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It’s time to declare the BBC: the “Buckwass Broadcaster of China!”

akshay1
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It’s time to declare the BBC: the “Buckwass Broadcaster of China!”

On this auspicious month of Vaisakhi to celebrate the harvest festival in Punjab … To the Buddhist Vesak … To the celebration of Buddha’s Birthday, the Bodhi Day and Nirvana Day, we should be celebrating our common roots! It is now the Bengali New Year! Poila Baisakh 2023: Poila Baisakh is on April 15, and the similar name Vaisakhi, Vesak, and Baisakh! And it’s also the Tamil New Year too!

But instead of celebrating what unites us, it’s all over the news that that the Dalai Lama kissed a young boy! From the doctored images reported by the BBC!

Source: the BBC

The BBC reported on a form of child abuse or sexual harassment of a minor, which is not the case! Why?

According to the BBC, they state in their report entitled: Dalai Lama regrets asking boy to ‘suck my tongue,’ that

“The video also shows the Dalai Lama kissing the child on his lips.”

Is this really true or was the image doctored?

In the following video on Youtube showing the complete dialog between the Dalai Lama, no kissing took place, except for playful jestering: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bT0qey5Ts78

And the doctored version where the child’s face is obscured to intentionally give the impression of kissing, as reported by the BBC: https://youtu.be/pk_kWoy2Xqo.

In the last part of the BBC article above, they admit: “Sticking one’s tongue out can be a form of greeting in Tibet.

The Dalai Lama has been living in exile in India since fleeing Tibet in 1959, following an uprising against Chinese rule there.”

Ahhh! so the Tibetan attack by China in the early ’60s and the Sinification of Tibetans may be behind it all!

What is the Huawei – CCP: Communist Party of China connection with the BBC?

As I have reported here on OpIndia, the BBC has had a history of anti-Indian biases. And now it’s evident that the BBC has been funded by Huawei of China with obvious Communist of China connections with their founder Ren Zhengfei being a former Captain in the People Liberation Army of China.

So Huawei funds the BBC for positive spin for themselves, and a hit-job on the Dalai Lama!

On Feb. 18th, 2019, the BBC reported on a positive spin regarding Huawei and their founder with attacks on the US in an interview entitled: “The US cannot crush us, says Huawei founder!” The BBC’s Karishma Vaswani, BBC Asia business correspondent – Shenzhen, should be questioned for her objectivity given her location. Why wasn’t the BBC’s funding by Huawei not mentioned in the interview?

Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. is a major Chinese telecommunications company that has been banned in the US, and many Westernized democracies have banned them for core functions in 5G, including Australia, Japan, UK, and India for their Telecom gear.  Their products range from smartphones to advanced 5G network equipment, and has faced growing criticism from security experts, including myself and governments regarding cybersecurity and espionage risks. 

As China cancels the Uighurs and Tibetan Buddhists, where would Indian culture and religions be now, under Chinese rule? As India’s PM currently is attacked for requiring passports for incoming visitors from Bangladesh, let’s assess the root cause. Who caused the Muslim Rohingyas to leave Myanmar, oh it’s China… And when people talk about Vietnam, who created the mess originally, oh it’s China… And when the media attacks the US for Afghanistan, now, but who created the mess there, oh it’s Russia, in 1979 when they originally invaded Afghanistan. It’s all tied to China and their partner in crime: Russia!

Speaking as the ex-Gartner analyst, and Ofcom Advisor, I’m glad I advised the US Dept of Homeland Security (DHS) to ban Huawei in 2012, quoted with then Vice Premier Xi on his lies to Obama, in the WSJ, and described the hacking of Nortel by China as a wakeup call in the Huffington Post and then quoted in the WSJ on “No Way for Huawei”…

The BBC’s attacks on India!

We have seen the anti-PM Modi attack by the BBC, which I have written about as well. Isn’t it time the BBC question itself?

Why doesn’t the BBC report on the British-caused Bengal famine of 1943, which killed millions? It’s now concluded that the Bengal Famine was the result of a deliberate policy, designed by the British economist John Maynard Keynes and implemented by Winston Churchill, to shift resources away from the poorest Indians in order to provision British and American troops and support war-related activities.

The BBC’s coverage on the attacks upon the Leicester Hindus has been described as being “Hinduphobic” with the BBC having an obvious anti-Hindu agenda.

This is the same BBC who rehired a fake “journalist” in 2016, who lied to Princess Diana, in Martin Bashir, who is originally from Pakistan. Why BBC?

Then there’s the BBC Hardtalk’s Stephen Sackur interview of the fraudulent “journalist” Rana Ayyub who’s “Gujarat Files” is the source of the anti-Modi BBC propaganda, where she continued the bogus allegations without question by the BBC interviewer in her false case of harassment in the ‘Jai Shri Ram’ video scam, that went viral, but was totally staged and fake, which she blamed PM Modi for in the interview yet was unquestioned, by the BBC. Why BBC?

Maybe it’s time the BBC look inwards and question the British Monarchy instead, who are ancestrally German! If they are truly objective and fact-based, and are looking to expose racism, a genocide, and worse, maybe they should look at their own Monarchy!

As evidence has mounted the Wuhan Virus is man-made, and is confirmed to be a bioweapon, created by the Communist Party of China and allowing for it’s spread to attack the world, the question now is what should the world to do? It is the Spring of 2023…

In the Summer of 2021, to the Summer of 2022, investigators confirm the Lab-generated nature of the Wuhan Virus.

–             No live Bat was ever produced with the Wuhan virus, or any variant, disproving the Zoonotic origins of COVID-19, with “bombshell” documents obtained by the US State Department showing the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) commanders making the sinister prediction that the next World War would be fought with bioweapons.

–             Further evidence mounted from the CRISPR editing of the Coronavirus by the Wuhan Germ Warfare Lab, and military Generals of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in charge of the Wuhan Germ Warfare Lab.

Further evidence mounted showing PR campaigns and Influence-Enza campaigns by the Communist Party of China with the UN, the WHO, and countries questioning the origins of the Wuhan Virus.

Now it’s proven the CCP in China was waging an asymmetric war in 2020/21. As evidence mounted whenever a democracy (e.g. US, Canada, Australia, India) questioned the genocide of Uyghur Muslims, questioned the source of the Wuhan Virus, media toolkits got launched to discredit the country and its leaders or its past leaders?

Examples:

– India questioned the Wuhan Virus, and the media toolkit with Greta Thunberg is launched to promote Farmer Protests in New Delhi funded from Pakistan who in turn is orchestrated and funded by the CCP!

– the US questioned things in Wuhan and Japanese Internments were back in the news…and US anti-Asia hate crimes…

– and Canada questioned things about China and magically like clockwork we got the Kamloops Indian school neglect, internments, and alleged murders…from 100 years ago!

Evidence mounted that this was a mastercrafted “WMD”: weapon of mass distraction, yes distraction! All orchestrated by the CCP!

The term Influence-Enza has now become a mainstream term, attributed to Russia, China, and Iran for their combination of public diplomacy, propaganda, and overt and covert disinformation campaigns to portray their respective responses to the pandemic as superior to those of the West, with the CCP having attempted to use it’s SINOVAC vaccine, SINOVACcination for Sinicization, sinofication, sinification, or sinonization: the process by which non-Chinese societies come under the influence of the Chinese CCP. All part of the CCP bioweapon war plan.

We know from our history books, if it weren’t for JFK, India would be Tibet now, and we see a constant attack by China be it in Ladakh, be it an influenza that has gone viral, be it Cyber-espionage attacks that are viral over the internet, and now it’s via “mockumentaries” that’s going viral with an attempt at an “influence-ends a debate”, as a new WMD: a weapon of mass distraction!

Maybe that’s what China is trying to hide! Maybe the BBC is hiding it too!

What if the BBC acted like a real journalistic agency and reported on this, instead of attacking India, and the Dalai Lama who is living in India? Maybe they should stop their pro-China agenda and their funding from Huawei and come clean on their agenda! May be it’s time they are labelled as a Propaganda outfit and if necessary have certain shows of theirs being banned!

Would this not change the world order?

Thanks…

Akshay Sharma (Author’s Bio): Akshay Sharma is a Computer Engineer, tech analyst, ex-Gartner, having authored 280+ research notes, on emerging technologies like Cybersecurity, 5G, and IoT. He has worked for Canada’s Dept of Defense, advised and deployed solutions with DISA: Defense Information Security Agency, at Nortel and Siemens, and advised various 3-letter agencies in the US. A frequent speaker at tech events, he is often quoted in leading institutions like CNN, Wall St. Journal, and CIO.com. He is a former CTO of one of the first video/WiFi smartphone firms and an entrepreneur in the tech sector, having worked for firms that are now part of leading firms like Intel, IBM, Nokia, and Ericsson.  He advised the UK’s Ofcom, the US’s Dept. of Homeland Security, and was quoted in the Wall Street Journal banning Huawei in 2012, and stated in the Huffington Post, the Chinese hacking of Nortel is a “wakeup call”. Sharma contributed to the Flight Control protocol ARINC 629 Databus used in commercial avionics and military fighter jets for “fly-by-wire” systems, including the newer Boeing 777X. Additionally he is a Cybersecurity analyst, and CTO for Kovair.com with clients like the World Bank, India’s DRDO and US Defense sector clients.

Muslim-centric regional political parties of India

Dr Jadabeswar Bhattacharjee
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Muslim-centric regional political parties of India

The 15 April 2023 gruesome and broad daylight murder of Atique Ahmed (gang star turned politician) and his brother within police protection in Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh) by outsider assassins, has shaken the mind of all gang-stars of India. Atique Ahmed was MLA and MP from Samajwadi Party.

But he was widely known as a notorious gang-star who was involved in dozens of murders, rapes, physical assaults, land grabs, extortions and mob violence since past four decades. Atique Ahmed can be treated as case-study to understand the nexus between gang-stars, Islamism and political power game of different Muslim-centric regional political parties in particular and India in general.

Atique Ahmed had absolute political protection during the non-BJP rule in Uttar Pradesh. In January 2005, Raju Pal, a sitting MLA of UP from BSP, was murdered by Atique’s men for defeating Atique’s brother in election. Atique’s gang killed Umesh Pal on 24 February 2023. Umesh Pal was a witness of Raju Pal’s murder case.

After BJP came to power in UP during 2017, cases against all gang stars got momentum and Atique with two others were awarded life imprisonment on 28 March 2023 for a 2007 case in which Umesh Pal had accused Atique Ahmed of kidnapping and torturing him to change his statement in court in the Raju Pal murder case. This was his first conviction of Atique Ahmed in forty years of his criminal-cum-political career.

The decade of the 1990s saw the rise of four regional political parties in Indian politics. The UP-based Samajwadi Party (SP) of Mulayam Singh Yadav was formed in 1992 and Bihar-based Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) of Lalu Prasad Yadav was formed in 1997. West Bengal-based Trinamool Congress (TMC) of Mamata Banerjee was formed in 1998 and Maharashtra-based Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) of Sharad Pawar was formed in 1999.

Both Mulayam Singh Yadav and Lalu Prasad Yadav started their political career in the then Janata Party during 1977. While SP and RJD claim their ideological inspiration from the movement of Jay Prakash Narayan, TMC and NCP were born out of Congress due to disagreement of Mamata Banerjee and Sharad Pawar with Congress leadership and policies. Then in 2012, Delhi-based Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) of Arvind Kejriwal was formed.

In the past three decades, all these five regional political parties could have their share of political power in ruling the five states respectively. Except AAP, rest four had their share of contribution in the Central Ministry of government of India. However, they had one specific characteristic in common; that is, all five regional political parties have been primarily and openly Muslim-centric.

India has a long list of other regional political parties like DMK, ADMK, BJD, JDS, JMM, and YSRC etc, which have their different regional political compulsions. But SP, RJD, TMC, NCP and AAP are compulsively Muslim-centric parties and pursue their political power by playing Muslim Card in a naked manner.

All these five Muslim-centric regional political parties of India have no well-defined ideology. They may have some catch words (Social Justice, Secularism, Ma Mati Manush and anti-corruption etc.) to represent them, but their main intention is to grab political power and remain in power at any cost as long as they can. Corruption, misrule and criminalization of politics (by using Muslim goons) are their fortes. Except BJP and Communist parties, all other political parties of India, including Congress, are owned by individual families, and these five are no different.

In UP, Muslims constitute about 19 percent of the population and Yadav about 8 percent. If these two communities could come together under SP, the party would start its voting share with 27 percent. So, another 15-20 percent of vote share from other castes would propel SP to power in UP. In case of Bihar these percentages are 16 and 11 respectively, leading to a total 27 percent like UP.

So, Muslim-Yadav combination became a very dominant political power in UP and Bihar. This was possible because Muslims anywhere in India, unlike Hindus, vote en masse as per the direction of their political and religious leaders. They will never vote for BJP. Thus, Yadav community was encouraged by Mulayam Singh Yadav (and later by his son Akhilesh Yadav) and Lalu Prasad Yadav (and later by his son Tejashwi Yadav) in their respective states to align blatantly with Muslims.

In Maharashtra, Muslims constitute about 11 percent and OBC (to which Sharad Pawar belongs) about 34 percent. So, NCP’s politics centred around 11 percent Muslims and about 10 percent of Pawar-following OBC. In West Bengal, Muslims constitute about 33 percent. Thus, it was much easier for Mamata Banerjee’s TMC to remain in power even if some Muslim votes were lost in elections to CPM and Congress in the state.

Delhi has about 12 percent of Muslim population and Hindus living in JJ Colonies and Urban Villages constitute about 20 percent. AAP government, in Delhi, has shared a large chunk of socio-political power with Muslims and gave free electricity and water to Muslim localities and Hindu population of JJ colonies and urban villages. This has confirmed about 32 percent of captive vote share in favour of AAP. Usually in Delhi, upper middle-class and middle-class Hindus do not go out to cast votes. All these have made the foundation of AAP very strong politically in Delhi. In the Delhi Assembly, the number of MLAs from opposition parties is in single digit now.

Traditionally, Muslims voted for Congress after independence as Congress was very soft and considerate towards the Indian Muslims, despite their fight for Islamic Pakistan. Congress kept on pampering Muslims for vote-bank-politics. But by 1990, when the Congress started losing its grip on Indian voters in some states, Muslims as a community, were looking for alternative parties. While in West Bengal, they continued to support CPM, in Bihar and UP they shifted their support to RJD and SP respectively.

In 2011 Mamata Banerjee’s TMC came to power in West Bengal mainly on Muslim votes and Delhi also saw the Muslim-centric AAP gradually coming to power in 2013. Though NCP could never come to power in Maharashtra, it maintained its political strength as a coalition partner of ruling MVA government headed by Shiv Sena in the recent past.

The supremos of all five Muslim-centric regional political parties gave all types of indulgences and protections to create large groups of Muslims with muscle power, Islamism and money. These groups could not-only control Muslim voters, but also threaten Hindus with violence too. Muslim gang-stars and criminals like Atique Ahmed and Mukhtar Ansari (UP) to Mohammad Shahabuddin (Bihar) to Arabul Islam (West Bengal) to Nawab Malik (Maharashtra) to Amanatullah Khan (Delhi) could only flourish and grow with Islamic intent under SP, RJD, TMC, NCP and AAP.

In the case of Atique Ahmed, his links with Pakistan-based Islamic terrorist groups and ISI has come under scanner. Such links with Bangladeshi and Pakistani Islamic terrorist groups cannot be ruled out in case of other Muslim leaders of these five regional political parties.

Over the years, these Muslim-centric regional political parties created a vast network of Muslim goons and gang-stars across the country. The Muslim religious leaders, and their political leaders have also started supporting the Muslim gang stars. The majority Indian Muslims have also started looking-up to those Muslim goons and gang-stars as Ghazi (Islamic warriors who defeat Kafir). These Muslim goons and gang-stars have absolute contempt for Hindus.

They thought that Pakistan they already got and India would become Islamic in the coming days. The Indian Left-Liberal social media and Islamist journalists started glorifying the new found Islamic strength in India.

But BJP’s coming to power at the Centre in 2014 disturbed the dream of Indian Muslims to make India Islamic. With Rahul Gandhi at the helm of Congress, the party has become a dying political force in India. The process of reclaiming of Hindu civilizational pride under BJP rule in India since 2014 has shaken the Jihadi foundation of Indian Muslims in general and all Muslim-centric regional political parties in particular.

However, the TMC government in West Bengal is the strongest Muslim frontier to be conquered by the BJP. But when Hindu supremos of these five regional political parties want to destroy Hindu India for their short-term political gain, it will be an uphill task for BJP to neutralize these parties in foreseeable future.

The cacophony created by the Indian Muslims and Left-Liberal cabal on the assassination of Atique Ahmed, a politician cum hardcore criminal gang-star for forty years and having connection with ISI and Jihadi organizations of Pakistan, indicates the deep level of penetration of Islamism in India’s socio-political dynamics. BJP should better take this issue seriously.

Dark web of anti-Sheikh Hasina activities in the west

Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury
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Dark web of anti-Sheikh Hasina activities in the west

While the United States has been consistently calling upon Awami League government in Bangladesh to ensure holding of a free, fair, transparent, credible and participatory as the country is expected to hold the next general election sometime soon, key policymakers in the Biden administration are unwilling to pursue Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), country’s largest opposition to participate in the election by dropping their demand for holding it under an unelected “caretaker” or “interim” government, and or “national government”.

Top brasses of BNP have specifically said they would boycott the upcoming election if it is held under Awami League government as holding a free and fair election under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is “impossible”. Lobbyists working for BNP and its ideological partner Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) have meanwhile succeeded in convincing policymakers in the West that for holding a free, fair and credible election in Bangladesh, Awami League government needs to resign and handover power to an “interim government” although it is crystal clear that BNP-Jamaat wants their like-minded individuals in their so-called interim or caretaker government.

Possibly because of such desperate lobbyist efforts of BNP and Jamaat, Western diplomats in Dhaka are continuing meeting leaders of BNP while maintaining secrecy about the topic of discussion. It may not be a wild speculation to say – through these dubious meetings, Western diplomats, particularly the US ambassador Peter Haas are giving instigation to enhancing toxicity in Bangladesh’s politics thus pushing the country towards a dangerous fate.

Meanwhile, although India has given clear signals of maintaining its cordial relations with Awami League according to my assumption, in global politics India may not be able to counter any decision or conspiracy of the United States. Similarly, China and Russia though are favorable to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Awami League, they too are not capable of saving Awami League from Washington’s pre-set mind or vicious agenda.

On April 10, 2023, during his meeting with Bangladesh’s foreign minister, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the whole world, including the US, is looking at the elections in Bangladesh. In addition to this, Washington talks about the new criteria for the election – setting a strong example of free and fair elections for the region and the world.

The opening statements by both the foreign policy chiefs were broadcast live on the State Department’s YouTube channel, which made it easier for us to understand the tone of the talks. In a very short opening statement, Secretary Blinken said, “We’re looking – the world is looking – to Bangladesh for its next elections, to make sure that they set a strong example for free and fair elections for the region and for the world”.

Following the meeting, Antony Blinken in a tweet said: “I underscored that free and fair elections and respect for human rights, media, and civil society are critical as we seek to deepen US-Bangladeshi ties”.

In his statement US State Department’s principal deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said that the secretary [Blinken] “reiterated our commitment to promoting inclusive economic growth, free and fair elections, human and labor rights, and freedom of expression in Bangladesh.

Additionally, Secretary Blinken expressed concerns about violence against and intimidation of the media and civil society, including under the Digital Security Act [DSA]. He underscored that free and fair elections and respect for human rights in Bangladesh are critical as we seek to deepen our bilateral relationship”. At a separate media briefing, Vedant Patel termed the DSA “one of the world’s most draconian laws for journalists”.

Earlier, the US Department of State in a report supporting pro-jihadist Jamaat-e-Islami said: “Leaders and members of Jamaat-e-Islami (Jamaat), the largest Muslim political party in the country, could not exercise their constitutional freedoms of speech and assembly because of harassment by law enforcement authorities. Jamaat was deregistered as a political party by the government, prohibiting candidates from seeking office under the Jamaat name”.

Jamaat-e-Islami has been enjoying decades-old cordial relations with the United States as this party serves American purposes under the garb of Islamism. Jamaat’s cousin organization Muslim Brotherhood is actually a brainchild of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), whereas Washington funded and instigated Mohamed Morsi of Muslim Brotherhood in waging so-called Arab Spring, which was designed to overthrow rulers in the Middle East and replace them with American puppet regimes.

In Bangladesh, Jamaat-e-Islami is readily offering its absolute obedience and loyalty to Washington, once it can return to power – either solely or by remaining in coalition with Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). It may be mentioned here that both Jamaat and BNP are hardline Islamists, with anti-India ideology, whereas none of these parties are committed to China.

In 1971, both Jamaat-e-Islami and the United States had opposed Bangladesh’s war of independence.

Since 2014, Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Jamaat-e-Islami have been vigorously pushing-forward their lobbyist activities in Washington DC with the target of gaining sympathy and support of the US government.

But, due to their Islamist nature, Donald Trump did not grant them any access. Things started moving in favor of BNP and Jamaat, when Joe Biden entered the Oval office, and America once again resumed its policy of meddling into domestic affairs or foreign nations and expanding American influence in those countries. This is where, Biden administration has found a match in BNP and Jamaat in pushing forward its ideology of democratism.

Anti-Awami League activities in the West

While Washington has been repeatedly asking Awami League government for holding a free, fair, credible and participatory election and while Awami League has repeatedly made pledges stating the next general election will be free and fair, Washington policymakers or their representatives in Dhaka are unwilling to pursuing BNP in joining the election under Awami League government.

During each of their meeting with US and European envoys in Dhaka, BNP leaders are consistently pressing their demand for holding the next general election under a “caretaker” government, while during a recent meeting with Ambassador Peter Haas, BNP leaders have requested to arrange a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, which may take place within the next couple of months.

In fact, Antony Blinken and several officials at the US Department of State and US Department of Treasury are also willing to hold meetings with BNP top brasses to discuss Bangladesh’s upcoming election and “several key issues”, including issues related to corruption and human rights violation.

Meanwhile, BNP’s representative in the US and former US ambassador William B Milam, who is considered as an influential figure in the US Capitol, has been regularly circulating dossiers against the Awami League government amongst key figures in Washington DC and the UN headquarters. Four more individuals namely David Bergman, Tasneem Khalil, Zulkarnain Saer Khan Sami and Jacob Milton too are consistently working against Awami League from their respective locations and contacting local politicians, public representatives and media with a series of propaganda stuff.

On condition of anonymity, a highly-placed source in the US Capitol said, the Biden administration is unwilling to allow the Awami League in power following the next general election. With this agenda, they are secretly working on a list of dozens of individuals, on whom the United States would slap sanctions, mostly under the Global Magnitsky Act, if the next general election is not free, fair, credible and participatory.

Meaning, the Biden administration wants the election to be participated by Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Jamaat-e-Islami, while they are aware that BNP shall not participate in the election unless it is held under a caretaker government comprising its chosen individuals.

Why is the international community showing huge attention to Bangladesh’s next election?

Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury
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Why is the international community showing huge attention to Bangladesh’s next election?

As per constitutional provisions, Bangladesh needs to hold its general election every five years, and the next general election is expected to be held by January 9, 2024. Meanwhile, the European Union, Britain and the United States have repeatedly emphasized on ensuring a free, fair, transparent and participatory election in Bangladesh, where all stakeholders can participate and voters can freely vote.

Meanwhile, on April 17, 2024, European Union (EU) Charles Whiteley had a meeting with Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen and discussed the proposed deployment of an EU Election Observation mission in Bangladesh ahead of the next election.

Ambassador Whiteley informed about the growing interest of the European Investment Bank in investing in renewable energy and transport sectors of Bangladesh.

Earlier, US ambassador to Bangladesh, Peter Haas met ruling Awami League General Secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader to discuss about holding free and fair elections in Bangladesh.

They also discussed the range of important work the United States and Bangladesh share, from trade to people-to-people ties and security cooperation.

On April 10, 2023, during his meeting with Bangladesh’s foreign minister, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the whole world, including the US, is looking at the elections in Bangladesh. In addition to this, Washington talks about the new criteria for the election – setting a strong example of free and fair elections for the region and the world.

It was probably the most challenging diplomatic assignment any diplomat could have wished for. Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen’s meeting with US Secretary of State Anthony J Blinken on April 10 was understandably a delicate one, not least for the unusually harsh public criticism of the US by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina that preceded it, but for convincing his host that Bangladesh can deliver a free and fair election.

The opening statements by both the foreign policy chiefs were broadcast live on the State Department’s YouTube channel, which made it easier for us to understand the tone of the talks. In a very short opening statement, Secretary Blinken said, “We’re looking – the world is looking – to Bangladesh for its next elections, to make sure that they set a strong example for free and fair elections for the region and for the world”. Bangladesh’s foreign minister’s response was all about thanking them for their partnership and appreciation to President Biden for using the words “Joy Bangla” in his letter to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on March 26 – Independence Day of Bangladesh.

Following the meeting, Antony Blinken in a tweet said: “I underscored that free and fair elections and respect for human rights, media, and civil society are critical as we seek to deepen US-Bangladeshi ties”.

In his statement US State Department’s principal deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said that the secretary [Blinken] “reiterated our commitment to promoting inclusive economic growth, free and fair elections, human and labor rights, and freedom of expression in Bangladesh. Additionally, Secretary Blinken expressed concerns about violence against and intimidation of the media and civil society, including under the Digital Security Act [DSA].

He underscored that free and fair elections and respect for human rights in Bangladesh are critical as we seek to deepen our bilateral relationship”. At a separate media briefing, Vedant Patel termed the DSA “one of the world’s most draconian laws for journalists”.


It may be mentioned here that earlier the US Department of State, on its ‘2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Bangladesh’, which was released recently, the US State Department said: “Leaders and members of Jamaat-e-Islami (Jamaat), the largest Muslim political party in the country, could not exercise their constitutional freedoms of speech and assembly because of harassment by law enforcement authorities. Jamaat was deregistered as a political party by the government, prohibiting candidates from seeking office under the Jamaat name”.

This statement drew tremendous criticism in Bangladesh, where freedom fighter and eminent rights activist Sultana Kamal said: “This report concerns Jamaat-e-Islami (Jamaat) Bangladesh, a political party which has the proven record of collaborating with the Pakistani Military junta in 1971 in the acts of genocide, abduction, loot, arson, rape and other kinds of violence against women. It is an established fact that its military wings in the name of Al-Badr and Al-Shams were responsible for the killings of intellectuals between December 10 and 14.

“I would like to submit that scanning through the media, Pakistani government communications, international reports on Bangladesh genocide of 1971, one cannot miss seeing what was the role of Jamaat during the nine months of massacre of Bangladesh… It was through a process of law that Jamaat was deregistered”.

As a freedom fighter, she asked if one can imagine Nazi party being allowed to function in Germany.

It may be mentioned here, while Jamaat-e-Islami collaborated with Pakistani occupation forces during Bangladesh’s war of independence in 1971, United States also had openly defended Pakistan’s genocide on freedom-seeking Bengalis and Washington even went further by bringing a resolution at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in favor of Pakistan.

According to analysts, the United States, the European Union and the United Nations dramatically changed policies regarding Bangladesh since the Biden administration came to power in 2021 and America’s and Western world’s war on terror ended. They have made democracy and human rights indispensable in their relations with Bangladesh with an emphasis on Bangladesh’s next general election, which is now less than a year away. The trio wants it to be free, fair and participatory.

As the US, EU and the international community including the United Nations are looking for participatory election in Bangladesh, which is expected to be held by January 9, 2024, according to media reports, Bangladesh’s main opposition party has clearly said, it will not participate in the next general elections; party officials told European Union (EU) diplomats in a meeting.

Demanding a neutral non-partisan caretaker government to be formed before the next general elections, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) alleged that the incumbent Awami League government had lost its credibility to hold a free and fair election by manipulating the last elections.

It means, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and it’s like-minded parties have already taken decision of boycotting the next general election, while ruling Awami League has been repeatedly assuring the international community stating next general election shall be free, fair and participatory. In this case, the United States and the European Union need to ask BNP to participate in the election.

Unfortunate and bitter truth is – Bangladesh’s political landscape is extraordinarily toxic. Whenever they are out of power, parties lose all faith that the sitting government can or will convene a fair election. The Election Commission is independent on paper, but not in practice, and ever since the 1990-91 transition from military to parliamentary rule in Bangladesh, every general election has taken place in a climate of ominous uncertainty.

The pattern is clear: whichever party is in power tries to manipulate the electoral architecture and exploit a politicized public sector, while the opposition demand that a non-partisan caretaker government should be installed to provide a level playing field. And each time, the situation turns lethal.

In Bangladesh’s politics, India is an important factor, while New Delhi enjoys much warmer relations with the ruling Awami League than with Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) mainly because the latter upholds and promotes anti-India sentiment as its key political weapon. In addition to playing anti-India card, Bangladesh Nationalist Party also plays religion card by directly supporting radical Islam and jihad and in some cases spreads venom against Hindus while leaders of BNP have been consistently saying – “Bangladesh would become a part of India” if Awami League succeeds to remain in power after the next general election.

Bangladesh is becoming an increasingly important player in Asian geopolitics, especially when it comes to the competition between the United States, China, Russia and India. For this particular reason, the next general election may not be “smooth as silk” as most of the members of the ruling Awami League and country’s intelligence agencies may be dreaming of. Next general election is a question of survival to both Awami League and its political rivals – particularly Bangladesh Nationalist Party.

It is almost a “do or die” situation, where none of the parties may be willing to give any discount to the other side. Meaning, the next general election may witness unexpected violence – weeks or months before the election day. According to analysts, this time, Bangladesh Nationalist Party is “very smartly and effectively playing the card” as it has succeeded in establishing influence over the Western policymakers, particularly the Biden administration, which are almost openly signaling their bias towards BNP.

This has been possible on BNP’s part due to its tremendous lobbyist efforts in Washington DC and other Western capitals. Bangladesh Nationalist Party is also succeeding in using international media in its favor and the frequency of anti-government reports and articles are gradually increasing in the international media, which also is having a huge positive impact for BNP.

Meantime, we do not know with certainty yet if Bangladesh Nationalist Party has finally succeeded in reaching into an agreement with Hunter Biden for exerting his influence on President Joe Biden and other important figures in the Biden administration.

Rewriting History: Birth of a new School of Thought

Kriti Shrivastava
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Rewriting History: Birth of a new School of Thought

For quite a while now, we have in our midst, a debate which tends to polarise opinions. The popular conscience of the country is demanding a rewriting of our history to ‘correct’ the mistakes of existing history writing while the writers of existing narrative criticise this change with short-sighted arguments; that whatever shall be produced, would be communal in nature. Both the parties have weightage to their arguments, but the solution to this seemingly chaotic question is rather simple – i.e., the birth of a new school of thought.

History study at graduate and post graduate levels follows various schools of thought. In the simplest of terms, it is a specific way in which history is told. At the high school levels, we may suffice with a chronological narration of events, while touching upon a few eminent personalities, but the reading and writing of history becomes much more nuanced when you contextualise and interpret these events. Indian history writing has broadly seen Orientalist, Imperialist, Nationalist, Marxist and recently, Sub-altern historiography.

Politics and Historiography

As much as it is detestable to think that our academics and historical narratives would be influenced by a political party in power, it is the truth at the end of the day. George Orwell in his work 1984 wrote, “He who controls the past controls the future. He who controls the present controls the past.” To presume that the socialist Congress government at the centre for the second half of the 20th Century would have not influenced the Marxist historiography by left–liberal academicians around them is like trying to prove it’s night by covering the Sun with a black cloth.

Therefore, to constructively reach an academic solution, we have to address this academic flaw; accept that our reading of history is never absolute. We have been fed a narrative which picks and chooses which of our freedom fighters to idealise and which to demonise. Afterall, history is written by the victors.

With the BJP at centre, the corridors of power have seen an ideological shift and the echo chamber of the existing left–liberal school of thought has come under stress. During the first term of the Modi Government, there were fears of ‘Saffronisation’ of history – which weren’t without merit – but to some extent were also hyped-up personal fears of an elite class of intellectuals left behind after Congress’ exit from the Raisina Hill. If the Congress couldn’t defeat an opponent in the polls, its sympathising academicians would in the corridors of learning.

What the Left dismisses

The reason why we are seeing such fierce resistance from the Marxist and related historians is because they have, for the first time faced an opposing ideological-political mandate which is here to stay; influencing a differing version of historiography which is quickly gaining popular ground.

The Vajpayee Government was a bit hasty in changing passages and deleting texts from NCERTs. They implemented their view of ‘correct history’ too fast. The succeeding decade of UPA Government and it’s academic echo chamber successfully demonised Vajpayee’s politico-historical narrative of the country as Saffronisation, and reset it to the previously existing one comfortably.

The Modi Government has been careful. The saying in Hindi, “doodh ka jala chaach bhi phook-phook kar peeta hai” (i.e., one who has been burnt once, shall be careful in the future) applies well. During its first term (2014-19), there were minimal rewriting attempts. Instead, the Government waited for the pronunciation of their idea of history from the field of academics itself.

This patience has resulted in sweet fruits in the works of Rajiv Malhotra, Sanjeev Sanyal, Vikram Sampath, Arun Shourie, Meenakshi Jain and the recent bestsellers of J Sai Deepak. The list is long and elaborate when we look back and recognise the creation of the Marxist critique had started in the 2000s itself.

These path breaking works reflect a new ‘Idea of India’ and have created ripples in the civil society. More and more people are lapping up the fallacies of our existing historiography while the Left tries to cover up its mistakes in the broad term of ‘Hindutva Fascism’. The mistakes I speak of are many: mistranslating and misreading Sanskrit sources in ancient Indian history, whitewashing early-medieval invaders by looking at them from a Central-Asian perspective, reading most of medieval Indian history with a Delhi-centric view and thereby ignoring the local kingdoms which resisted or rose in rebellion against the Sultanate-Mughal Imperialism, and the hotly debated Gandhi-centric view of reading modern Indian history.

This current shift is also politically fuelled. With the Prime Minister calling for cultural and civilizational patriotism of the people – to be proud of our 5000 year old heritage as we move towards the Amrit Kaal of our independence – people are looking back to their past, with each region having a different story to tell.

But is there anything wrong with it? Is the history of Vijayanagar Kingdom any less important than that of the Tughlaqs? Is the Ahom experience any less valuable than that of the Mughals? Are not both Aurangzeb and Shivaji etched onto the memory of this land?

The Defending Act

The Left’s logicless fear of Saffronisation has unfortunately led them to choose the defend-mine-dismiss-your strategy. The past couple of years have seen a rather ugly public fallout of a couple of established historians over their branding any criticism as ‘Hindutva Fascism’. This inability to take criticism has also brought to fore the monopoly of Marxist School of Thought in some of our eminent institutions, as much of the critique to their work is coming from researches done by people with STEM backgrounds or those who are not traditional historians.

The Victorious Narrative

As popular historians create history, the voices to rewrite history are creating ripple effects in the civil society. It’s only fair that its representatives must listen. The fruits of patience are sweet indeed. After almost nine years in power, only on 23rd January, 2023 did the Union Education Minister announce their approach of “expanding the canvas” of history. The echoes of Saffronisation did still resound but now, as propaganda, not constructive criticism.

A wary road ahead

The truth is not in the black and white. It’s always somewhere in the muddled grey. As mentioned earlier, the objective history is a narration of facts. Any other contextualisation become a part of a historiography. Similarly, BJP’s version of history may not be absolute either. As the Marxist critique takes shape, students of history must be wary of academic excesses too. We must correct mistakes and bring out the other perspective, but filter out those far-right narratives which tend to sully the true pluralism of this ancient civilization.

Where the Left perspective could have contributed in a wholesome narration, it chose to keep itself far-left. Standing tall with foundational pores in the blowing wind, the current historiography risks breaking its back. To bend, accept positive criticism and course correct may perhaps lead to an amalgamation of Left and Right perspectives of looking at history where they can both act as each other’s checks and balances. But with the current modus operandi, the Left is adamant on their idea of India as ‘correct’ and it is verging on academic arrogance.

With a society as plural as ours, lives as diverse as ours and heritage as rich as ours, there are bound to be rifts in cultural experiences. If one argues that surfacing these cracks in our history may lead to communal tensions, it is only because they are looking at it with a communal lens.

On the other hand, exposing these crevices may be a substantiative way to heal civilizational wounds, address hurting events, painful questions and move towards creating a future where history of this glorious land doesn’t discriminate in representing lived experiences and stories. The truth of Bharat and of its people should never be submerged, lost in translation or told with an agenda, for on this land, it always triumphs.

Justice K M Joseph asked, “do you know who is Periyar?” we could respond: “yes, we do!”

R VEERA RAGHAVAN
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Justice K M Joseph asked, “do you know who is Periyar?” we could respond: “yes, we do!”

During a hearing in the Supreme Court recently, in a case for enquiry into hate speech directed towards minority communities, Justice K M Joseph asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, “Do you know who is Periyar?”

The judge was referring to the late E V Ramasamy of Tamil Nadu, affectionately called by his small number of followers as “Periyar” (meaning, ‘respectable elder’) and considered by them as a ‘rationalist’.  The judge seemed to imply that Periyar was some great social reformer and that what he said or did about religion or caste, especially Hindu religion, and its castes, was to be viewed with approbation – and so even a court may mention his name, to remember him as a guide for a good way of life. That is why the judge should have asked that question – otherwise he would not have suddenly mentioned the name of Periyar who was not a subject matter of the case.

Did the judge know that Periyar, or EVR, spoke with utmost derision and wild contempt for the Hindu religion and its practices, not once but on numerous occasions? That EVR himself was widely viewed as dishing out hate speeches and hate acts against Hindus? 

The 2011 Census of India says that Hindus make up 79.8% of India’s population. Anyone knows that a vastly overwhelming majority of Hindus follow their religion and religious practices. Tamil has an adage that means: “Don’t live in a town that has no temples” (கோயில் இல்லா ஊரில் குடியிருக்க வேண்டாம்). The wise old Tamil poetess Avvaiyar said, “Worshipping at a temple is immensely good” (ஆலயம் தொழுவது சாலவும் நன்று). 

With devotion Hindus visit temples and pray before idols of Gods. But Periyar was known as an idol-breaker, especially a Ganesh idol, and that is how every believing Hindu remembers him. It was that Periyar whom Justice K M Joseph named to commend in open court.

Nobody who denounces Hindu religion and ridicules it constantly, like EVR did, can hope to become a leader of any section of Hindus. EVR himself was not a leader of any sizeable segment of the public, Hindus or others. He was only accepted as a sort of ideological mentor for a handful of people– maybe a hundred of them – some of whom became active in politics and some rose as political leaders.  

Those political leaders, beginning with the late C N Annadurai and including late M Karunanidhi, would hail EVR but were not so openly and virulently anti-Hindu like EVR. They took pride in being “rationalists” and they made fun of Hindu religion or its practices somewhat gently in comparison– that’s all.

There is another thing.  Someone may be a political leader, even a mass political leader, and win elections. That does not give a right to that political leader to vilify and ridicule the widely accepted religious beliefs of the people who voted for him or others he is elected to govern. People, especially the poor and the downtrodden, vote in favour of a party or a leader for many reasons, or even fears.

That is no indication they endorse all the views of their representatives, especially on religion. If a Muslim becomes a chief minister of a state, does it mean all the Hindus of the state endorse Islam, or the other way round? Without any political following of his own, EVR openly and crudely bashed Hindu religion and its beliefs. That is even more indefensible. 

EVR was a Hindu-vilifier, and a known brahmin-hater. He was not seen or accepted as a reformer by any mentionable section of the Hindu population.

What does a social or religious reformer do, and how is one known as such? He must create such an impact on a good section of the people that they should give up or change some entrenched beliefs or practices associated with a community or religion for a better way of life as they feel in their hearts.  EVR did nothing of that sort.

His atheism and derision of belief in God was hailed by a handful of people, for whatever reason, and those people who became political leaders would keep a picture of EVR in their rooms and offices and in all their newspaper advertisements. That is like keeping a mascot, nothing more.

By general practice, Congressmen keep a picture of Mahatma Gandhi, Dravidian parties in Tamil Nadu keep a picture of EVR – and court rooms in some countries may keep a picture of a Lady of Justice. But we need to assess each of the performers on what they do, and how correct they are in their utterances – not by looking at whom they adore or what picture they keep.

M K Stalin, the current DMK chief minister of Tamil Nadu, would hail EVR, as part of the political posture of the DMK.  But his wife devoutly visits many temples in Tamil Nadu and offers pujas and prayers, as it appeals to her. 

Outside some Hindu temples, including the famed Srirangam temple, and across Tamil Nadu the DMK government in the past had put up statues of EVR with his well-known words inscribed on the pedestal, viz: “There is no God, no God. God does not exist. One who created God is a fool. One who has propagated God is a scoundrel. One who prays to God is a barbarian.” These statues are still there.  Hindus just pass by these statutes, visit temples, and pray, like Mrs M K Stalin would do.

The heart of the matter in the judge’s question, is really this: The Hindu population of Tamil Nadu, like in most parts of India, are a tolerant community. Of course Hindus did not, and have not, assembled on the streets in huge numbers and vociferously demanded the removal of those Periyar statues put up by the DMK state government, or at least the removal of the viciously offending words of EVR inscribed on their pedestals.

Does it mean Hindus look upon EVR as a great savant or reformer to be revered? No. Hindus, including Mrs M K Stalin, just ignore EVR and the abusive inscriptions on the pedestals of his statues and go about their religious beliefs and practices quietly and firmly.  Leaders who need a mascot for their political parties and campaigns may eulogise EVR and keep his picture, but Hindus ignore EVR and keep going their ways in temple visits and worship.

Now, something on the side lines. We all know that Justice K M Joseph is a Christian. We must certainly trust his neutrality and his judicial intent to render proper justice. In his honest impression, EVR or Periyar, though he derided Hindu Gods and Hindu religion openly and repeatedly, was someone who could be approvingly referred to in a court room when discussing a social conflict.  

In a like context, what if a Hindu judge were to approvingly name in a court room an Indian Christian, if there were one, who had been publicly ridiculing Christ and Christian beliefs? How would the leaders of our minorities, and our vigilant media too, view that event if it were to occur? They better keep in mind that niceties matter at both ends.

So, when men in authority ask, “Do you know who is Periyar?”, how would you react as a believing Hindu, as one among the majority in India? Mostly you would want to do what the Tamil Nadu Hindus have been doing with Periyar. Smile and pray for your good. If even a Ram temple Babar pulled down could be re-established over time, EVR and his political disciples would wane. Keep patience and keep hope. Our democracy is feeble, yet resilient.

Controversy over the movie ‘The Kerala Story’ like the Kashmir files

garavigujarat
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Controversy over the movie ‘The Kerala Story’ like the Kashmir files

Kerala Story, a film about the forced conversion and radicalization of women to Islam in Kerala, has created a huge controversy. Petitions challenging the release of the film reached the Supreme Court. The court refused to intervene in the matter. Directed by Sudipto Sen and produced by Vipul Amritlal Shah, ‘The Kerala Story’ stars Adah Sharma, Yogita Bihani, Sonia Balani and Siddhi Eidna in lead roles and is set to release on May 5.

The film centers around forced conversions and claims that around 32,000 women were converted to Islam in Kerala and many were taken to ISIS-ruled Syria. A petition was filed in the Supreme Court to ban the release of the film, calling it the worst kind of hate speech and audio video propaganda. However, the Supreme Court refused to grant a stay.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan criticized the makers of the film and called it a smear of the “Sangh Parivar”. Congress leader Shashi Tharoor accused the makers of the film of “gross exaggeration” and “distortion” of the state’s reality. Tharoor tweeted on Monday that he would offer a reward of ₹1 crore to anyone who could prove that 32,000 women in Kerala were allegedly forced to convert to Islam. The film’s director Sudipto Sen and producer Vipul Amritlal Shah insist that ‘The Kerala Story’ is based on true events.

An open letter to Arvind Kejriwal

Rangam Trivedi
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An open letter to Arvind Kejriwal

Arvind Kejriwal ji,

Hope to find you busy maintaining active contact with your dozen of important ministers and MLAs who are jailed including Manish Sisodia, Satyendra Jain, Amanatullah Khan, Vijay Singla, Somnath Bharati and Tahir Hussain are facing the charges of/under irregularities in Delhi’s excise policy (Liquor Policy), money laundering, illegal recruitment and financial misappropriation, corruption, domestic abuse and prevention of damage to public property act respectively.

On 7th April 2023, you tweeted a letter written by Mr. Manish Sisodia from Tihar jail with a caption claiming that ‘Narendra Modi ji doesn’t understand Science and he doesn’t give importance to education.’ You also added that ‘It is necessary to have a literate Prime Minister for India’s growth and development.’ Apart from it, Mr. Sisodia has included few false claims by raising questions on India’s inefficiency in the field of technology, foreign policy, education and very importantly a misguiding note on Narendra Modi ji’s educational qualification.

On a lighter note, I was astonished to see a drastic difference in handwriting between the letter written by Mr. Sisodia on 9th March 2023 & 7th April 2023. So, the question arises that are these letters really written by Mr. Sisodia or someone else? The letter also consisted many spell errors which arises questions on so called best education minister (former) of your government in Delhi. Well, his shallow depth of knowledge was earlier seen during his budget speech in Delhi Vidhansabha.

For your information, Mr. Manish Sisodia is just a diploma holder while Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji has pursued his post graduation. Under your leadership, Delhi’s pass percentage in class 10 CBSE results has witnessed a steep decline from 98.19% in 2021 to 86.55% in 2022. In past 9 years, while Delhi government’s advertisement expenditure has seen huge increase of 37.8x, the state education budget has just seen a small increase of 15x. Forget the picture, these examples are not even a trailer of decline of governance in India during your tenure. Comparing his efficiency in education & liquor policy (excise policy), now people moreover call him a former ‘sharab mantri’ instead of ‘shiksha mantri’.

Under the visionary leadership of Hon’ble Prime Minister shri Narendra Modi ji, Indian standards are setting up new global benchmarks while new India makes its way forwards in the Amrit Kaal writing a glorious growth story. Out of countless achievements India has made under Modi ji’s leadership in past 9 years, here are 9 highlights that explains how India is not only matching but leading the global standards under his visionary leadership.

  1. India developed its own Covid-19 vaccine and administered over 200 crore doses in the largest & fastest vaccination drive through indigenous Cowin portal.
  2. India’s defence exports has reached 16000 crores in 2022-23 witnessing a 16.7x increase from 900 crores in 2015-2014.
  3. 18 countries will now trade in Indian Rupee instead of dollar.
  4. Made in India Vande Bharat express is on the track on 14 routes with maximum speed of 180kmph & 90% rail electrification has been completed in India with an increase of 157% from 35% in 2014.
  5. In March 2023, UPI has recorded highest ever transaction in a single month of 14.05 lakh crore.
  6. In India, 5G has been rolled out, 6G test bed has been launched & BharatOS has been released.
  7. Now, India has its New education policy, Drone policy, Semiconductor policy and Indian space policy
  8. India has been elected to the United Nations Statistical Commission
  9. More than 14500 PM SHRI Schools (PM Schools for Rising India) to be set up with a total budget of 27360 crore for futuristic education.

Mr. Kejriwal, you consider yourself as ‘Maalik’ (owner) of Delhi but our Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji considers himself as ‘Pradhan Sewak’. So please stop misleading the people of India with your political gimmicks every new day as your comment insults the mandate of 1.4 billion Indians.

BJP’s strategic move to woo dominant castes in Karnataka sparks excitement and speculation ahead of elections

aryanjakhar
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BJP’s strategic move to woo dominant castes in Karnataka sparks excitement and speculation ahead of elections

Starting from 2022, elections have been conducted in ten states of India, which includes Gujarat and Punjab, wherein the Indian National Congress (Congress) has emerged victorious in only one state, i.e., Himachal Pradesh. In the month of January, this year, three state elections were held in the North-East region, which resulted in the Congress losing all three. Considering such a disappointing performance, the upcoming assembly election in Karnataka holds great significance for the Congress, as it comes after the Bharat Jodo Yatra and before the Lok Sabha election in 2024.

A win for the Congress in the upcoming Karnataka assembly election would validate the ‘new image’ of Rahul Gandhi, which is believed to have been achieved after the Bharat Jodo Yatra. On the other hand, a win for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would bolster its prospects in another southern state, Telangana. The voting pattern in Karnataka has not been decisive for over a decade. In the past three assembly polls held in 2004, 2008, and 2018, the BJP emerged as the single largest party, but failed to cross the halfway mark of 113 seats, out of a total of 224 seats. As a result, the BJP had to either form a post-poll alliance with the Janata Dal Secular (JDS) or resort to defections to secure power, as it did in 2008 and 2018.

The three major political parties in Karnataka are the ruling BJP, the opposition Congress, and the distant third JDS. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP and its ally won an overwhelming 26 out of the 28 seats. However, in the 2018 assembly election, the Congress, with the support of JDS, managed to form the government for a brief period. Subsequently, the coalition government fell apart due to defections, and the BJP came to power with the help of turncoats. Earlier, the Congress had been in power for the entire term from 2013 to 2018. The pertinent question is whether the election on May 10th will yield a clear result or lead to a hung assembly.

To secure a clear mandate in its favor, the BJP, which has been enjoying the support of the majority of voters belonging to the prominent Lingayat caste (17%), has undertaken significant measures to gain the backing of the other significant caste in Karnataka, i.e., Vokkaligas (15%).

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has demonstrated a strong commitment to the ongoing assembly election in Karnataka. In November of last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a 108-foot bronze statue of ‘Nadaprabhu Hiruya Kempegowda,’ also known as ‘Kempegowda,’ who was a chieftain under the Vijayanagara Empire and the founder of Bengaluru in the early 16th century. While the statue aimed to invoke Kannadiga pride in the party’s service, the BJP’s underlying message was directed towards the politically significant Vokkaliga community. The party conveyed that it is the only one that can preserve the legacy of the Vokkaliga icon Kempegowda.

The BJP faces two significant challenges in the election, namely, anti-incumbency and corruption, and a social engineering strategy is a useful tool to overcome these obstacles. The Vokkaligas, the dominant community in the old Mysuru region of southern Karnataka, have traditionally supported the Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular) (JDS).

In the 2018 election, the BJP fielded 28 Vokkaliga candidates in the region but only won six seats. Despite the party’s weak performance in the previous election, it has nominated more Vokkaliga candidates this time. State Congress President D K Shivakumar and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, both from the Congress, are also contesting from the region’s Kanakpura and Varuna constituencies, respectively. JDS chief H D Kumaraswami is aggressively campaigning in the area to retain its support base.

Previously, the contest in this region was mainly between the Congress and the JDS. This time, the election in many seats (total seats in this region are 49) may be primarily between the Congress and the BJP. The incumbent Chief Minister Basavraj Bommai’s recent decision to withdraw 4% Muslim quotas and allocate 2% each to the Lingayats and the Vokkaligas indicates another attempt to gain greater support from the major communities.

In the context of the upcoming assembly election in Karnataka, the BJP has taken several measures to counter anti-incumbency sentiment and strengthen its chances of victory. The recent decision to withdraw the Muslim quota has been interpreted as a strategic move to appeal to the Hindu nationalist base and address the issue of anti-incumbency simultaneously.

Furthermore, the BJP leadership has been proactive in making changes to the party’s leadership in Karnataka. In particular, the replacement of the Lingayat leader and former Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa with Basavraj Bommai two years ago was seen as a significant move.

In the current election, the BJP is running without a Chief Ministerial candidate and is relying on the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to drive support for the party. Meanwhile, the Congress is buoyed by pre-poll surveys that suggest a possible victory and has been campaigning hard in Karnataka, including visits by party leaders such as Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjuna Kharge.

Despite negative polling indications and the departure of two veteran Lingayat leaders, Laxman Savadi and Jagdish Shettar, the BJP appears confident. The party has fielded a list of 72 young and first-time candidates, which suggests that it is not only trying to overcome anti-incumbency by introducing fresh faces but also has an eye on future elections.

Aryan Jakhar is a journalist and a Founder of The Shining Media and Business Headline. Views are personal and do not represent the stand of this publication.

Excess entertainment and its effects

Swetha Krishnan
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Excess entertainment and its effects

Distraction is the biggest disease of the century! Still, people are not aware of the serious aftereffects of living a distracted life. It is capable of making your life unlived and passing days with no use. It is because it directly affects your performance, productivity and most importantly interest in any work you do.

Focus is the base of success in every activity you do. Dreaming of success without focus and commitment is actually a joke that brings nothing to your pockets. Distraction is the biggest hurdle that always keeps you away from being focussed and concentrated on every step toward a goal.

What makes it even worse is that youth and children are the serious victims of this undiscussed problem. Excess of entertainment remains the top reason for the issue. Of course, It is an important part of life. One should find some time for himself to relax which helps him be fresh and active. It can even have a great effect on the productivity of the person.

You can enjoy all these perks only when it is controlled and limited. As per psychologists from ThreeBestRated®, one of the credible websites that bring you the best in your locale, Distraction begins with over-entertainment that makes you forget your necessary tasks. Making entertainment a complete lifestyle can be one of the worst and costliest decisions of time as it sucks your time, a valuable resource which can never be given back when lost. You should also consider what you consume as toxicity and hate are filled in almost all types of entertainment available today like sports, cinema and so on.

Entertainment is a billion-dollar industry that will always find ways to steal people’s time. It is totally up to us to have self-control and part time for everything that is necessary for our lives. Be wise with spending time and what you consume!

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