Home Blog Page 750

Hindu Swabhimaan Diwas

Madhavan
-
0
Hindu Swabhimaan Diwas

December 06, 1992 to 2017. 25 long years and Ram Lalla is still resting under a polythene tent. Waiting. For his sons and daughters, of all colors, castes and regions, to unite and build him a respectable home.

A lot has happened in these 25 years. A Chief Minister who used the state might to murder karsevaks is decimated and is fighting his DNA for political relevance. A saffron clad Mahant is today the leader of that very state. A politician who complained to foreign governments about “Hindu” terrorism and labelled temple going Hindus as stalkers and sexual assaulters is today scrambling to convert himself to a “Janaeudhari” Hindu. A party which took pride that it’s workers publicly slaughtered a cow is bending over backwards to appease the Hindus in a state where it had once celebrated the brutal murder of karsevaks in a train compartment by Jihadi terrorists.

A lot has changed in India. But it all began on that day, December 06, 1992, when Hindus proudly proclaimed that they will no longer be silenced in the name of preserving the Nehruvian secularism and liberalism. That day was the beginning of a march to reclaim the self-respect of a 7000+ year old civilization that had repeatedly been humiliated by foreign barbarians and invaders. It is only appropriate that the day is celebrated as Hindu self-respect day, the Hindu Swabhimaan Diwas.

Vishwaroopam vs Padmavati – how courts ‘respected’ Muslim groups’ ability to riot

Krishna Baalu Iyer
-
0
Vishwaroopam vs Padmavati – how courts ‘respected’ Muslim groups’ ability to riot

The Right-wing activists have on several occasions exposed the Left lenient media’s fake and fabricated news, which were mainly targeting Hindus, BJP, Modi and many other Hindu outfits. Their dubious agenda of discrediting the Hindus, BJP, Modi and other Hindu outfits were all well-known facts by now.

Such aversion, hate, slander are all a typical characteristic of the so-called liberal media. Learned Hindus have been fighting these wrongs constantly and exposing the dubious agenda of the anti-Hindu media, particularly on Social Media. So far so good. However, when we turn back to our Judiciary, we normally anticipate a fair and impartial justice, that is not influenced by media’s mind game and instigation.

The recent Supreme Court’s observations while disposing of, some petitions against the film Padmavati is causing serious concern for Hindus in particular. The observations made by the Supreme Court sounds like admonishing the Hindus with impunity. It also gives an impression that the Hindu community is a ‘contemptible’ lot when compared to the rest of non-Hindus in the country. This feeling is particularly arising in our minds at this juncture when we recollect the Kamal Haasan’s Vishwaroopam controversy.

Both the films Padmavati and Vishwaroopam ran into similar trouble due to protests by the respective affected groups. In Vishwaroopam, the Muslim community was hurt and in Padmavati, it’s Hindu community that was hurt. The grievance was too similar. In Vishwaroopam the complaint was that the Muslims were depicted in a bad light as it portrayed Muslims as Terrorists. In Padmavati, the most revered Queen Padmavati was revealed in a disgraceful manner. Both movies ran into trouble well before the release.

It is another issue that media then was cowardly silent, and left Kamal Haasan to fend himself but overtly reactive now on the movie Padmavati. Since the film Vishwaroopam had dragged the Muslim community into fore, the media chose not to cry foul from the rooftop. Now the film, Padmavati has fuelled unrest among Hindus particularly among the Rajput community, the media is now overactive and mean-spirited in its reaction.

A look at what the Madras High Court had observed on the movie Vishwaroopam and the Supreme Court’s view on Padmavati and the petitioners.

It all started on 23rd January 2013 when 20 Muslim organisations lead by M H Jawahirullah, MLA and president of Tamil Nadu Muslim Munnetra Kazhagam submitted a memorandum to Tamil Nadu Home Secretary seeking a ban on the movie Vishwaroopam on the ground that the movie had portrayed Muslims in a bad light. A day before, a  memo was also submitted by the same group to Chennai Police Commissioner, seeking a ban to be imposed on the movie. It is important to note here that, by this time the movie Vishwaroopam was cleared by CBFC and was about to be released in a couple of day’s in theatres across Tamil Nadu and rest of the country.

The striking aspect of Tamil Nadu Muslims protest against the movie was in support of global Muslims but not against TN Muslims or Indian Muslims, as the story in the movie revolve around Global Islamic Terrorism. The Muslim outfits continued protesting against the movie Vishwaroopam even after Kamal Haasan arranged a special screening for the members of the outfits.

Within hours after filing the petition, Tamil Nadu Government had issued the ban order and the Police chief cautioned all District Collectors for a possible explosion of law and order situation in Tamil Nadu. Pertinent to note here, that the ban order was issued under Sec 144 of the Indian Penal Code. All precautionary measures were taken to prevent any riots.

Predictably Kamal Haasan had approached the Madras High Court against this gag order of TN Government. A single Judge initially stayed the ban order of the Tamil Nadu Government. Later a two Judges bench had overturned the stay order.

Justice K. Venkataraman had on January 24 directed that the release be postponed till January 28. He saw a screening of the film on January 26. Following are some excerpt from media reports:

“Kamal Haasan’s Vishwaroopam suffers yet another setback as the Madras High Court stayed the release of the film in Tamil Nadu till February 6, and asked the actor to file a counter with the single judge bench”

“Justice Venkataraman orally observed that in the meantime, all possibilities to arrive at an amicable settlement could be explored. The nation’s unity was more important than individuals”

Now see how the Hon’ble Supreme Court reacted to the pleas of Hindu outfits when approached seeking a  ban on the movie Padmavati. Excerpt from media reports follow:

For the third time this month, the Supreme Court turned down a request to ban “Padmavati” and said, in a rebuke to Chief Ministers and others who have spoken out against the film, “those holding public offices should not comment on such issues.”

On Vishwaroopam, not a word was spoken by the Hon’ble Judges when Tamil Nadu Government had outright banned a censor cleared movie through an executive order citing Law and Order situation under section 144 of the IPC. Also, the judiciary itself upheld the state’s ban and kept postponing the release of the movie.

Also, to note the oral orders of the Justice Venkataraman hinting an amicable settlement to be reached in the meantime (stay period). Justice Venkataraman further expressed concern over ‘nation’s unity’. These expressions of the Judges came when a clear and present danger of a riot situation was foretold in Tamil Nadu, in the event of the movie hitting the screens across the state.

On Padmavati, the Supreme Court judges reiterated that it is the prerogative of the national censor board to review the film and make a decision on whether it is suitable for screening.

“When the matter is pending the consideration of the CBFC (Central Board of  Film Certification), how can persons holding public offices comment on whether CBFC should issue a certificate or not? That will prejudice the decision of the CBFC,” the judges said.

In the case of Vishwaroopam, it was a censor cleared movie that was banned by the state, that was upheld by the Courts and that was held for day’s and ordering Kamal Haasan to defer the release in clear terms.

The Congress MLA was directly involved in the protest against the movie Vishwaroopam, as it was all political and religious heads who denounced the movie heavily.

Conclusion 

Judiciary is in the process of setting a risky precedent. The Hon’ble Supreme Court’s observations on Padmavati movie almost came close to censuring the Chief Ministers who had banned the movie, but unfortunately the Madras HC, did not even examine the ethical grounds of the TN Government’s outright ban order on the movie Vishwaroopam but went on upholding the ban and directing the film’s release to be deferred time and again.

The Hon’ble Madras HC ought to have questioned the State Government to maintain law and order situation as it was the duty of any State Government to maintain law and order, and should have felt that a movie cannot be banned fearing riots. Otherwise, it would mean that a riot tendency of a particular community is legitimised and an accepted phenomenon under the Indian Constitution.

So, It is setting a dangerous precedent. The Indian Muslims who are equal citizens of India on par with Hindus cannot be treated uniquely and their intimidation with their ‘riot’ tendency cannot be tolerable.
Hence the present ‘Padmavati’ row, is right occasion for the legal fraternity to fight strongly against this unprecedented approach of the Judiciary. Any precedent set by any previous judgments on the ‘riot’ tendency of any particular community, needs to be quashed urgently.

Why protests in Islamabad could have large geopolitical ramifications

Shakti Avasthy
-
0
Why protests in Islamabad could have large geopolitical ramifications

The years of democratic governments since fall of Musharraf regime in 2008 have remained an unfulfilled dream. The fragility of democracy in India’s neighbourhood has been exposed on numerous occasions like 2009 when Pakistan Taliban took control of Buner (177 km from Islamabad) with news spreading of march towards capturing Islamabad; 2012 protests in Lahore where Difa-i-Pakistan Council (DPC), a group of Pakistani hardliners opposed Islamabad’s decision to help USA’s anti-terror operations; 2014 Azadi March by Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), supporters of cleric Tahir-ul-Qadri against erstwhile PM Nawaz Sharif for winning 2013 elections illegitimately. The situation reached its worst stage till now when protests last week in Islamabad led to 6 dead, and over 200 injured after clashes between police and protesters belonging to hardline religious groups.

The controversy erupted when Pakistan amended declaration of faith (Khatm-i-Naboowat) in recently passed Election Act 2017. The amendment in Elections Act 2017 was that the words in Form-A “I solemnly swear” had been replaced with “I believe” which led to dilution of candidate’s belief in the finality of the prophethood of Prophet Muhammad and it had been made not applicable to non-Muslim candidates. Also Sections 7B and 7C of The Conduct of General Elections Order, 2002, which relate to the status of Ahmediyas were absent from Election Act 2017.

As reported in Dawn, Section 7B says that the status of Ahmedis remains as stated in the Constitution of Pakistan, while section 7C states that if an enrolled voter’s belief in the finality of Prophet Muhammad’s prophethood is contended, they shall have to sign a declaration stating so, failing which their “name shall be deleted from the joint electoral rolls and added to a supplementary list of voters in the same electoral area as non-Muslim.”

Hence, the omission of 7B and 7C empowered Ahmadiyas who have historically been persecuted by Pakistan, 1984 Anti-Ahmadiyya Amendment said that Ahmadis cannot call themselves Muslim or “pose as Muslims” which is punishable by three years in prison. This relaxation to Ahmadiyas was the bone of contention between Government & pre-dominant Barelvi led by 3 parties namely Tehreek-i-Khatm-i-Nabuwwat, Tehreek-i-Labaik Ya Rasool Allah and Sunni Tehreek Pakistan. Barelvi parties called liberal steps of Government as blasphemy which ultimately led to Government accepting demands of Barelvi hardliners and called Election Act 2017 changes as “clerical errors” and subsequent resignation of Law Minister.

These developments reflect a deeper point which needs to be analysed as how domestic politics of Pakistan is developing, influence on Indian subcontinent, and relations of Pakistan with other nations.

In the domestic politics of Pakistan, this movement was a significant step. It represented the growing disenchantment within Barelvi community which is feeling discontent due to large funds gathered by other communities like Deobandi, Salafis both internally (State, Army, ISI, private support) and externally (aided by Saudi Arabia, Qatar). For simplification, one can understand that Salafi/Wahabi, Deobandi, Barelvi represent descending order in magnitude of hardliner ideology respectively.

Also, Barelvi have been against salafi hardliners like Hafiz Saeed who is now entering political establishment of Pakistan through political party named Milli Muslim League. Since Army, ISI reportedly consider Hafiz Saeed as their “strategic asset”, Hafiz Saeed entry into mainstream politics will help him legitimize his position on world scale. Barelvi parties will hence be directly pitted against Saeed’s party and since latter is reportedly said to have backing of deep state, barelvi parties feel further embittered.

Moreover, this event has also deepened civil government- military distrust which was already widening after Nawaz Sharif’s ouster from post of Prime Minister. It is now reported that when civil government asked military to help in removing blockade, military is reported to have said no, and said that it could not risk the “love and trust” of the people for “small gains”. Later, Army acted as mediator and helped in resolving the crisis thereby delegitimizing the civil administration.

Further, since General Bajwa is said to have few family members of Ahmadiya community, army possibly believed that these protests were castigated by civilian administration to make religious parties go against army. This made the situation worsen & trust deficit widen.

Current condition in Pakistan is no less than anarchy, GHQ Rawalpindi (Army headquarters) remains at sweet spot with consolidation of power, power tussle within PML (Nawaz) is ongoing, PPP (Pakistan Peoples Party) is devoid of resurgence, and the infamous 10 year cycle of military rule-civilian rule is knocking the door of Islamabad. Though military coup is highly unlikely, but as it is said in Pakistani politics “never say never”

The impact of hardliners rising in Pakistan have a deeper message to Indian subcontinent. Since Jihadi elements have begun to rise in domestic politics, their ideas are expected to spread in neighbouring nations especially where democracy is still fragile namely Maldives, Bangladesh. Due to deep integration of India with both these nations, New Delhi must remain conscious of change. Also, Jihadi elements have anti-India propaganda which could spur violence, and militancy in Kashmir owing to rising tensions for India domestically. Further, Pakistan is a nuclear armed nation and irresponsible use of Nuclear weapons could ultimately lead to Nuclear terrorism if such hardline forces continue to gain ground.

Also, Pakistan’s relationship with other nations could be in jeopardy in future. Hafiz Saeed had slammed Pakistan’s all weather friend China for the violence done by Beijing against Xinjiang Muslims or Uyghurs. If radicalism continues to gain ground in Pakistan, China may begin to alienate Pakistan as Chinese need stability in the nations to conduct its operations in CPEC (China-Pakistan Economic Corridor) peacefully. CPEC is a crucial part of ambitious BRI (Belt & Road initiative) of Beijing, and any turbulence in domestic politics by Islamist hardliners could result in creation of cracks in China-Pakistan partnership.

Likewise, Iranian would be greatly concerned if hardliner Sunni parties gain prominence in Islamabad who are critical of Shia Iran. Similarly, Afghanistan could further alienate from Pakistan as the tendency of creating a “strategic edge” in Afghanistan will further resonate in minds of hardliners.

Hence, New Delhi must remain cautious and monitor the situation closely. The game between several actors within Pakistan has begun and its unfolding will gradually determine the trajectory of future stability in South Asia.

Political correctness can’t be allowed to dominate debate around women’s safety

Zori Ray Kash
-
0
Political correctness can’t be allowed to dominate debate around women’s safety

“Women are more than what they wear”, “Women shouldn’t be judged by her clothes”… Yes, these phrases have been on for a while now and they come up whenever there is talk about sexual abuse/harassment against women. By now I hope most, if not all, of us have come to accept the largely debated fact that women’s clothing shouldn’t be blamed for any unwanted sexual advance towards them.

All that is very good. But shall we take another look at it, please? Should we only talk about how outrageous and heinous those acts are and how stupid the statements are? Those criminals are worse than animals. In fact, using the word ‘animals’ to describe them is an injustice to other animals. We just have no bad enough words for them. So, while we all agree on that, what about us?

What about the could-be victims, every vulnerable female beings? We, too, have our own responsibilities. Now, this isn’t blaming the victim in anyway, let’s be clear of that before we go further.

Everyone (man/woman) is free to wear what one wants or do whatever, go wherever for that matter. That’s right, let’s dress up, dress down, try this, experiment that, be fashionable/trendy/cool/sexy, whatever given we adhere to… lets’s not say society’s norm and rules because there are those of us who feel our society’s system isn’t really the best, so we will say CONSCIOUSNESS.

We are sane human beings, aren’t we? We know what’s right and what’s wrong, what’s appropriate where and when and what is not. Condemning and trying to correct the society’s wretched mindset is one thing. Another equally important thing is taking care of ourselves.

We already know what kind of place we are in, we know exactly what kind of people surrounds us. Why wear shorts in a place where people aren’t accustomed to short/revealing clothes? Then the whole “clothes shouldn’t be blamed” thing comes up. But we are just trying to be prudent here. Can’t we be smarter and put on the less revealing one for our own safety’s sake? Of course, there are places where we can freely walk around in whatever clothes we want; sadly its not the same everywhere.

Also, let’s not forget that we are so much easier to spot when we are the odd ones out. Why take the 25-minute walk to a friend’s/relative’s place alone after midnight in a place like Delhi for no important reason? Yup, things like that happen for real and that’s just one example. Bravery is great but then again, “Bravery doesn’t forgive  stupidity”. It’s better not to put ourselves into vulnerable situation(s).

While a better and safer world for women is still forming, we have no choice but to be wary of all the vile creatures out there. Ladies, we have to be wise in our lifestyle. It’s a scary place we are in.

The ‘right’ solution for decriminalizing Homosexuality

Varun Maturkar
-
0
The ‘right’ solution for decriminalizing Homosexuality

After resolving the caste, religion and sex divide, one more taboo Indians need to remove is that of homosexuality. Not only in India but across the world it is a grave reality that a Heterosexual rapist is socially more acceptable than a homosexual lover. Every liberal in India mock government, political organisations and conservative mob in India and fuel their support for decriminalization of homosexuality, since it is a criminal offence according to article 377 of Indian constitution.I will like to discuss the political position of various political players in this very article.

The Indian National Congress call the themselves as most liberal party in India. The grand old party is known to field Dr. Sashi Tharoor who presented bills in the parliament to scrap article 377. But I don’t think it’s enough until Rahul Gandhi, the vice president of INC, speaks up on this issue categorically. Initially the Communists used to speak on LGBT issue, but nowadays they seem very busy to give a thought on it. The Aam Aadmi Party, which promised to change India, seems to have muted its voice on this subject. I wonder the parties like SP, JD(U), JD(S), AIADMK, DMK, TDP, SAD, TMC, TRS, RPI, BSP (hope no one calls me anti-Dalit) etc. whether they know at least the full form of LGBT.

Since I live in Maharashtra I deny to mention the views of Shiv Sena (readers can understand my situation). The political problem with these parties is that they heavily depend upon the Muslim vote bank and homosexuality is not only a taboo in the Muslims but also a crime. So I never expect these self proclaimed secular parties would ever maintain a stance on this issue. They won’t oppose it but they would never support it. Perhaps they forgot the words of Margaret Thatcher – IF YOU STAND IN BETWEEN THE ROAD TRAFFIC HITS YOU FROM BOTH SIDES.

The BJP the largest party of the world (as they say) is also dumb on LGBT issue and so is our Prime Minister Narendra Modi. BJP terms love jihad when a Hindu and a Muslim tie a knot so man with man is unacceptable to them. Baba Ramdev who is said to enjoy quite a bonhomie with BJP cracked a joke by terming homosexuality as a medical problem and claims to have found ayurvedic cure for it. But RSS the ideological mentor of the BJP confused me more. On March 18,2016 Dattatreya Hosbale, the joint secretary of RSS tweeted – ‘Homosexuality is not a crime, but socially immoral act in our society. No need to punish, but to be treated as a psychological case.’

Surprising isn’t it? The organization known as ultra conservative is literally saying that homosexuality is not a crime. But it isn’t urging the government to decriminalize it and neither asking BJP to support Dr. Tharoor when he comes up with bills in parliament.

The silver lining which I foresee is that RSS is at least keeping a stance unlike other parties. Dattatreya Hosbale calls homosexuality as socially immoral, he is not completely wrong but at same time he doesn’t need to dictate it. People know it is socially immoral in India to kiss publicly, to roam naked on roads, people know the limitations of society and RSS doesn’t need to remind it. But again they at least have a stance is worth appreciation.

My advice to gays is to knock the doors of RSS headquarters and ask them to harden their stance in accordance to their tweet. The gays should keep the reservations aside and with the help of RSS they should decriminalize their sexual activities.

I am warning the LGBT that so-called liberals won’t rescue them, but they can at least legalize themselves with conservatives. Remember, in Britain it were the conservatives who opposed voting rights to woman and they were the same ideologues who gave first woman Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. That’s the reason I think there is rightist solution for decriminalization of homosexuality.

(The name of writer is Varun Maturkar studying in Fergusson College and can be reached on twitter handle @MaturkarVarun. The writer took every precautions to avoid any insult on religion but apologies if anyone thinks the other way.)

Congress hypocrisy: Last updated by Kapil Sibal

Shivam
-
0
Congress hypocrisy: Last updated by Kapil Sibal

2014. Elections for prime minister. This is the year the dynasty politics finally ended. PM Modi came as a saviour, the hope of millions of people to fix the mess Congress had done. It was also the beginning of hilarious events of attacks by the opposition, with one aim: not make Modi government successful. These sequences of attacks have been relentless, and with years passing by, it is showing more and more of the hypocrisy of the opposition. Accusations after accusations based on religion and capabilities of PM Modi have made the headlines by some so-called news channel, who forget that every time the PM has been questioned, he has silenced his hyper active “critics”, with a befitting answer. Be it demonetization, surgical strikes or recently GST.

Recently Rahul Gandhi the “prince” of Congress, had visited the spiritual Somnath temple, known for its breath-taking experiences. Due to rules, if you are non-Hindu, then you have to sign a form, which “surprisingly” was signed by Rahul. Now just before this Rahul had said he is a Shiv Bhakt. These events clearly show that years will pass by, but Rahul hypocrisy will never die. Subsequently, Rahul reaction speech regarding this incident, increases his and his party’s hypocrisy even more. He was quoted saying that “religion is a personal matter”. Mr Rahul Gandhi, when Yogi Adityanath became CM of Uttar Pradesh, why was he being a “Hindu Monk” questioned and attacked? Was this a use of the freedom of speech that so-called young “leaders” and film stars-cum-political analyst cry about these days?

Furthermore, Kapil Sibal, who is Congress’ spokesperson these days, with attacks on GDP growth, demonetisation, GST and more, put the final nail in the coffin with his comments on PM Modi. Mr. Kapil Sibal was quoted saying that the PM is not a Hindu. Well, if the “prince” has already declared that religion is a personal matter, then why did Kapil Sibal comment about the PM’s religion. Is this not hypocrisy? Also, since 2014, Congress party and opposition parties have attacked BJP and PM Modi on being communal. Well, now Mr Kapil, stating that the PM is not a Hindu, clearly shows abundance of hypocrisy within the Congress party.  This clearly shows that opposition parties are only busy in attacking the BJP and in the process exposing their own hypocrisy.

Finally, if Mr Rahul Gandhi does think that religion is a personal matter, why in the unfortunate UPA government rule in the past years, was there minority appeasement? Why was the blue-eyed boy of Congress party, Mr Jawaharlal Nehru, opposing the building of Somnath temple? These are small cases of Congress and opposition party’s hypocrisy on religion, there are even more, and while this article is being written, it won’t be surprising if another news of covering up of Rahul Gandhi’s religion comes from so called political analysts. If the cover up of Rahul Gandhi being a Janeu Dhari is an indicator, then audience be prepared for even more hypocrisy unfolding.

PS: My question to Congress, what have you done in the years you have ruled us?

Jai Hind!

Yo Rahul so Hindu

manasdoon
-
0
Yo Rahul so Hindu

Lately there has been so much noise over Rahul being a Hindu. Let me do my bit to clear some air over it as any doubts over his Hindu credentials can  be rubbished by anyone who has got access to the inner circle of Lutyens Delhi.

Many sources swear on their life for Rahul’s credential of a devout Hindu. They confirm that he indeed was born with a Janeau as birthmark across his torso, which was a phenomenon only witnessed by the Namboodri Brahmans in the Satyuga. It was this which established his superiority over other ordinary Hindus. This has also given a ray of hope to many that maybe he is indeed the next incarnation of Shree Hari – Kalki. The acharya of Kalki Dham, would certainly vouch for him as he has indeed tried to contest election on INC ticket, only to prove his metal so he can be the Arjuna of this Kalki who would steer his chariot onto success.

Though all the members of INC agree on his divinity, there is a bit of confusion over his incarnation. Some tell stories of how he being a devout believer of Goddess Saraswati, feels a direct connect with her. Just like Goddess Kali is believed to have served food to Swami Ram Krishna Param-Hansa, goddess Saraswati personally gives Astro physics lessons to him. This is something which would even make students of  H.C Verma burn with jealousy. It is believed that it is only because of these personal lessons by the Goddess herself, Rahul was able to decipher the complex equation for escape velocity of Jupiter.

There are also rumours of him being an expert in Tantra and master of all directions just like Ravana, which enable him to teleport and travel seamlessly via many dimensions and portals of the realms of which we cannot even imagine. It is due to this super natural power, he would probably the only mortal who has shown the ability of ‘One morning, waking up at night’. People who do have zilch knowledge of how complex travelling between different Lokas be, mock him. But the divinity in him has to grace to forgive the ignorant, who are unknown to his supreme powers.

Some insiders also talk about his Sadhna towards Goddess Laxmi, who in return is believed to have givem him the responsibility of removing poverty from this Shristi. It is believed that the goddess has him the mighty Midas touch which can even turn a potato into gold.

But again, these are all stories one has heard. People who know him can tell you that he is such a staunch Hindu, that he wouldn’t even watch his favourite Chota Bheem unless he has done his evening payers which is mandatory for him as he is Janeu dhari Brahaman.

When asked about why is not marrying, the answer was nothing short of a surprise. They claim that Rahul has been heavily influenced by the life of Adi Shankara and would take on NaMo for a debate (Shastrath) before he establishes his writ, and when that debate finally happens he does not want to be Mandana Misra but Shankara.

Well I was convinced about his credential as Hindu. His faith is the worst kept secret in the inner corridors of Delhi, however they are very careful of exposing him to a wider audience as it will be like showing the bright sun to naked human eye. The words were – ‘Unka tej Surya ke saman prabal hai. Sadharan manav kee dhristi ke liye nahee hai’

Well the shroud of mystery certainly makes him nothing short of a mystic.

While every one is convinced of him being a Hindu and surrenders to his divinity, it is the mother who still says to his son “Behold, I am sending you as lambs among wolves; be therefore crafty as snakes and innocent as doves.”

Maa to akhir Maa hoti hai na!

गुजरात चुनावों में कांग्रेस का सूपड़ा साफ़ होना लगभग तय

RAJEEV GUPTA
-
0
गुजरात चुनावों में कांग्रेस का सूपड़ा साफ़ होना लगभग तय

लोकतंत्र में हार और जीत तो लगी ही रहती है और जनता अपने विवेक और समझ का इस्तेमाल करते हुए किसी एक पार्टी को सत्ता के सिंहासन तक पहुँचाने का काम करती है. उस तरह से देखा जाए तो गुजरात चुनावों में कांग्रेस को मिलने वाली पराजय पर किसी को भी  हैरानी नहीं होनी चाहिए. कांग्रेस पार्टी के साथ सबसे बड़ी दिक्कत यह है कि यह पार्टी और इसके नेता अभी तक यह नहीं समझ सके हैं कि जनता ने जब इस पार्टी को २०१४ में सत्ता से बाहर किया था तो उसे पिछले ६० सालों के कुशासन, भ्रष्टाचार और देशद्रोह का दंड दिया था. २०१४ का सत्ता परिवर्तन कोई मामूली सत्ता परिवर्तन नहीं था. जो लोग पिछले कई दशकों से देशद्रोहियों के तलवे चाट चाट कर देश के बहुसंख्यकों का लगातार अपमान कर रहे थे और  जो लोग अपने कुशासन और भ्र्ष्टाचार से लगातार जनता और देश को लूटने का काम कर रहे थे, जनता ने २०१४ में उन्हें सत्ता से बाहर का रास्ता दिखाया था.

२०१४ में मिली हार के बाद कांग्रेस पार्टी को ज्यादातर राज्यों में भी उसी तरह की शर्मनाक हार का सामना करना पड़ा लेकिन इस पार्टी ने न तो अपनी हार से कोई सबक लेने की कोशिश की और न ही कभी अपनी भ्रष्टाचार, कुशासन और देशद्रोही मानसिकता के लिए देश की जनता से माफी माँगी. चोरी और सीनाजोरी की तर्ज़ पर इस पार्टी के नेता लगातार अपनी इन नीतियों का समर्थन करते रहे और मोदी, भाजपा और संघ की नीतियों का पुरजोर विरोध करते रहे. अपने नापाक मंसूबों को अंजाम देने के लिए यह पार्टी इस हद तक नीचे गिर गयी कि इसने मुस्लिम आतंकवादियों को खुश करने के लिए कुछ देशभक्त हिन्दुओं को फ़र्ज़ी मामलों में गिरफ्तार करके उन्हें “हिन्दू आतंकवादी” के नाम से पुकारना शुरू कर दिया. इन लोगों के खिलाफ दायर फ़र्ज़ी मामले अदालतों में नहीं टिक सके और उन्हें अदालतों को बाइज़्ज़त बरी करना पड़ा.

लेकिन इस पार्टी ने बहुसंख्यक समुदाय को जलील करने की अपनी नापाक कोशिश लगातार जारी रखी. जहां एक ओर कांग्रेसी पी एम मनमोहन सिंह ने देश के सभी संसाधनों पर अल्पसंख्यकों के पहला हक़ होने की बात कही, वहीं कांग्रेस पार्टी एक ऐसे कानून को लागू करना चाहती थी जिसके तहत सांप्रदायिक हिंसा होने पर दोष चाहे किसी भी समुदाय का हो, उसके लिए बहुसंख्यक समुदाय को ही दोषी माने जाने की व्यवस्था थी. कांग्रेस के दो वरिष्ठ नेता और पूर्व केंद्रीय मंत्री तो पाकिस्तान में जाकर यह भी गिड़गिड़ाए कि मोदी को हराने में हमारी पार्टी  की मदद करो. अगर यह देशद्रोह नहीं है तो फिर देशद्रोह किसे कहते हैं ?

पिछले ३ सालों में पी एम मोदी ने जिस तरह से देश के सर्वांगीण विकास के लिए ठोस कदम उठाये हैं और जिस तरह से नोटबंदी और जी एस टी के जरिये काले धन पर लगाम लगाई है, उससे इस पार्टी के नेता पूरी तरह बौखलाए हुए हैं और उस बौखलाहट में न सिर्फ इस पार्टी के अपने नेता बल्कि इसकी सहयोगी पार्टियों के नेता भी अनाप शनाप बयानबाज़ी में जुटे हुए है. पिछले ६० सालों में जिस बड़े पैमाने पर गोलमाल और भ्रष्टाचार हुआ था, उसके चलते सभी नेताओं ने मोटा माल बनाया था. नोटबंदी का असर यह हुआ कि पिछले ६० सालों में जोड़ा हुआ सारा “मोटा माल” या तो बेकार हो गया या फिर बैंकों में जमा करवाना पड गया. अब जब बैंकों में यह “मोटा माल” जमा हो गया तो उसका मतलब यह नहीं है कि उसका रंग “काले” से “सफ़ेद” हो गया. आयकर विभाग ने अब जब इस जमा किये गए “काले धन” का हिसाब माँगना शुरू किया तो इन सभी विपक्षी नेताओं की सिट्टी पिट्टी गुम हो गयी.

जब नोटबंदी के समय यह विपक्षी नेता अपना मूर्खतापूर्ण विरोध कर रहे थे, तभी मैंने यह लिखा था कि विपक्षी नेताओं का इस तरह से छाती पीट पीट कर विधवा विलाप करना ही इस बात का सुबूत है कि इन लोगों ने इस देश को पिछले ६० सालों में किस तरह से लूट लूट कर काला धन इकठ्ठा किया है. एक तरफ जहां नोटबंदी ने पिछले ६० सालों में कमाए गए काले धन का सफाया कर दिया, दूसरी तरफ जी एस टी ने यह भी सुनिश्चित कर दिया कि आज के बाद काले धन की उपज कम से कम हो या फिर न के बराबर हो. बेनामी संपत्ति के कानून को लागू करके मोदी जी ने इन लोगों के नीचे से रही सही जमीन भी खिसका दी है. नतीजा यह है कि न सिर्फ कांग्रेस पार्टी और उसके नेता बल्कि इसकी सभी सहयोगी पार्टियां और उसके नेता भी पी एम मोदी का इस तरह से विरोध कर रहे हैं मानों मोदी ने इन लोगों के काले कारनामों पर लगाम लगाकर कोई बहुत बड़ा अपराध कर दिया हो.

कांग्रेस और उसकी सहयोगी पार्टियों ने क्योंकि पिछले ६० सालों में सत्ता का सुख मिल बाँट कर भोगा है और अपने लिए चाटुकारों की एक बहुत बड़ी फौज भी तैयार की है जो समय समय पर इन तथाकथित विपक्षी राजनीतिक दलों और उनके तथाकथित नेताओं की हाँ में हाँ मिलाकर मोदी, भाजपा कर संघ को बदनाम करने का षड्यंत्र रचती रहती है. यह लोग कभी कलाकार और लेखक बनकर अपने अपने “अवार्ड” वापस करना शुरू कर देते हैं, कभी अर्थशास्त्री बनकर भारत की अर्थव्यवस्था पर गैर जरूरी टीका टिप्पणी करना शुरू कर देते हैं. उत्तर प्रदेश में एक “अख़लाक़” की मौत पर कई महीनों तक मातम मनाने वाले यह स्व-घोषित “सेक्युलर” नेता, केरल और पश्चिम बंगाल की हिंसा पर हमेशा ही चुप्पी साधे रहते हैं. इन लोगों को यह लगता है कि यह सारी बातें जो इस ब्लॉग में लिखी गयी हैं, वे इस देश की आम जनता तक नहीं पहुंचेगी और जनता को वही समाचार मालूम पड़ेंगे जो इनके नेता या इनके पाले हुए मीडिया के लोग जनता तक पहुंचाएंगे. लेकिन सोशल मीडिया ने इन लोगों के मंसूबों पर अब पानी फेर दिया है.

गुजरात की जनता हो या देश के किसी अन्य राज्य की जनता, कांग्रेस और इसकी सहयोगी पार्टियों के कारनामों से सभी पूरी तरह वाकिफ है और हर आने वाले चुनाव में जनता इस पार्टी को दण्डित करने के लिए पहले से भी  अधिक आतुर दिखाई देती है. गुजरात में हालांकि कांग्रेस पार्टी तरह तरह की “नौटंकियां” करके जनता को दिग्भ्रमित करने का प्रयास कर रही है लेकिन गुजरात जैसे राज्य की जनता “कांग्रेस की इस प्रायोजित नौटंकी” का शिकार होगी, इस पर कांग्रेस पार्टी को शायद खुद भी यकीन नहीं होगा.

Why I want Padmavati to be banned

sjayanti
-
0
Why I want Padmavati to be banned

The Government of Madhya Pradesh has shown the way by unconditionally banning the movie Padmavati. Other States should follow MP’s lead.

Padmavati is distortion of Indian History and a grave insult to Indian women. It is an attempt to soften the image of one of the worst tyrants. It is an attempt to romanticize a barbaric story where there is no love at all.

What type of person is Allauddin Khilji, the hero of Padmavati movie? Allauddin (1296-1316) is synonym for treachery and extreme cruelty. He killed Jalaluddin, his uncle and father-in-law, by treachery and circulated his head on a spear in the army camp.  Alluddin defeated king Karna of Vaghela and captured his queen Kamala Devi. He defeated Mongol invaders and used the heads of 8,000 Mongols to build the Siri Fort. His general Malk Kafur destroyed and plundered the southern kingdoms of Warangal of Kakatiyas,  Devagiri, Hoyasala, and Pandya. Allauddin destroyed several Hindu temples such as Bhilsa, Vijapur, Somnath, Jhain, Chidambaram and Madurai. He started the practice of killing and torturing wives and children for the crimes of men.

On the other hand, Rani Padmavati symbolizes all that is noble in a traditional Indian woman. She firmly rejected Allaudiin’s attempts to possess her. When her husband was killed and Khilji was about to enter the fort, she committed Jauhar along with 20,000 women. When Allauddin could not find Padmavati, he massacred 30,000 Hindus.

It seems that the movie depicts dances by Rani Padmavati and romantic scenes. Any attempt to suggest any type of romance (actual, imagination or dream-sequence) between these two characters is a great disservice to Indian women. It is surprising that no Women organizations are protesting!

For the past 70 years Bollywood is known for softening and romanticizing monsters like Akbar, Jahangir, and Shah Jahan and at the same time trivializing noble personalities like Bajirao Peshwa. Last year it was “Bajirao Mastani”. Bajirao, one of the greatest warriors and a fine person was shown as a feeble lover.

Some people are commenting that Padmavati is just a movie and why create so much fuss about it. The problem is that when children, in their impressionable age, watch the movie, they think that this is the true History. By romanticizing a monster, what are we teaching our children?

The movie is not a Hindu-Muslim issue. It is not a BJP-Opposition issue. It is not an issue for Rajputs and the Mewar Royal family only. It is an issue of respecting Indian History and Indian Woman. It is an issue of protesting Bollywood’s attempt to tarnish and destroy the icons of Indian History one by one. If the process goes on unchecked, soon no heroes/heroines of our culture will be left.

Some people are arguing that freedom of expression is at stake. But, they should realize that every freedom comes with responsibility. If that responsibility is not displayed, then the Government has to interfere. Bollywood has shown scant respect for the sentiments of large sections of population. As UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has stated it has become a habit for Bhansali to play with the sentiments of the public. Hence, the Central government and all the State governments should step in and ban the movie unconditionally. There is no use in removing some scenes and allowed to screen. In the  past, Central and State governments banned many movies  and books (e.g. Da Vinci Code, Satanic Verses) on the ground that they hurt the sentiments of minorities and create law and order problem. Why not now?

Instead of prolonging the agony of the nation, the producers and distributors of this movie should gracefully abandon the movie and move on to the next one. Bollywood should stay away from Historical and Mythological movies, since they have no respect for Indian History and Hindus. There is a talk that Bollywood is on way to make a mega movie on the Mahabharata. They should desist from such a move and not subject the country to this kind of ordeal again.

Demonetization: Success or Failure?

chait0705
-
0
Demonetization: Success or Failure?

I have been perplexed by the consensus among some eminent economists and common people alike about the “failure” of demonetization. It has been denounced as everything from a monumental failure to an unmitigated disaster. I will try to present a contrarian view to this opinion and articulate my thoughts.

The criticism of the move broadly rests on two rather rickety pillars. They are:

  1. Dip in GDP growth, especially in the Apr – Jun and Jul – Sep ’17 quarters
  2. The suffering caused to the common people due to acute cash shortages

Both the above criticisms seem to be flawed. Let me explain why –

1. Dip in GDP growth rate – By all accounts, most of the cash was back in the system by Feb/March 2017. So the fact that the slowdown started post April defies logic. There was a very minor slowdown in the Oct – Dec ’16 and Jan – Mar ’17 quarters, which was the actual duration of the cash crunch. It is likely that the subsequent dip was owing to other extraneous factors like GST, but not DeMo.

2. Suffering caused to people – There is no denying the fact that people endured significant hardship during the period. However, I do think that some economists and armchair experts overestimated the extent of trouble faced by people. This is borne out by the numerous electoral victories won by the ruling party in subsequent elections, right from panchayats to the largest state in India. Case in point: their vote share jumped from 15% to 45% in UP, which is inconceivable if people were reeling and resentful of this move. I, for one, would never vote for a government which caused me hardship, or to lose my job. The job loss numbers seem to be exaggerated too.

Now let me come to some of the benefits of the move, which are not highlighted enough.

1. Creation of an audit trail – The primary criticism of DeMo has been all the cash returning to banks in the stipulated period. While this is a legitimate criticism, it overlooks one important detail. Cash returned to the system has created a trail for every single penny circulating in the economy, which is now being used for data mining and analytics, for further investigation. Every single rupee is now accounted for. One interesting stat – 33% of cash (almost 5 lakh crore rupees) has been deposited by less than 0.1% of the population. Clearly, there is something askew. A lot of it could be ill gotten wealth deposited through shell companies.

2. Dramatic rise in bank deposits – RBI data has shown a net increase of 25% in deposits with banks post DeMo, which has not been withdrawn by depositors to this day. This has provided banks with excess liquidity, which they have used to purchase recapitalization bonds issued by the govt, among other things. The proceeds are being used by the govt to shore up the depleted capital levels of public sector banks. This has met with a lot of approval, exemplified by the sovereign rating upgrade by Moody’s, India’s first in 14 years. This wouldn’t have been possible if not for DeMo.

3. Reduction in total money supply – The economy has seen a remarkable drop in total currency in circulation, which indicates 2 things – excessive liquidity being sucked out of the system, and a move towards digital and non-cash modes of payment. This is likely to lead to reduced inflation in the longer term.

4. Shift from investment in physical to financial asset classes – There has been a marked shift from physical assets like gold and real estate to financial assets like capital markets and mutual funds. This could reduce the prices of physical assets like real estate due to drop in excess demand. Coupled with other measures like Benami and RERA this could make homes more affordable for the middle class, not to mention the reduction in money laundering in that sector.

5. Formalization of economy – There is a spike in digitalization and formalization of the economy, which bodes well for the future, being one of the stated aims of the move.

There could be some other advantages like reduction in terror financing and counterfeit currency which could become manifest in the future, but these have not been included for lack of evidence at present.

Needless to say, the implementation could have been better. But given the fact that this was an unprecedented exercise and there were no best practices or lessons to draw from, I believe it was executed rather well, without a single incident of violence reported across the country.

Any (civilized) comments, feedback and criticism are welcome.

1...749750751...889Page 750 of 889