, and transportation for countries in need. Thus, Japan’s assistance and India’s popular vaccine distribution program are successfully countering China’s vaccine diplomacy. Talking about the stand of the USA, the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has caricatured China as the “biggest geopolitical test of 21st century”. The Biden Administration is well aware of the threats posed by China to the USA and her allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific. 

While the Biden Administration is handling China on the same lines as President Trump, India which started challenging China by banning digital apps and other economic restrictions will take time to talk to China until China adheres to agreements regarding LAC. This onus is on China to rebuild trust because every time Chinese companies show their willingness to invest in India, the border dispute will be linked with economic issues and trade. Another interesting factor comes into play that China has complained to the WTO regarding India’s step of banning apps. Thus, India should also exclude China’s telecom countries from participating in Indian projects. 

Why is the United States getting closer to India? What interests are tied? 

The bone of contention between the two countries is the joint training exercises which are unlikely to be expanded because of a larger underlying dichotomy between the U.S and Indian military organizations. India uses Russian-made aircraft and the U.S Air force would love to fly those in mock engagements, but India cannot take the risk of revealing and compromising the full capabilities of their aircraft. Therefore, the joint Air Forces are more of a “getting-to-know-you” and goodwill exercise for the pilots of both countries. 

What India wants from the U.S

It was during the Cold War that both the nations were at odds, with hardly any strategic cooperation. The US’s pact with Pakistan in 1954 kept both the countries apart as India had adopted the idea of non-alignment. Continuous support of the US to Pakistan and the absence of economic and diplomatic issues led to a troubled relationship. Thus, until and unless the U.S adopts an unequivocal stance against Pakistan, the small issues between India and the US will always remain a hurdle. India also has apprehensions regarding the technology transfer too! While the U.S is the largest arms supplier for India, the question of technology transfer still remains on a case-by-case basis. 

Strategic Cooperation between India and US

According to a report by IBM’s ‘Cost of a Data Breach Report 2020’ report, Indian companies witnessed an average $2 Mn total cost of a data breach in 2020, this is an increase of 9.4% from 2019. According to Nasscom’s Data Security Council of India (DSCI) report 2019, India witnessed the second-highest number of cyber attacks in the world between 2016 and 2018. This comes at a time when digitization of the Indian economy is predicted to result in a $435 Bn opportunity by 2025.

In the absence of a national cybersecurity policy, India truly needs some help from its partners, the US being one of them. Of particular interest in this respect, 2 months after the Framework Agreement was signed in August 2016, Indian Minister of Defense Manohar Parrikar visited the United States and toured the U.S. Cyber Command in Fort Meade, MD, an event that headlined in the public relations announcements of both countries at the time. 97 Such carefully choreographed bilateral visits are designed to send specific messages, and this one appeared to be: “cybersecurity cooperation is now something both countries are taking seriously”. 

In addition, India needs to address the legal barriers that it erected to foreign investment in its civilian nuclear power sector. Under the terms of the existing legal regime, U.S. companies, for all practical purposes, cannot invest in this arena. 

The South China Sea and the East China Sea are equally vital for the US, Australia, and Japan but for India, it’s all about the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea is a secondary theatre. So, India who is proud of its non-aligned status is now being pushed by the US (or the QUAD) to take an explicit anti-China stance. Thus, QUAD should offer an alternative to China’s economic diplomacy if it has to counter China in the Indo-Pacific. Since economic advantage matters much more than ideology, QUAD should ponder upon establishing a joint regional infrastructure scheme as an alternative to China’s multi-billion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative(BRI). And surprisingly, just after the QUAD summit, there is an anticipation that China will step up the economic support for neighbors to counter the QUAD alliance. At the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum too, Xi talked about free trade pacts with more countries to hold the high banner of openness and cooperation. 

India is important for other QUAD nations because only India has the power to counterbalance the aggressiveness of China. India’s location is at the confluence of Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean along with a rising maritime presence in East Africa makes India a perfect nation to handle China both at front and center. While the pooling of more resources from the US, Japan, and Australia in India’s industry would be a new sphere of opportunity, India’s non-aligned approach in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) with China and Russia can make the long-term strategic direction questionable. Thus, if the policy experts really want to encash the opportunities from other QUAD nations, India will have to respond to their geopolitical interests as well more enthusiastically. What matters, in the end, is the degree of convergence between the interests of the parties.

‘What Bengal thinks today’: Studying the West Bengal assembly election 2021

The upcoming Assembly Election of West Bengal, scheduled to be held from 27 March to 29 April 2021 unprecedentedly in eight phases, demands extraordinary attention for reasons more than one.

The troubled past

At the outset, one has to keep in mind the fact that West Bengal has inarguably become the bloodiest site of election in the country over a period of roughly last 5 or 6 years. Election in Bengal began to be tainted with violence from the early 1970s. During the Left regime, who ruled West Bengal for thirty-four years at a stretch (1977-2011), election had regularly become the topic of debate as the sole opposition party of the time, the Congress, used to attribute Communist Party of India (Marxist)’s (CPI[M]) election success to ‘scientific rigging’ – something which was hard to prove but difficult to deny. With its absolute control over every existing government or semi/non-government machinery, the communist government was adept at shaping public opinion, influencing election process and, most importantly, normalizing any notion of abnormality at any stage of governance. All allegations of manipulation could easily be rubbished hence. But one has to admit that election in the past was relatively ‘quiet’ in Bengal, especially if we remember the elections of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh in the 1980s and 1990s.

The ugly present

But the table has turned altogether now as West Bengal has become the undisputed topper in the national ranking of election-violence. The 2015 Bidhannagar civic poll shocked the state for the overwhelming violence that took place for a civic poll of a satellite township adjacent to Kolkata. The most brazen display of election violence in recent times occurred in the 2018 panchayat elections when the state witnessed a bloodbath as about 66 party workers, 52 of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and 14 of the ruling Trinamool Congress party (TMC), had reportedly lost their lives! The elections earned nation-wide infamy not only for the death-count but also for the fact that the ruling TMC won thirty-four percent of the panchayat seats uncontested because none of the opposition parties were allowed to field candidates or file nominations. The 2019 Loksabha election was also politically tensed with some incidents of violence, lesser in numbers though, due to the heavy deployment of central paramilitary forces and the watchful eye of the Election Commission of India (ECI). The biggest question now is: ‘Will it change this time?’. One cannot be so certain as political murders, clashes and threats are continuing unabated in the pre-election months. However, the common people still hold hope, counting on the possibility of larger paramilitary contingents and the supposedly more active ECI.

Unemployment

Unemployment is one of the biggest issues of this election. West Bengal has become the major supplier of human resource to the rest of the country, especially the economically viable states such as Maharashtra, Delhi, Gujarat, Karnataka, Telangana, Kerala. In fact, it has ranked fourth among the states in outbound migration for employment. People are running out of rural as well as urban Bengal in search of employment.

Crisis of job

The issue of unemployment leads to another issue, i.e., the crisis of job in the state, in the govt. or non-govt., organized or unorganized sectors. First, teaching, which generates the maximum govt. employment in the state, has ceased to be so recently as almost all the teacher recruitment examinations, mired in allegations of corruption and malpractices, have been stalled in the court of law. Contractual employment has become the norm in many of the govt. departments. The state govt. seems to be happy with such ad hoc arrangements as its outstanding debt is expected to be frighteningly 32.9% of its Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) in 2020-21. Therefore, there is alarmingly a huge unemployed workforce with higher education. Second, West Bengal has become famished in terms of actual industrial investment in the last ten years. As a result, the non-govt. organized sector has become almost barren in creating jobs. Third, the unorganized sector, which is really big as West Bengal ranked top in micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) in 2017 in the country, is not enough to cater to the huge employment demand of the semi-skilled or unskilled workforce in the state. Fourth, whereas self-employment has emerged as the dominant form of employment in the country, the dominant workforce in West Bengal is low-waged casual labour mostly in the real estate sector. For these reasons, West Bengal needs big industries, investments in infrastructure as also the regularization of its traditional govt. sectors of employment such as teaching and govt. services in other departments.

Corruption

In order to achieve the goal of employment and industrialization, the allegations of corruption and misgovernance have to be dealt with an iron hand. Rampant politicization and criminalization of govt. institutions and machineries is the most common allegation made by the opposition parties against the state govt. and the ruling party. Terminologies such as ‘syndicate’, ‘cut-money’ (referring to the politically-backed extortion racket in manufacturing and construction sectors and commission system to avail govt. schemes) have become widely familiar in the society, badly tarnishing the image of the ruling TMC before the election.

The polarized electorate

Historically, Bengal has always been a communally sensitive zone both in the pre- and post-Independence times. In the recent times however, the situation has visibly worsened as the ever-growing Muslim vote-bank politics and the consequent Hindu political counter-assertion have seemingly arrived at a watershed moment that can (re)shape the future political discourse in West Bengal forever. The voter landscape is unprecedentedly polarized along communal lines as the 70% Hindu majority, most of which are refugees having fled from the erstwhile East Pakistan and also from the current Bangladesh, seems to be apprehensive about a ‘recycling’ of history and a ‘future’ of similar religious persecution in the hand of the growing Muslim population (27% in the state and growing by 1.77% against the Hindu decline by 1.94%, according to Census 2011). Consequently, cross-border infiltration, cow smuggling, and Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) have become burning issues in the election.

 In the above context, the West Bengal Assembly Election of 2021 is a high-voltage battle in every sense. The ruling TMC is desperate to hold its power as Bengal is its one and only political bastion. So are the other anti-BJP parties of the country who desperately stake on Mamata Banerjee, whose party plays the self-declared vanguard in the national anti-BJP bandwagon, to stop BJP winning a state they never won before. BJP, on the other hand, is ready to use all its political resources available, to win the state, which is historically dominated by its major ideological adversary i.e. the Left or Left sympathizers – a reason which is no less important for BJP than ousting the TMC. The win in West Bengal will be a win of national dimension for the BJP. May 2, 2021 will unveil the result of the ‘Battleground Bengal’ to the entire nation, avidly trying to fathom ‘What Bengal thinks today’!

वसीम रिजवी पर क्यों हुआ है मुकदमा? क्या है जो उनकी अभिव्यक्ति की आज़ादी से उपर रखा गया है

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1- Verse 9 Surah 5 فَاِذَاانْسَلَخَالۡاَشۡهُرُالۡحرِكِيۡنَحَيۡثُوَجَدْتُّمُوۡهُمۡوَخُذُوۡهُمۡوَاحۡصُرُوۡهُمۡوَاقۡعُدُوۡالَهُمۡكُلَّمَرۡصَدٍ​ ۚفَاِنۡتَابُوۡاوَاَقَامُواالصَّلٰوةَوَاٰتَوُاالزَّكٰوةَفَخَلُّوۡاسَبِيۡلَهُمۡ​ ؕاِنَّاللّٰهَغَفُوۡرٌرَّحِيۡمٌ

मतलब: फिर, जब हराम (प्रतिष्ठित) महीने बीत जाएं तो मुशरिकों को जहां कहीं पाओ क़त्ल करो, उन्हें पकड़ो और उन्हें घेरो और हर घात की जगह उनकी ताक में बैठो. फिर यदि वे तौबा कर लें और नमाज़ क़ायम करें और ज़कात दें तो उनका मार्ग छोड़ दो, निश्चय ही अल्लाह बड़ा क्षमाशील, दयावान है.

2- Verse 9 Surah 28 يٰۤاَيُّهَاالَّذِيۡنَاٰمَنُوۡۤااِنَّمَاالۡمُشۡرِكُوۡنَنَجَسٌفَلَايَقۡرَبُواالۡمَسۡجِدَالۡحَـرَامَبَعۡدَعَامِهِمۡهٰذَا​ ۚوَاِنۡخِفۡتُمۡعَيۡلَةًفَسَوۡفَيُغۡنِيۡكُمُاللّٰهُمِنۡفَضۡلِهٖۤاِنۡشَآءَ​ ؕاِنَّاللّٰهَعَلِيۡمٌحَكِيۡمٌ

मतलब: ऐ ईमान लानेवालो! मुशरिक तो बस अपवित्र ही हैं. अतः इस वर्ष के पश्चात वे मस्जिदे-हराम के पास न आएँ. और यदि तुम्हें निर्धनता का भय हो तो आगे यदि अल्लाह चाहेगा तो तुम्हें अपने अनुग्रह से समृद्ध कर देगा. निश्चय ही अल्लाह सब कुछ जाननेवाला, अत्यन्त तत्वदर्शी है.

3- Verse 4 Surah 101 وَاِذَاضَرَبۡتُمۡفِىالۡاَرۡضِفَلَيۡسَعَلَيۡكُمۡجُنَاحٌاَنۡتَقۡصُرُوۡامِنَالصَّلٰوةِ ​ۖاِنۡخِفۡتُمۡاَنۡيَّفۡتِنَكُمُالَّذِيۡنَكَفَرُوۡا​ ؕاِنَّالۡـكٰفِرِيۡنَكَانُوۡالَـكُمۡعَدُوًّامُّبِيۡنًا‏

मतलब: और जब तुम धरती में यात्रा करो, तो इसमें तुमपर कोई गुनाह नहीं कि नमाज़ को कुछ संक्षिप्त कर दो; यदि तुम्हें इस बात का भय हो कि विधर्मी लोग तुम्हें सताएंगे और कष्ट पहुंचाएंगे. निश्चय ही विधर्मी लोग तुम्हारे खुले शत्रु हैं.

4- Verse 9 Surah 123 يٰۤـاَيُّهَاالَّذِيۡنَاٰمَنُوۡاقَاتِلُواالَّذِيۡنَيَلُوۡنَكُمۡمِّنَالۡكُفَّارِوَلۡيَجِدُوۡافِيۡكُمۡغِلۡظَةً​ ؕوَاعۡلَمُوۡاۤاَنَّاللّٰهَمَعَالۡمُتَّقِيۡنَ

मतलब: ऐ ईमान लानेवालो! उन इनकार करनेवालों से लड़ो जो तुम्हारे निकट हैं और चाहिए कि वे तुममें सख़्ती पाएं, और जान रखो कि अल्लाह डर रखनेवालों के साथ है.

5- Verse 4 Surah 56 اِنَّالَّذِيۡنَكَفَرُوۡابِاٰيٰتِنَاسَوۡفَنُصۡلِيۡهِمۡنَارًاؕكُلَّمَانَضِجَتۡجُلُوۡدُهُمۡبَدَّلۡنٰهُمۡجُلُوۡدًاغَيۡرَهَالِيَذُوۡقُواالۡعَذَابَ​ ؕاِنَّاللّٰهَكَانَعَزِيۡزًاحَكِيۡمًا‏

मतलब: जिन लोगों ने हमारी आयतों का इनकार किया, उन्हें हम जल्द ही आग में झोंकेंगे. जब भी उनकी खालें पक जाएंगी, तो हम उन्हें दूसरी खालों में बदल दिया करेंगे, ताकि वे यातना का मज़ा चखते ही रहें. निस्संदेह अल्लाह प्रभुत्वशाली, तत्वदर्शी है.

याचिका के अनुसार, ये आयतें नकारात्मक हैं और हिंसा व नफरत को बढ़ावा देती हैं.

6- Verse 9 Surah 23 يٰۤاَيُّهَاالَّذِيۡنَاٰمَنُوۡالَاتَتَّخِذُوۡۤااٰبَآءَكُمۡوَاِخۡوَانَـكُمۡاَوۡلِيَآءَاِنِاسۡتَحَبُّواالۡـكُفۡرَعَلَىالۡاِيۡمَانِ​ ؕوَمَنۡيَّتَوَلَّهُمۡمِّنۡكُمۡفَاُولٰۤـئِكَهُمُالظّٰلِمُوۡنَ‏

मतलब: ऐ ईमान लानेवालो! अपने बाप और अपने भाइयों को अपने मित्र न बनाओ यदि ईमान के मुक़ाबले में कुफ़्र उन्हें प्रिय हो. तुममें से जो कोई उन्हें अपना मित्र बनाएगा, तो ऐसे ही लोग अत्याचारी होंगे.

7- Verse 9 Surah 37 اِنَّمَاالنَّسِىۡٓءُزِيَادَةٌفِىالۡكُفۡرِ​ يُضَلُّبِهِالَّذِيۡنَكَفَرُوۡايُحِلُّوۡنَهٗعَامًاوَّيُحَرِّمُوۡنَهٗعَامًالِّيُوَاطِـُٔـوۡاعِدَّةَمَاحَرَّمَاللّٰهُفَيُحِلُّوۡامَاحَرَّمَاللّٰهُ​ ؕزُيِّنَلَهُمۡسُوۡۤءُاَعۡمَالِهِمۡ​ ؕوَاللّٰهُلَايَهۡدِىالۡقَوۡمَالۡـكٰفِرِيۡنَ

मतलब: (आदर के महीनों का) हटाना तो बस कुफ़्र में एक वृद्धि है, जिससे इनकार करनेवाले गुमराही में पड़ते हैं. किसी वर्ष वे उसे हलाल (वैध) ठहरा लेते हैं और किसी वर्ष उसको हराम ठहरा लेते हैं, ताकि अल्लाह के आदृत (महीनों) की संख्या पूरी कर लें, और इस प्रकार अल्लाह के हराम किए हुए को वैध ठहरा लें. उनके अपने बुरे कर्म उनके लिए सुहाने हो गए हैं और अल्लाह इनकार करनेवाले लोगों को सीधा मार्ग नहीं दिखाता.

8- Verse 5 Surah 57 يٰۤـاَيُّهَاالَّذِيۡنَاٰمَنُوۡالَاتَـتَّخِذُواالَّذِيۡنَاتَّخَذُوۡادِيۡنَكُمۡهُزُوًاوَّلَعِبًامِّنَالَّذِيۡنَاُوۡتُواالۡكِتٰبَمِنۡقَبۡلِكُمۡوَالۡـكُفَّارَاَوۡلِيَآءَ​ ۚوَاتَّقُوااللّٰهَاِنۡكُنۡتُمۡمُّؤۡمِنِيۡ

मतलब: ऐ ईमान लानेवालो! तुमसे पहले जिनको किताब दी गई थी, जिन्होंने तुम्हारे धर्म को हंसी-खेल बना लिया है, उन्हें और इनकार करनेवालों को अपना मित्र न बनाओ. और अल्लाह का डर रखो यदि तुम ईमानवाले हो.

9- Verse 33 Surah 61 مَّلۡـعُوۡنِيۡنَ ​ۛۚاَيۡنَمَاثُقِفُوۡۤااُخِذُوۡاوَقُتِّلُوۡاتَقۡتِيۡلً

मतलब: फिटकारे हुए होंगे. जहाँ कहीं पाए गए पकड़े जाएंगे और बुरी तरह जान से मारे जाएंगे.

10- Verse 21 Surah 98 اِنَّكُمۡوَمَاتَعۡبُدُوۡنَمِنۡدُوۡنِاللّٰهِحَصَبُجَهَـنَّمَؕاَنۡـتُمۡلَهَاوَارِدُوۡنَ

मतलब: निश्चय ही तुम और वह कुछ जिनको तुम अल्लाह को छोड़कर पूजते हो सब जहन्नम के ईधन हो. तुम उसके घाट उतरोगे.

11- Verse 32 Surah 22 وَمَنۡاَظۡلَمُمِمَّنۡذُكِّرَبِاٰيٰتِرَبِّهٖثُمَّاَعۡرَضَعَنۡهَا​ؕاِنَّامِنَالۡمُجۡرِمِيۡنَمُنۡتَقِمُوۡنَ

मतलब: और उस व्यक्ति से बढ़कर अत्याचारी कौन होगा जिसे उसके रब की आयतों के द्वारा याद दिलाया जाए,फिर वह उनसे मुंह फेर ले? निश्चय ही हम अपराधियों से बदला लेकर रहेंगे.

12- Verse 48 Surah 20 وَعَدَكُمُاللّٰهُمَغَانِمَكَثِيۡرَةًتَاۡخُذُوۡنَهَافَعَجَّلَلَكُمۡهٰذِهٖوَكَفَّاَيۡدِىَالنَّاسِعَنۡكُمۡ​ۚوَلِتَكُوۡنَاٰيَةًلِّلۡمُؤۡمِنِيۡنَوَيَهۡدِيَكُمۡصِرَاطًامُّسۡتَقِيۡمًاۙ

मतलब: अल्लाह ने तुमसे बहुत-सी गनीमतों का वादा किया है, जिन्हें तुम प्राप्त करोगे. यह विजय तो उसने तुम्हें तात्कालिक रूप से निश्चित कर दी. और लोगों के हाथ तुमसे रोक दिए (कि वे तुमपर आक्रमण करने का साहस न कर सकें) और ताकि ईमानवालों के लिए एक निशानी हो. और वह सीधे मार्ग की ओर तुम्हारा मार्गदर्शन करे.

13- Verse 8 Surah 69 فَكُلُوۡامِمَّاغَنِمۡتُمۡحَلٰلاًطَيِّبًاۖوَّاتَّقُوااللّٰهَ​ ؕاِنَّاللّٰهَغَفُوۡرٌرَّحِيۡمٌ

मतलब: अतः जो कुछ ग़नीमत का माल तुमने प्राप्त किया है, उसे वैध-पवित्र समझकर खाओ और अल्लाह का डर रखो. निश्चय ही अल्लाह बड़ा क्षमाशील, अत्यन्त दयावान है.

लेखन की कला से पहले के काल में श्रुति के आधार पर धर्मग्रंथ आगे की पीढ़ियों तक पहुंचते थे.

14- Verse 66 Surah 9يٰۤاَيُّهَاالنَّبِىُّجَاهِدِالۡكُفَّارَوَالۡمُنٰفِقِيۡنَوَاغۡلُظۡعَلَيۡهِمۡ​ؕوَمَاۡوٰٮهُمۡجَهَنَّمُ​ؕوَبِئۡسَالۡمَصِيۡرُ ‏

मतलब: ऐ नबी! इनकार करनेवालों और कपटाचारियों से जिहाद करो और उनके साथ सख़्ती से पेश आओ. उनका ठिकाना जहन्नम है और वह अन्ततः पहुंचने की बहुत बुरी जगह है.

15- Verse 41 Surah 27 فَلَـنُذِيۡقَنَّالَّذِيۡنَكَفَرُوۡاعَذَابًاشَدِيۡدًاۙوَّلَنَجۡزِيَنَّهُمۡاَسۡوَاَالَّذِىۡكَانُوۡايَعۡمَلُوۡنَ‏

मतलब: अतः हम अवश्य ही उन लोगों को, जिन्होंने इनकार किया, कठोर यातना का मज़ा चखाएँगे, और हम अवश्य उन्हें उसका बदला देंगे जो निकृष्टतम कर्म वे करते रहे हैं.

16- Verse 41 Surah 28 ذٰلِكَجَزَآءُاَعۡدَآءِاللّٰهِالنَّارُ​ ۚلَهُمۡفِيۡهَادَارُالۡخُـلۡدِ​ ؕجَزَآءًۢبِمَاكَانُوۡابِاٰيٰتِنَايَجۡحَدُوۡنَ‏

मतलब: वह है अल्लाह के शत्रुओं का बदला – आग. उसी में उनका सदा का घर है, उसके बदले में जो वे हमारी आयतों का इनकार करते रहे.

17- Verse 9 Surah 111 اِنَّاللّٰهَاشۡتَرٰىمِنَالۡمُؤۡمِنِيۡنَاَنۡفُسَهُمۡوَاَمۡوَالَهُمۡبِاَنَّلَهُمُالۡجَـنَّةَ​ ؕيُقَاتِلُوۡنَفِىۡسَبِيۡلِاللّٰهِفَيَقۡتُلُوۡنَوَيُقۡتَلُوۡنَ​وَعۡدًاعَلَيۡهِحَقًّافِىالتَّوۡرٰٮةِوَالۡاِنۡجِيۡلِوَالۡقُرۡاٰنِ​ ؕوَمَنۡاَوۡفٰىبِعَهۡدِهٖمِنَاللّٰهِفَاسۡتَـبۡشِرُوۡابِبَيۡعِكُمُالَّذِىۡبَايَعۡتُمۡبِهٖ​ؕوَذٰلِكَهُوَالۡفَوۡزُالۡعَظِيۡمُ

मतलब: निस्संदेह अल्लाह ने ईमानवालों से उनके प्राण और उनके माल इसके बदले में ख़रीद लिए हैं कि उनके लिए जन्नत है. वे अल्लाह के मार्ग में लड़ते हैं, तो वे मारते भी हैं और मारे भी जाते हैं. यह उसके ज़िम्मे तौरात, इनजील और क़ुरआन में (किया गया) एक पक्का वादा है. और अल्लाह से बढ़कर अपने वादे को पूरा करनेवाला हो भी कौन सकता है? अतः अपने उस सौदे पर खु़शियाँ मनाओ, जो सौदा तुमने उससे किया है. और यही सबसे बड़ी सफलता है.

18- Verse 9 Surah 58 وَمِنۡهُمۡمَّنۡيَّلۡمِزُكَفِىالصَّدَقٰتِ​ ۚفَاِنۡاُعۡطُوۡامِنۡهَارَضُوۡاوَاِنۡلَّمۡيُعۡطَوۡامِنۡهَاۤاِذَاهُمۡيَسۡخَطُوۡنَ‏

मतलब: और उनमें से कुछ लोग सदक़ों के विषय में तुम पर चोटें करते हैं. किन्तु यदि उन्हें उसमें से दे दिया जाए तो प्रसन्न हो जाएँ और यदि उन्हें उसमें से न दिया गया तो क्या देखोगे कि वे क्रोधित होने लगते हैं.

19- Verse 8 Surah 65 يٰۤـاَيُّهَاالنَّبِىُّحَرِّضِالۡمُؤۡمِنِيۡنَعَلَىالۡقِتَالِ​ ؕاِنۡيَّكُنۡمِّنۡكُمۡعِشۡرُوۡنَصَابِرُوۡنَيَغۡلِبُوۡامِائَتَيۡنِ​ ۚوَاِنۡيَّكُنۡمِّنۡكُمۡمِّائَةٌيَّغۡلِبُوۡۤااَلۡفًامِّنَالَّذِيۡنَكَفَرُوۡابِاَنَّهُمۡقَوۡمٌلَّايَفۡقَهُوۡنَ

मतलब: ऐ नबी! मोमिनों को जिहाद पर उभारो. यदि तुम्हारे बीस आदमी जमे होंगे, तो वे दो सौ पर प्रभावी होंगे और यदि तुममें से ऐसे सौ होंगे तो वे इनकार करनेवालों में से एक हज़ार पर प्रभावी होंगे, क्योंकि वे नासमझ लोग हैं.

20- Verse 5 Surah 51 يٰۤـاَيُّهَاالَّذِيۡنَاٰمَنُوۡالَاتَتَّخِذُواالۡيَهُوۡدَوَالنَّصٰرٰۤىاَوۡلِيَآءَ ​ۘبَعۡضُهُمۡاَوۡلِيَآءُبَعۡضٍ​ؕوَمَنۡيَّتَوَلَّهُمۡمِّنۡكُمۡفَاِنَّهٗمِنۡهُمۡ​ؕاِنَّاللّٰهَلَايَهۡدِىالۡقَوۡمَالظّٰلِمِيۡنَ

मतलब: ऐ ईमान लानेवालो! तुम यहूदियों और ईसाइयों को अपना मित्र (राज़दार) न बनाओ. वे (तुम्हारे विरुद्ध) परस्पर एक-दूसरे के मित्र हैं. तुममें से जो कोई उनको अपना मित्र बनाएगा, वह उन्हीं लोगों में से होगा. निस्संदेह अल्लाह अत्याचारियों को मार्ग नहीं दिखाता.

21- Verse 9 Surah 29 قَاتِلُواالَّذِيۡنَلَايُؤۡمِنُوۡنَبِاللّٰهِوَلَابِالۡيَوۡمِالۡاٰخِرِوَلَايُحَرِّمُوۡنَمَاحَرَّمَاللّٰهُوَرَسُوۡلُهٗوَلَايَدِيۡنُوۡنَدِيۡنَالۡحَـقِّمِنَالَّذِيۡنَاُوۡتُواالۡـكِتٰبَحَتّٰىيُعۡطُواالۡجِزۡيَةَعَنۡيَّدٍوَّهُمۡصٰغِرُوۡنَ

मतलब: वे किताबवाले जो न अल्लाह पर ईमान रखते हैं और न अन्तिम दिन पर और न अल्लाह और उसके रसूल के हराम ठहराए हुए को हराम ठहराते हैं और न सत्यधर्म का अनुपालन करते हैं, उनसे लड़ो, यहां तक कि वे सत्ता से विलग होकर और छोटे (अधीनस्थ) बनकर जिज़्या देने लगें.

22- Verse 5 Surah 14 وَمِنَالَّذِيۡنَقَالُوۡۤااِنَّانَصٰرٰٓىاَخَذۡنَامِيۡثَاقَهُمۡفَنَسُوۡاحَظًّامِّمَّاذُكِّرُوۡابِهٖفَاَغۡرَيۡنَابَيۡنَهُمُالۡعَدَاوَةَوَالۡبَغۡضَآءَاِلٰىيَوۡمِالۡقِيٰمَةِ​ ؕوَسَوۡفَيُنَبِّئُهُمُاللّٰهُبِمَاكَانُوۡايَصۡنَعُوۡنَ‏

मतलब: और हमने उन लोगों से भी दृढ़ वचन लिया था, जिन्होंने कहा था कि हम नसारा (ईसाई) हैं, किन्तु जो कुछ उन्हें जिसके द्वारा याद कराया गया था उसका एक बड़ा भाग भुला बैठे. फिर हमने उनके बीच क़ियामत तक के लिए शत्रुता और द्वेष की आग भड़का दी, और अल्लाह जल्द उन्हें बता देगा, जो कुछ वे बनाते रहे थे.

23- Verse 4 Surah 89 وَدُّوۡالَوۡتَكۡفُرُوۡنَكَمَاكَفَرُوۡافَتَكُوۡنُوۡنَسَوَآءً​ فَلَاتَتَّخِذُوۡامِنۡهُمۡاَوۡلِيَآءَحَتّٰىيُهَاجِرُوۡافِىۡسَبِيۡلِاللّٰهِ​ ؕفَاِنۡتَوَلَّوۡافَخُذُوۡهُمۡوَاقۡتُلُوۡهُمۡحَيۡثُوَجَدتُّمُوۡهُمۡ​وَلَاتَتَّخِذُوۡامِنۡهُمۡوَلِيًّاوَّلَانَصِيۡرًا

मतलब: वे तो चाहते हैं कि जिस प्रकार वे स्वयं अधर्मी हैं, उसी प्रकार तुम भी अधर्मी बनकर उन जैसे हो जाओ; तो तुम उनमें से अपने मित्र न बनाओ, जब तक कि वे अल्लाह के मार्ग में घर-बार न छोड़ें. फिर यदि वे इससे पीठ फेरें तो उन्हें पकड़ो, और उन्हें क़त्ल करो जहां कहीं भी उन्हें पाओ – तो उनमें से किसी को न अपना मित्र बनाना और न सहायक

24- Verse 9 Surah 14قَاتِلُوۡهُمۡيُعَذِّبۡهُمُاللّٰهُبِاَيۡدِيۡكُمۡوَيُخۡزِهِمۡوَيَنۡصُرۡكُمۡعَلَيۡهِمۡوَيَشۡفِصُدُوۡرَقَوۡمٍمُّؤۡمِنِيۡنَۙ ‏

मतलब: उनसे लड़ो. अल्लाह तुम्हारे हाथों से उन्हें यातना देगा और उन्हें अपमानित करेगा और उनके मुक़ाबले में वह तुम्हारी सहायता करेगा. और ईमानवाले लोगों के दिलों का दुखमोचन करेगा;

25- Verse 3 Surah 151 سَنُلۡقِىۡفِىۡقُلُوۡبِالَّذِيۡنَكَفَرُواالرُّعۡبَبِمَاۤاَشۡرَكُوۡابِاللّٰهِمَالَمۡيُنَزِّلۡبِهٖسُلۡطٰنًا ​​ۚوَمَاۡوٰٮهُمُالنَّارُ​ؕوَبِئۡسَمَثۡوَىالظّٰلِمِيۡنَ

मतलब: हम शीघ्र ही इनकार करनेवालों के दिलों में धाक बिठा देंगे, इसलिए कि उन्होंने ऐसी चीज़ों को अल्लाह का साक्षी ठहराया है जिनके साथ उसने कोई सनद नहीं उतारी, और उनका ठिकाना आग (जहन्नम) है. और अत्याचारियों का क्या ही बुरा ठिकाना है.

26- Verse 2 Surah 191 وَاقۡتُلُوۡهُمۡحَيۡثُثَقِفۡتُمُوۡهُمۡوَاَخۡرِجُوۡهُمۡمِّنۡحَيۡثُاَخۡرَجُوۡكُمۡ​ وَالۡفِتۡنَةُاَشَدُّمِنَالۡقَتۡلِۚوَلَاتُقٰتِلُوۡهُمۡعِنۡدَالۡمَسۡجِدِالۡحَـرَامِحَتّٰىيُقٰتِلُوۡكُمۡفِيۡهِ​ۚفَاِنۡقٰتَلُوۡكُمۡفَاقۡتُلُوۡهُمۡؕكَذٰلِكَجَزَآءُالۡكٰفِرِيۡنَ

मतलब: और जहां कहीं उनपर क़ाबू पाओ, क़त्ल करो और उन्हें निकालो जहां से उन्होंने तुम्हें निकाला है, इसलिए कि फ़ितना (उपद्रव) क़त्ल से भी बढ़कर गम्भीर है. लेकिन मस्जिदे-हरामन (काबा) के निकट तुम उनसे न लड़ो जब तक कि वे स्वयं तुमसे वहां युद्ध न करें. अतः यदि वे तुमसे युद्ध करें तो उन्हें क़त्ल करो – ऐसे इनकारियों का ऐसा ही बदला है…

A short history of the Nagas

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Before we embark on a short journey of Naga history, let me point out that the Nagas are a proud people who might have differences with the Central government, but have never killed or attacked common Indians. They will be content with autonomy under Indian Constitution and unlike what a section of media paints, are not really looking for an independent country. With time, many Naga youth have taken advantage of reservations and have integrated into the Indian system. In this regard, there is a crucial difference between them and Kashmiri separatists. The latter, despite earning their bread and butter from India and sizeable financial support, consistently work against Indian interests.

Going back in history, the Britishers never really had an interest in North East (NE) beyond the tea gardens of Assam and their holiday town of Shillong. The entire region was categorized as a big one NEFA and was left to individual British military officers to launch armed campaigns. The Nagas were reputed as fierce fighters and were known as head hunters for a reason. In clashes with British troops, they routinely beheaded British officers and it was said that the heads were displayed proudly in the homes of the Naga Village heads.

But what arms could not do, Christ did. American Baptist missionaries risked malaria and beheadings to enter Naga areas and slowly converted them to Christianity. The Nagas were followers of indigenous religion like most tribals, but the missionaries brought one crucial aspect to Naga life who were hunters – agriculture.

Agriculture gave stable supply of rice as opposed to the Jhoom cultivation which they did before and animal rearing especially pigs which gave them fresh meat. Even during this period, when large swathes of Naga territory came under British influence, there were exception like Queen Gaidinlu, who fought the British. But gradually, almost all Nagas became Christians.

Things took a turn in WW2, where Nagas played a crucial role. Nagas as a community are spread over present day India and Myanmar (Burma). When the British war effort was floundering against the Axis Powers in the east till 1942, they desperately needed to support the Chinese Nationalists led by Chiang Kai Shek against the Japanese. The Japanese were in control of Thailand, Singapore, and also the French colonies of Vietnam and Kampuchea, who were supporting the Vichy puppet regime of Nazis.

The alternative was building a road known as the Stilwell road (Ledo road) through NE to Burma and to the Yunnan province of China. For that, the British needed labour and also protection. To achieve that, they promised money and also an independent state to Nagas in lieu of this support. Considering the poverty among Nagas and the prospect of good food and alcohol which generally flows during military campaigns, they supported the British Indian army whole heartedly. Even more crucial was the support that they gave during the Kohima battle with Indian National Army (INA). The campaign was successful, the Japanese retreated. and INA got finished.

The British forgot about the Nagas after 1945 but the Nagas declared themselves as different from India and declared themselves independent on 14 Aug 1947. What happened afterwards was another blunder by Jawaharlal Nehru.

Nagas were no different than Hyderabad, Junagadh, or Kashmir – states that declared independence during that period. While Sardar Patel used every tactic in the book to bring such states around with a great track record, he left some crucial regions to Nehru. NE was one of them.

Nehru, who was steeped in colonial education, perceived Nagas to be head hunters and uncivilized, and therefore ordered the Army to go in and grab Naga lands. Obviously, no campaign like this goes without brutality. The Nagas, who were peaceful till now, raised a banner of revolt. Their leaders went over to East Pakistan and got arms training and weapons. Pakistan was too happy to oblige.

Till Nehru died in 1964 there was no accord with the Nagas. With the coming of Indira Gandhi, better sense prevailed and there were talks with Nagas led by Phizo. It was helped by the fact that the earlier haven of East Pakistan got independence in 1971 and the underground groups lost major weapons and logistic support.

In 1975, the famous Shillong accord was signed with Phizo. But again, Indira erred at a crucial juncture in the endgame. She negotiated only with Phizo and not the young guns like Muivah and Khaplang. Consequently, these people formed the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) and went over to Burma, which then under the army rule was not too friendly with India, particularly as Indira was close to Suu Kyi family.

While a small state of Nagaland was created, the major Naga tribes like Tangkhuls were still in Manipur. Indira played her political cards and encouraged formation of Congress governments in both Nagaland and Manipur. Oiled with Central Government funds that never reached the people, these politicians filled their coffers, and the militants also extorted money from the common man. NE was now in a mess, with the common citizen crushed by poverty and extortion.

Meanwhile, as NSCN proclaimed itself as a Christian militia it got support from the US and UK, and to some extent, even from the United Nations (UN). With this background, I K Gujral became the Prime Minister (PM) of India. Under him in 1997, the Naga accord was signed with Muivah, and crucially not with Kahplang. So, NSCN cadres could keep their arms and training in their camps, promising only not to attack the Indian army. They could still extort, which they did.

In 2001, under the NDA-1, the Khaplang faction was also finally brought under peace agreement. The following ten years of UPA were a waste as things stuck in limbo. The interlocutor Padmanabhan who was ex Intelligence Bureau (IB) director had agreed to certain demands from NSCN and it needed clearance from Prime Minister Office (PMO). However, Manmohan Singh, the then PM, had no authority and Sonia seemed to have no interest in bringing peace to the NE.

Finally, Modi took charge and with help of P N Ravi signed the accord in 2015. Importantly, the corruption trade in Nagaland finally waned, and for the first time since independence, people saw good roads and railway link. The NSCN did try to show its strength in Manipur and killed 18 of our Jawans. The Government promptly undertook a lesser-known surgical strike in Burma, where the camps of NSCN were all destroyed to pulp. The Burmese army was told not to interfere.

Now, there are a few minor demands of the Nagas which can be negotiated. For instance, they want a separate flag, which in my opinion can be given. They are not going to use it against us like the Kashmiris. Their demand for Naga majority areas in Manipur is also watered down. What needs to be checked however is the infiltration by Bangladeshis in Nagaland. But that is a story for another day.

खेला होबे या विकास होबे

आगामी दिनों में चार राज्यों बंगाल, असम, केरल ऑर तमिलनाडू ऑर एक केंद्रशासित प्रदेश पांडुचेरी में विधान सभा का चुनाव होने वाली है, लेकिन विशेष रूप से सबकी नजर बंगाल के चुनाव पर है। बंगाल में मुख्य रूप से दो राजनीतिक पार्टी सत्तारूढ़ तृणमूल कांग्रेस ऑर भारतीय जनता पार्टी में काटें की टक्कर है। इस चुनाव प्रचार में दोनों तरफ से नारों ऑर वादों का सिलसिला चल रहा है। उन नारों में सबसे लोकप्रिय नारा तृणमूल कांग्रेस के प्रमुख ममता बनर्जी के तरफ से दिया गया नारा ‘खेला होबे’ के प्रतिउत्तर में प्रधनमंत्री मोदी द्वारा दिया गया ‘विकास होबे’ का नारा अतिलोकप्रिय हो रही है।

बता दें कि जिस तरह से पिछले कुछ सालों से पश्चिम बंगाल में तुष्टीकरण की राजनीति की गयी व ह किसी से छिपी नहीं है। एक विशेष समुदाय को खुश करने के लिए माँ दुर्गा का विसर्जन तक रोक दिया गया था। ‘जय श्रीराम’ बोलने पर चमड़ी उधेड़ने की धमकी भी दी गयी। भाजपा हमेशा यह आरोप लगाती रही कि उसके सकड़ों कार्यकर्ता की राजनैतिक हत्या कर दी गयी है। और हमने कुछ दिन पहले हीं देखा था कि भाजपा के अध्यक्ष जेपी नड्डा के काफिले पर हमला हुआ। यूं कहें तो बंगाल में कानून व्यवस्था चरमरा सी गयी है। हालांकि बंगाल में पहले भी हिंसा का इतिहास रहा है, लेकिन उसी वामदलों के शासन में बढ़ती हिंसा का हवाला देकर तृणमूल कांग्रेस लंबे समय सत्ता में रहने वाली लेफ्ट की सरकार को हटाकर सत्ता में आई थी और ममता बनर्जी ने 10 वर्षों तक शासन भी किया, फिर भी बंगाल में विकास की गति धीमी दिखाई पड़ती है। ममता सरकार पर हमेशा से यह आरोप लगते आया है कि एक समुदाय विशेष को खुश करने के हेतु हिन्दू भावना को ठेस पहुंचाती है, लेकिन चुनाव प्रचार के दौरान एक दिन में आठ–आठ मंदिर में पुजा और दर्शन करते हुए देखी गयी, जिसे बीजेपी ममता बनर्जी का स्वांग बताती है । वह चुनाव प्रचार के दौरान यह बोलती आई है कि ‘खेला होबे’ इसका मतलब यह निकाला जाय कि जिस तरह के माहौल वह बंगाल में कुछ वर्षों से बनाकर राजनीति करती आई है ,उसी महौल के सहारे वह बंगाल जीतने की बात कह रही है।

कुछ दिन पहले ममता बनर्जी को अपने ही गाड़ी के गेट का सामने पॉल से टकराकर उसकी पैर में चोट लगी, ऑर हड्डियों में फ्रैक्चर की बात कही गयी, जिसके बजह से ममता बनर्जी व्हीलचेयर पर चुनाव प्रचार कर रही है। हालांकि इन सबके पीछे ममता बनर्जी ऑर उनके पार्टी के तरफ से भाजपा के साजिश का आरोप लगाया है, लेकिन भाजपा और चश्मदीह गवाहों को माने तो, यह एक दुर्घटना है, क्योंकि एक मुख्यमंत्री का सुरक्षा के बीच कैसे कोई इस तरह की घटना का अंजाम दे सकता है। जानकारों को कहना है कि यह ममता बनर्जी का वोट लेने का सहानभूति वाला हथियार है। क्योंकि उन्हे मालूम है कि पिछले पाँच वर्षों में विकास का कोई काम नहीं हुआ है, सिर्फ सांप्रदायिकता के सहारे वोट बैंक की राजनीति की गयी है, इसलिए उन्हे हारने का डर सता रहा है, और ऐसे में अपने को विक्टिम बताते हुए वोट लेने की कोशिश कर रही हैं।

परंतु इन सब के बीच ‘खेला होबे’ के जबाब में नरेंद्र मोदी एक रैली में कहा ‘विकास होबे‘ इसका साफ –साफ मतलब यह है कि बंगाल का जितना विकास होना चाहिए, उतना नहीं हुआ मोदी का कहना है कि अगर उनकी सरकार बनती है तो बंगाल में विकास होगा। प्रधानमंत्री मोदी हमेशा से विकास की बात करते हैं। आपको याद होगा जब मोदी 2014 में पहली बार प्रधानमंत्री के उम्मीदवार बने, तब भी विकास का नारा दिया। ऑर यह सही भी है जनता को विकास से मतलब है न कि खेला से। जनता यह चाहती है कि सरकार किसी का भी हो लेकिन विकास के कार्यों में बाधा न हो। लोगों को अच्छा स्वास्थ्य, शिक्षा, सड़क, पानी, रोजगार मिल सके वह भी किसी भेदभाव के, बिना किसी पक्षपात के, क्योंकि मोदी जी का कहना है कि, ‘सबका साथ, सबका विकास, सबका विश्वास ‘ यही भारत के विकास के मूलमंत्र हैं। भारत की राजनीतिक पार्टियां इन नारों को आत्मसात कर ले, तो किसी प्रकार की खेला खेलने की जरूरत न होगी।

 ज्योति रंजन पाठक -औथर–’चंचला’ (उपन्यास)

From ‘Two Indias’ to ‘New India’ – long way to go!

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Back in 2017, the government of India launched a very optimistic initiative under the name ‘Sankalp Se Siddhi‘. The motive behind it has been to accelerate towards a ‘New India’ by 2022, an India which is Poverty free, Casteism free, Communalism free, among others. It is already 2021, and the unfortunate truth is that there is still a long way to go to bridge the gap between the two Indias.

UNDP report has praised India for lifting around 271 million Indians out of poverty in the period between 2005-06 and 2015-16. Government has been very actively working to reduce poverty level in the country, as evident in its programmes like Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) for housing, Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana (DAY) for skill training, One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) under PDS and many more. But the sad reality is that there still exists a massive economic inequality. According to Oxfam, India’s richest 1% hold more than 4 times the wealth held by the bottom 70%. Clearly, the rich are becoming richer at a much faster pace than the poor are moving up the economic ladder. The widening rural-urban gap is one of the primary concerns of the farmers today, who literally feed the rich by cultivating crops, but continue to struggle with poverty.

Caste is yet another factor that segregates India. Although the caste hierarchy is much complex and not just binary, we can still describe the reality of Indian society, to a large extent, using Louis Dumont’s binary opposites of purity and pollution. Discrimination, in some way or the other, continues to be made between the upper castes, traditionally considered pure, and the lower castes, denounced as impure. Although there has been mobility in the caste as suggested by the rising cases of inter-caste marriages, dalit capitalism etc., the general perception of the society is still entrenched in caste as evident in the cases of honor killing and well-off castes like Marathas, Jats and Patidars demanding quota benefits under OBC. The apex court, in a number of judgments, has emphasized that the sooner the discriminatory caste system is dismantled, the better it is for the unity and integrity of the nation.

Finally, it is imperative to mention about religion when talking about the Indian society. The preamble to the Constitution of India mentions India as a ‘secular’ society, which means the same as one of Gandhiji’s 11 vows, “Sarva Dharma Samantva” or “all religions are equal”. Yet, the ground reality stands in sharp contrast to the Constitutional prescription. The Hindu-Muslim divide has led to an atmosphere of fear and hatred, which was recently visible in the North-east Delhi riots of 2020. In words of experts and scholars, politics has played a key role in polarizing the Indian society on the basis of religion for vested interests.

It, therefore, is clear that the idea of ‘New India’ is incomplete without addressing the divide between the ‘two Indias’. Poverty, casteism and communalism are only a few to mention, but definitely the primary ones. A multi-stakeholder effort is the need of the hour to eliminate these social evils and achieve a New India in the true sense.

TMC’s queer Pakistan affinity

Making anti-India or Break India comments seem to have become the hallmark of opposition parties today. Specially the Congress and the Trinamool Congress seems to be in love with Pakistan more than the nation they belong to. Not just Pakistan but any anti-India country or organization seems to be their favorite intellectual bed partners, like Bangladesh, China or directly Jihad.

The intellectual lacuna is so overwhelming that presently each opposition party deserves a dedicated white paper on their love for anti-India forces. TMC’s queer affinity for Bangladesh and Pakistan demands its own separate mentions during the celebration of democracy because somehow their neta’s babble do get linked to the anti-India campaign during elections.

The latest amongst them sparked off yesterday. While addressing an election rally in Basa para, Nanoor, in Birbhum area, Sheikh Alam, a TMC neta, said in Bengali that “We as minority community constitute to 30 percent while they are 70 percent. If the 30 percent from all over India unite, 4 Pakistans can be formed. Where will this 70 percent population go after that?”. Here obviously 30% is pointing to the Muslim population.

This wasn’t the only instance of Pakistan affinity of TMC but last state elections in 2016 we saw the same sort of spark from a heavyweight TMC neta. Just hours before the fifth phase of voting in the last assembly election, Minister Firhad Hakim had declared the Garden Reach area as “Mini Pakistan.”  The West Bengal urban minister told the Pakistani news reporter Maleeha Hamid Siddiqui from the Dawn, “Please come along and let us take you to mini-Pakistan in Kolkata.” When Firad Hakim was questioned he was atrociously blatant saying “If PM Modi can visit Pakistan four times, how does it matter if one Firhad Hakim gives a ‘mini-Pakistan’ statement?” One wonders about the level of intellectual and even basic intelligence depravity in TMC.

In November 2017, during Class tenth board, Madhyamik Test examination, maps were distributed in Geography paper that showed portion of Kashmir as part of Pakistan and portion of Arunachal Pradesh as part of China. The map’s watermark shows ‘WBBSC’ which is the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education run by West Bengal Government under TMC rule. What sort of decrepitude would try to imprint the minds of our future voters against its own nation!

During February 2019 West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee questioned the timing of the Pulwama terror attack, asking whether the government wanted to go to war when Lok Sabha elections were round the corner. She said “I have a doubt. How they (Pakistan) have got this encouragement when the elections are round the corner? I dont know….why after Parliament is over. I am in doubt…. why have not we taken any action against Pakistan in the last five years.” She accused Indian establishments instead of Pakistan, “It is a planted game of the RSS, VHP and the BJP. We will resist attempts to take political advantage of the situation”. Seems no stones, however abhorrent to sanity, will be left unturned  by TMC just for votes.

The Trinamool Congress in March 2019, after the Balakot air strike, accused BJP ministers of “leaking exaggerated numbers” to the media about the casualties in Pakistan. The Mamata Banerjee-led TMC also claimed that no statistics given by the central government can be taken “seriously”.

In 2014, a Pakistani citizen was nominated by TMC in the Rajya Sabha, courtesy West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Ahmed Hassan, aka Imran, is in fact a Pakistani citizen, since he entered India from East Pakistan before the birth of Bangladesh.

Assam Police report from Special Branch states that, “Hassan infiltrated Assam long before the birth of Bangladesh and as such, is an East Pakistani. His father too infiltrated, but took up a job in a tea garden in West Bengal, where he was killed by freedom fighters from Bangladesh who came across the border. His visits to Assam from West Bengal were monitored and he was found to be closely linked with several organisations close to Pakistan’s ISI.”

Thus when NIA arrests half a dozen jihadis from Pakistan-sponsored al-Qaeda terror module in Murshidabad in West Bengal in September 2020, one cannot help but wonder if the affinity between the TMC and Pakistan is real or just intellectual. Incidentally those others arrested from Ernakulam, Kerala were migrant workers originally residents of West Bengal.

We should thankful that we have a nationalist party like BJP to counter every sacrilege that opposition commits both individually or collectively. Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha’s Aroon Shah in mid January 2021 slammed TMC MP Nusrat Jahan’s statements that were an attempt to create a communal divide in poll-bound West Bengal. He remarked, “I strongly condemn the statements passed by TMC MP Nusrat Jahan. The words she used like- Muslims would be in danger if BJP comes- she should choose her words carefully because, under the TMC rule, we have seen Kalia Chowk, Pathuria, Dhulagarh riots, and the issues being faced under her own constituency Basirhat.”

Sedition law: aye, nay

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In recent times, there has been an increase in the instances in which sedition charges were pressed against intellectuals, human rights activists, filmmakers, university teachers, students, and journalists.

The Central Hall of Parliament doubles up as a portrait gallery. On its walls hang portraits of leaders who shaped the destiny of India. If a viceroy from British India were to walk into the hall today, his mind will find a different commonality between the portraits of M K Gandhi, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Jawaharlal Nehru, Abul Kalam Azad and Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. All seditious men, he would think, rightly jailed by the government of British India.

Governments past and present have used a colonial-era law to charge many more ‘seditious’ men and women. The crime of sedition first found mention in the draft Indian Penal Code of 1837. Englishman Thomas Macaulay was responsible for codifying the mishmash of laws applicable in different parts of the country into a draft code. Macaulay had studied law at Cambridge but never seriously practised it. He ventured into writing and politics and even after being elected to the House of Commons (twice), he found his political and financial future bleak. A yearly salary of 10,000 pounds was 34-year-old Macaulay’s incentive for coming to India as a member of the Governor General’s council and chairing the first law commission.

Macaulay’s draft code provided that anyone who by speaking or writing attempts to “excite feelings of disaffection” towards the government in the territories of the East India Company will be punished with banishment for life or with imprisonment for three years. The clause did not use the word sedition and was loosely modelled on old English law. The draft code was finished in 1837 and the mutiny of 1857 catalysed its becoming into law in 1860, a year after Macaulay’s death. But the law missed out on including the clause related to sedition. The ‘mistake’ was rectified 10 years later by the insertion of Section 124A in the penal code.

With nationalist movements gaining ground, the government started using the sedition law as a tool for suppressing free speech and dissent. In 1897, Bal Gangadhar Tilak became the first political personality to be persecuted under the sedition clause for his writing and speeches. He faced three separate trials and was jailed twice. When Mahatma Gandhi was tried under Section 124A in 1922, he did not deny the charges. He said that “to preach disaffection towards the existing system of government has become almost a passion with me…’’. Maulana Azad and Nehru remained equally defiant at their sedition trials.

The sedition law came up for discussion during the framing of the Constitution. The draft Constitution included sedition as a restriction on the right of freedom of speech and expression. Members like Sardar Bhopinder Singh Mann, Sardar Hukum Singh (who later became Lok Sabha Speaker), both from East Punjab, rallied for the removal of the word sedition from the Constitution. As a result, sedition was omitted and the Constitution restricted the freedom of expression on grounds like libel, contempt of court, morality and security of the State.

After the Constitution came into effect, judicial decisions interpreted the freedom of speech and expression in a comprehensive manner. It created difficulties for the government. In response, Prime Minister Nehru’s government in 1951 introduced the first constitutional amendment Bill in the provisional Parliament. This amendment added three new restrictions to the freedom of speech, one of them being “public order”. During the debate on the Bill, MPs again raised concerns about Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code. Nehru responded to the debate by stating, “So far as I am concerned, that particular section is highly objectionable and obnoxious. It should be given no place in our Constitution for reasons both practical and historical. The sooner we get rid of it, the better. We might deal with the subject of this section in other ways, in more limited ways, as every other country does, but that particular Section as it is should have no place, because all of us have had enough experience of it in a variety of ways.” But neither his nor successive governments tried removing Section 124A.

In 1962, a five-judge Bench of the Supreme Court held that Section 124A was constitutionally valid as it came within the limit of public order restrictions in the Constitution. It also protected speech that was critical of government action and limited the use of sedition law to cases of inciting violence and armed rebellion.

In 2011, D Raja as a Member of the Rajya Sabha made one of the last attempts through his private member Bill to remove the sedition law from the penal statute book. Over the years, poets, students, authors, journalists, cartoonists and even an entire village have been booked under the sedition law. And, Macaulay’s Section 124A in an updated form continues to be a part of the Indian Penal Code.

India is the largest democracy of the world and the right to free speech and expression is an essential ingredient of democracy. The expression or thought that is not in consonance with the policy of the government of the day should not be considered as sedition. The Law Commission has rightly said, “an expression of frustration over the state of affairs cannot be treated as sedition”. If the country is not open to positive criticism, there would be no difference between the pre- and post-Independence eras.

Of course, it is essential to protect national integrity. Given the legal opinion and the views of the government in favour of the law, it is unlikely that Section 124A will be scrapped soon. However, the section should not be misused as a tool to curb free speech. The SC caveat, given in Kedar Nath case, on prosecution under the law can check its misuse.

The sacred thread of Rakhi and our Hon’ble Justices

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It has been seen many times that our learned Indian diaspora of intellectuals, particularly them who are keepers of law, have treated our sacred traditions and festivals as a mere practice. They have always had this autism in understanding the faith and emotions behind our traditions.

This one is not a rarest phenomenon, but just an example of how they demean and malign our festivals. An attempt to rape accused is granted bail, on the grounds that charges could not be fully substantiated before law at the moment. Accused had already completed about two months in custody and there is no need to extend it more till the charges are proven. Since it has been seen in numerous cases that such accusations are proved false and the person who was falsely implicated was proven innocent, it seems logical also. Fine, nothing wrong with that. But what are the conditions that the accused has to fulfill? Given below, the exact words –

It is directed that the applicant be released on bail, on furnishing personal bond in the sum of Rs.50,000/- (Rupees Fifty Thousand only) with one solvent surety in the like amount to the satisfaction of the trial Court, on the condition that he shall remain present before the Court concerned during trial and also comply with the conditions enumerated under Section 437(3) of Cr.P.C.,

So far so good, right? but with following further conditions:

  1. The applicant along with his wife shall visit the house of the complainant with Rakhi thread / band on 03rd August, 2020 at 11:00 am with a box of sweets and request the complainant-xxxxx xxx to tie the Rakhi band to him with the promise to protect her to the best of his ability for all times to come. He shall also tender Rs.11,000/- (Rs. Eleven Thousand Only) to the complainant as a customary ritual usually offered by the brothers to sisters on such occasion and shall also seek her blessings. The applicant shall also tender Rs.5,000/- to the son of the complainant-Vishal for purchase of clothes and sweets.

Few other conditions are also there, which is available here in this judgement order – https://www.livelaw.in/pdf_upload/pdf_upload-379375.pdf

Now the points to ponder:

  1. From the aspect of said victim (since the charges are not yet proven false) – would she want to tie a Rakhi, which signifies the sacred relation of love between a brother and a sister, on the wrist of a person whom she is alleging tried to molest her? Would she want to accept a gift (of Rs. 11,000/-) on such a sacred occasion from such a person? Would she want her kid to eat sweets and wear clothes out of the money (Rs. 5,000/-) which was given by such a person? Did our hon’ble judges bother to even ask her this?
  2. From the aspect of accused (since the charges are not yet proven true as well) – Would the person like to give such respect, which he should give to a loving sister, to a woman who has falsely accused of molesting her? Even if he follows the order of the hon’ble court (which he has to anyway), would it command any respect in his heart for such a woman?

Dear hon’ble keepers of law, are Hindu traditions synonyms to the iron shackles in your books, which are used to restrict criminals from committing crimes? The Indian law is secular (that’s what you say, not me), would you give such a judgement is the case involved the other community (and by other- you know what I mean)? I guess not, and that has another reason as well, we all how they treat their sisters (need not be mentioned here to keep the decorum, I believe). So I suggest, you stick to law, and leave our sacred festivals and traditions to us.

(Thankfully, this judgement was overturned by the Supreme Court vide CRIMINAL APPEAL NO. 329 OF 2021)https://www.livelaw.in/pdf_upload/aparna-bhat-v-state-of-mp-168-390769.pdf