Kamal Nath | SabrangIndia

Why hard Hindutva cannot be defeated by soft Hindutva

sabrang — Tue, 07 Nov 2023 10:27:27 +0000

In a recent interview with The Indian Express, senior Congress leader and former chief minister of Madhya Pradesh Kamal Nath said, in an election rally, that the BJP should not forget that the locks of the Ram Temple were opened by Rajiv Gandhi. He was trying to counter the BJP’s claim, by saying that the saffron party was not justified in taking all the credit for the construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya! His statement is very significant in a politically-charged Madhya Pradesh. The assembly elections are scheduled for November 17.

Ahead of the polls, the BJP is trying to polarise the voters on religious lines and demonise the Congress party as “pro-Muslim” and “anti-Hindu”. Thus, the BJP is spreading the propaganda that it was due to the efforts of the BJP and the RSS that the Ram Temple could be constructed in Ayodhya. Amid this, Madhya Pradesh Congress president Kamal Nath was desperate to prove himself and his party to be more pro-Hindu than the BJP.

According to media reports, Kamal Nath and other Madhya Pradesh Congress leaders have repeatedly played the soft Hindutva card. In the party events of the state Congress, religious leaders of the Hindu community have been invited. Moreover, the senior party leaders have been busy with posting their pictures at temples and the image in which they are seen getting blessings from the priests.

Leading from the front. Kamal Nath has not fought shy of calling on Hindutva religious leaders. On several occasions, Kamal Nath has committed himself to be working for the Hindu faith and culture. Apart from them, a promise was made to buy cow dung from the Goshala and to mobilize support for the construction of Mata Sita Temple in Sri Lanka. By analysing his recent gestures and statements, it appears that he is more relying on the success of a soft Hindutva card than following his own party’s stated principles of secularism, pluralism and minority rights.

If the poll strategy of Kamal Nath is anything to go by, Nath is trying to defeat hard Hindutva with soft Hindutva. He is not alone in the party to think and act similarly. A large number of Congress leaders believe that the talk of secularism and minority rights is useful while delivering academic speeches and writing research papers. In the private conversation, they argue that this country is swayed by the majoritarian Hindu sentiment and the Congress could only come to power by appeasing the Hindu sentiment.

In other words, right-wing leaders within the Congress party support imitating the BJP. They justify it in the name of hard politics. They do not think it is wrong to use the religious symbols of the majority community. They believe that India is in reality a country of Hindus (albeit those from the privileged castes) and hard politics cannot ignore this fact. Without being quoted, they argue that the Congress party is out of power not because the BJP has achieved wonders. They believe that Congress has –of late –ignored the interests of the majority community and that is why it has lost support among them. To regain the faith of the masses, they favour that the Congress leaders should display Hindu religious symbols and play aggressive nationalism without any hesitation.

After the rise of Hindutva forces in Indian politics, right-wing elements within the Congress have gained strength. It is their lobby which is mounting pressure on the party to desist from speaking on Muslim (minority) issues. We should not forget that the image of former Congress president and the first education minister of India Maulana Azad went missing during a recent Congress meet. Is not this right-wing Congress lobby responsible for the omission of the Maulana?

Contrary to the belief of the right within the party, the history of the Congress party shows that it has, historically, been always, further weakened by playing the communal card. For example, when Indira Gandhi resorted to using Hindu symbols, the party could not be revived. Her acts created further confusion among the voters. A large number of secular voters shifted to the opposition Janta party.

Similarly, when the former prime minister, Rajiv Gandhi opened the gate of the Ram Temple, it served the interest of the BJP which rose (in number of Parliamentary seats ) from a mere two-seat presence to form a coalition government a couple of years later. This Himalayan blunder of Rajiv Gandhi, which is now praised by Kamal Nath, ended the Congress’s dominance in Indian politics with the rise of the BJP. Similarly, the fall of Babri Masjid could not revive Congress, it only strengthened the communal narrative.

So, how does the right-wing ascendance within the Congress party get checked? The best persons to deal with the ideological deviation within the party are Congress president Mallikarajun Kharke, former president Sonia Gandhi, the senior leader Rahul Gandhi and Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah. They should take the lead and initiate a debate within the party that the grand old party is based on the ideology of Gandhi, Nehru, Maulana Azad and Babasaheb Ambedkar. As Gandhi has repeatedly said unfair means cannot lead to a good end. Similarly, these leaders should tell the right-wingers within the party that the communal card can help a secular party come to power but it may hollow it from inside.

(Dr Abhay Kumar is an independent journalist. He has taught political science at NCWEB Centres of Delhi University. Email: debatingissues@gmail.com)

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Ahead of 2023 state polls, Bajrang Sena merges with Congress in Madhya Pradesh, vows to defeat BJP

sabrang — Thu, 08 Jun 2023 11:26:49 +0000

In a pre-election move that may or may not draw electoral benefits but clearly sends an ideological message, Madhya Pradesh’s (MP) Bajrang Sena has merged with the Indian National Congress. PTI reports that leaders of the outfit are are close to former minister Deepak Joshi, who had quit BJP to join Congress. The merger happened in the presence of MP Congress president Kamal Nath. The merger announcement was made by BS national president Rajnish Pateria and coordinator Raghunandan Sharma. Joshi was also present on the occasion. Slogans of “Jai Sri Ram” rent the air as members of this controversial outfit presented a mace and memorabilia to Kamal Nath. Appreciating the move, Nath also alleged chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is making hollow announcements as elections are approaching.

“Chouhan has made more than 20,000 announcements so far which are never implemented. As the assembly polls are nearing, Chouhan is now remembering women, youths and employees. He had done nothing for them in the last 18 years while in power,” Nath claimed. He said the people have decided to end the rule of BJP this time “which came to power by horse trading”, apparently referring to the toppling of the Nath-led government in March 2020.

Pateria said a large number of workers who have joined Congress will surely ensure the defeat of the BJP, “which had come to power by cheating the people’s mandate”. Bajrang Sena was founded in Chhatarpur in 2013. It used to agitate on religious and social issues.

In the last state assembly polls in 2018, the Congress won 114 of 230 seats in Madhya Pradesh. The BJP finished second by winning 109 seats. However, the Congress formed a coalition government with the support of Independents BSP, and SP.

What does this merger mean?

From Gujarat to Madhya Pradesh, the Congress has made no bones of its rightward shift, earning for itself labels like the ‘B’ Team of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) or being followers of “soft Hindutva.” Under Kamal Nath in the large and significant central Indian state this path seems clear. The visible move by Kamal Nath in this direction was portraying himself a Hanuman bhakt, holding religious events centered around the Lord Ram devotee, setting up a massive Hanuman idol on his political turf Chhindwara, and even courting controversy when he cut a temple-shaped cake with the portrait of Hanuman on it on his birthday in November 2022. The merger of the Bajrang Sena with the Congress on June 6, marks at least one more turn in that transition. The Hindutva outfit’s goals have been protection of cows and Hindu saints, construction of gaushalas and a monthly stipend to temple priests – unlike the more progressive and secular electoral promises recently made by the party in the southern state of Karnataka.

Ironically this tendency of the ‘grand old party’ to ally with the right wing from both sides of the religious divide has earned it blame of not battling for a clear and non-discriminatory brand of secularism. Within the Muslim religious minority too, representation to conservative male elements, even clergy, rather than modern, outward looking professionals is one example.

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Sexist slur by Kamal Nath: Could his foot-in-mouth moment affect by-polls?

Mon, 19 Oct 2020 13:36:19 +0000

Image Courtesy:timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Union minister Smriti Irani has spoken up. It just took an extremely crude sexist remark from former union minister, and former chief minister of Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath for this to happen. Nath had called MP minister Imarti Devi, an “item” a crude slag used to undermine women, enough to enrage anyone who believes in equality of all genders.

An enraged Irani has spoken up and questioned Sonia Gandhi and her family why they are silent on the issue.

“I can’t find any justification that Kamal Nath ji can give for using such derogatory word against a woman political leader. I can’t understand why Gandhi family chooses to be absolutely silent,” said Irani according to a report in the Hindustan Times.

“I don’t insult anyone, only expose truth”, Kamal Nath had stood his ground, as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) began to react sharply to his address at an assembly bypoll meeting in Gwalior’s Dabra on Sunday. Video clips of Nath, addressing the crowds, with the local candidate, and other supporters at the assembly bypoll meeting in Dabra town, have since gone viral.

Irani, who has not yet spoken on the multiple rapes and murders, including those of Dalit women, teenagers from Uttar Pradesh and other parts of India, on Monday said, “I don’t think Gandhi family will take action against Kamal Nath for making such a derogatory statement against a lady. Be it Kamal Nath or Digvijaya Singh, these are the people who keep fire burning in Gandhi family’s kitchen.” She is also yet to comment on politicians and authorities shaming rape victims, as Surender Singh, a BJP Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA), from Uttar Pradesh recently commented on ‘rape prevention’.

While that does not excuse Kamal Nath’s sexist comments, it is an illustration that sexist remarks come from male politicians from across party lines. Singh had said it is the parents’ duty to teach their daughters how not to be raped, by equipping them with some kind of moral values. These moral values, or sanskars, when taught to girls as they grow up, apparently have some anti-rape superpower. The non-BJP parties had been outraged at this a week ago.

Nath’s own defence of why he used the crude word ‘item’ when referring to a woman politician has remained feeble, “I said something, it wasn’t to insult anyone… I just didn’t remember the (person’s) name… this list (in his hand) says item number 1, item number 2. Is this an insult? Kamal Nath doesn’t insult anyone, he’ll only expose you with truth,” the Congress leader was quoted by a news agency. He had said, “Suresh Raje ji hamare ummeedvar hain… Yeh uske jaise nah hain… Kya hai uska naam… Main kya uska naam loon?.. Aapko toh mujhe pehle savdhan karna chahiye tha… Yeh kya item hai (Suresh Raje ji is our candidate and is not like her… What’s her name? You know her better and should have warned me earlier… What an item!).”

The former chief minister was addressing a campaign rally in Madhya Pradesh’s Dabra for Congress candidate Suresh Raje. Imarti Devi is contesting on a BJP ticket from Dabra. According to HT she was a part of the group of 22 MLAs loyal to Jyotiraditya Scindia who had resigned from the Congress, and the state assembly, and followed him to join the BJP in March this year. The move had resulted in a change of government in the state, and unseated Kamal Nath as CM.

Meanwhile, Imrati Devi, BJP’s candidate in the Madhya Pradesh elections, has said Sonia Gandhi should dismiss Nath. The National Commission for Women (NCW) also sought an explanation from the Congress leader on Monday, “The commission strongly condemns this irresponsible and disparaging statement made by the leader. The words used in the video are highly defamatory and shows disrespect towards the dignity of a woman,” the NCW stated, adding that “At a time when we want more women to enter politics, such disrespectful remarks against a woman leader, that too from a person holding such a responsible position is very unfortunate.” According to news reports the NCW has also asked the Election Commission to take necessary action against Nath. As expected, the Congress has maintained silence over Kamal Nath’s sexist gaffe.

The HT reported that Nath’s speech was condemned by several BJP leaders including Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Jyotiraditya Scindia, and Narendra Singh Tomar who sat on a two-hour silent fast in protest. Chouhan has also written to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, stating “that Nath committed a shameless act by insulting a woman member of the Scheduled Caste and then attempted to justify the statement”, he asked that Gandhi “Immediately remove him from all party posts and strongly condemn his statement. If you fail to react, I will be compelled to believe that you support it.” Tomar even called the Congress an “anti-Dalit, anti-women’ party.

श्री कमलनाथ जी द्वारा दिया गया महिला विरोधी बयान घोर आपत्तिजनक है, दलित वर्ग की एक महिला नेता को उन्होंने जिन शब्दों का उपयोग करके अपमानित करने का प्रयत्न किया, यह कांग्रेस की दलित विरोधी और महिला विरोधी चरित्र का प्रकटीकरण है।
मैं इस बयान की घोर शब्दों में निंदा करता हूँ। pic.twitter.com/BqCHAh8hMe

— Narendra Singh Tomar (@nstomar) October 19, 2020

Madhya Pradesh will go to vote for by-elections for 28 assembly seats on November 3, the votes will be counted on November 10.

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Kamal Nath leads protest march against CAA-NRC in MP

Thu, 26 Dec 2019 11:48:31 +0000

Just like West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, Madhya Pradesh CM Kamal Nath led a march against the ‘anti-constitutional’ Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in Bhopal on Wednesday, December 25, vowing not to implement the Act in the state.

He also questioned the government’s ‘intentions’ behind the National Population Register (NPR) and National Register of Citizens (NRC).

At the ‘Samvidhan Bachao Nyaya Shanti Yatra’ (Save the Constitution) rally led by him from Roshanpura Square to Minto Hall he said, “Any law that is anti-Constitution, anti-religion will not be enforced in Madhya Pradesh. The NRC and the CAA have hidden political intents of the BJP. We have to protect the Constitution and culture of the country.”

He also said that the new law opened doors for ‘misuse’ stating that what was ‘not written’ in the contentious legislation held more importance than what was. “During my 40 years in Parliament, I have never seen an anti-constitutional law like the CAA and NRC. It is not a question of what is written (in the law), but what is not (written). “It is not a question of its use, but of misuse. They are opening the door of misuse,” he said.

He stated, “The peace march is not just for Bhopal or Madhya Pradesh, it’s for the nation. We want to send a message from the heart of the nation on how the central government is trying to disintegrate the country.”

Responding to a query about the Centre’s go-ahead for updating the National Population Register (NPR), he told reporters covering the march, “Wo jo NPR le aaye, wo toh hum bhi chahte the, par uske sath koi NRC nahi juda tha. Jo ye jodkar la rahe hai ye inki niyat sabit karti hai! (We also wanted the NPR that they have brought, but there was no NRC associated with it. They are bringing it together, which has made their intentions clear).”

He told the people that he would fight against the CAA till the end for it was “against the basic structure of the country”. “The identity of India is through its Constitution, which connects various cultures and ensures unity of the country,” he added.

The march saw participation from many Congress leaders and members of various other political parties like the Communist Party of India (CPI), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its leaders PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah are facing major flak from the people of the country for thrusting down the CAA and NRC down everyone’s throat. Major protests have erupted throughout the country and the agitation has now taken the form of a student uprising after police atrocities on students from Jamia Millia Islamia University (JMIU) and Aligarh Muslim University (AMU).

The BJP is also losing its foothold in the country. After losing face in Maharashtra, it has now faced defeat in Jharkhand. 10 states have joined hands to officially reject the CAA-NRC. Whether or not this will lead it to realize its folly and revoke the CAA and scrap the NRC, is yet to be seen.

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Kamal Nath govt ‘not objecting’ to Gujarat decision to fill up Narmada dam, regrets NBA

Sat, 07 Sep 2019 06:17:56 +0000

The Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA), in a letter to the Madhya Pradesh government, has said that the protecting of the rights of the people affected by the Sardar Sarovar dam is the responsibility of the State government, which should take action as per as already decided during talks with NBA, pointing out that the steps taken by Narmada officials as also chief minister Kamal Nath are not “not in accordance assurances.”

Kamal Nath

NBA note:

Amidst the chaos of illegal submergence in Narmada Valley, the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) has written a letter to the Madhya Pradesh government demanding concrete action for the protection of the rights of the affected people in the state.

It is worth mentioning that while appealing to Medha Patkar and other affected people to end their hunger strike, the state government had accepted that thousands of families are yet to be rehabilitated in the submergence area and that they are against the full filling of the Sardar Sarovar dam.

But recently, the steps taken by additional chief secretary and deputy chairman of the Narmada Valley Development Authority (NVDA) Gopal Reddy and chief minister Kamal Nath in their letters written to the Central government are not in accordance with these assurances. That is why the movement has written a letter to the government, in the name of Gopal Reddy, today.

The state government should stop using false data. The letter states that in the meeting held on August 24, 2019 with the Madhya Pradesh chief secretary, the NBA had emphasized that the present government has also continued to use false figures of the previous government.
It is worth mentioning that in its letter dated May 27, 2019 sent by the government’s own Narmada Control Authority (NCA), only 6,000 families from 76 villages in Dhar district were claimed to be affected.

The previous government cheated the affected people and left out Alirajpur, Barwani and Khargone districts completely. However, now the government has improved the number of affected villages to 178 and said a survey will be conducted to find out the number of affected families. The State government should now take action as per the plan’s they have set themselves.

But, the State government has not done anything till now to protect the rights of the victims of illegal submergence. It has raised only such objections in the letters to the NCA and the Union Minister of Water Power such as that the Gujarat government raised the water level to 134.50 meters on August 31, instead of any date in September.

The State government has not done anything till now to protect the rights of the victims of illegal submergence

The government has not objected to the dam filling up to the full reservoir level. This step of the State government is against its declared role for protecting the interests of farmers, tribals, Kewat-Kahars, potters, cattlemen, and landless labourers, who are being immersed in rehabilitation.

The State government has not objected to the dam filling up to the full level. This step is against the declared role of the State government in protecting the interests of farmers, tribals, Kewat-Kahars, potters, cattlemen, landless laborers who are being immersed in rehabilitation.

All the same, it is the responsibility of the government to protect the basic, human and Constitutional rights of the affected people by limiting the water level to 122 meters till proper and complete rehabilitation of all the affected people.

In the letter by the NBA, the additional chief secretary has been reminded that the NCA is still considering the same false affidavits of the previous government as showing the zero balance of rehabilitation.

This forgery should be dismissed with relevant and reliable facts based on the ground reality. It seems that the concerned authorities are presenting the old baseless facts without informing the chief secretary, the minister of the department and the chief minister, which is violating the rights of the affected population.

The government is to be held accountable in an unpleasant situation. In the letter, it has been demanded that the government play an effective role at the ground level for the protection of the rights of the victims of this illegal submergence and have not been rehabilitated yet.

If the State government does not take it seriously then the creation of water tombstones of living communities are certain. In such a situation, it will have to answer every big and small question related to its role in protecting the interests of the affected and legal accountability.

Courtesy: Counter View

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Activist Medha Patkar ends hunger strike after 9 days

Wed, 04 Sep 2019 06:39:26 +0000

Medha Patkar who along with 6 others was on a hunger strike to support thousands of people affected by the sardar sarovar dam, ended her 9 days long strike after written assurance from the MP Chief Minister Kamal Nath.

S C Behar, emissary of the CM offering lemon juice to Medha Patkar to end her fast (Image: Twitter)

The Chief Minister, requesting Medha Patkar to break her fast, mentioned in his statement that the Sardar Sarovar is an inter-state project, with Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Gujarat as the party states. Therefore, decisions cannot be taken by any one state alone.

Rehabilitation processes will be implemented according to the decisions of the Narmada Water Dispute Tribunal (NWDT).

He has also assured that displaced persons’ rights will be protected; measures for their rehabilitation and compensation will be awarded to all the eligible families after receiving the amount from Gujarat the other concerned state.

Medha Patkar, leader of Narmada Bachao Andolan. Who was fasting from August 25, was also demanding the sluice gates of the dam be opened as many villages have been flooded with the back waters of the reservoir.

The CM in his statement mentioned that the government of Madhya Pradesh is making efforts to lower the water level in the dam and had opposed the filling of the reservoir and has requested the Narmada Control Authority (NCA) in New Delhi to request them to not proceed with filling the dam reservoir.

He concluded by assuring ‘The Madhya Pradesh government will sincerely endeavour to keep the gates of the dam open and strive for a stay on the decision to fill the reservoir completely’.

The next meeting with officials of the Narmada Valley Development Authority (NVDA) and activists of Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) is scheduled on September 9 to discuss further to support the affected families and open the gates of the reservoir.

Nearly 162 villages have been flooded which will threaten the lives of 32000 families if the gates are not opened.

Courtesy: Two Circle

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Day Nine: CM MP Kamal Nath Urges Medha Patkar her to give up Fast, reassures NBA on Rehabilitation

Tue, 03 Sep 2019 09:14:33 +0000

On the 9^th day of the protest fast by veteran leader, Medha Patkar of the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA), Kamal Nath, chief minister of Madhya Pradesh has appealed to her to call of the fast, assuring the organisation of rehabilitation

MP chief minister, Kamal Nath issued the following statement regarding the Sardar Sarovar Project yesterday:

1. Sardar Sarovar is an inter-state project, with Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Gujarat as the party states. Therefore, decisions cannot be taken by any one state alone. Rehabilitation processes are being implemented according to the decisions of the Narmada Water Dispute Tribunal (NWDT) award, state’s rehabilitation policy and the orders of the Supreme Court. Disputes related to the rehabilitation are being settled via the Grievance Redressal Authority constituted with 5 retired judges of the High Court. Madhya Pradesh government is committed to the protection of the rights of displaced people.

2. Being a welfare state, continuous dialogue process has been maintained by the senior politicians and bureaucrats, including myself, with the displaced people and the Narmada Bachao Andolan, in order to ensure that the issues faced by the displaced people are understood thoroughly and addressed meaningfully. In order to ensure the participation of the displaced people in the rehabilitation works, the current government has constituted village as well as district level Rehabilitation Committees in the villages of the submergence area. People’s representatives, social workers as well as the displaced people are being included in these committees.

3. The current government has given necessary orders to the District Collectors to review the cases of families that were earlier declared to be ineligible, towards providing them with adequate compensation. The current government has declared 115 new families to be eligible for the compensation of rupees 60 lakhs. We have not yet received the necessary amount from the Gujarat government, even after submitting applications towards the same.

4. In the monsoon season of 2019, the current government undertook mass scale flood prevention and relief measures. Village level committees were constituted and rescue boats, food and temporary shelters were provided to the people for evacuation from the submergence zone.

5. The decision as well as implementation of the filling of the Sardar Sarovar Dam’s reservoir is undertaken by the Narmada Control Authority (NCA). However, NCA has not been functioning in an impartial manner. The Madhya Pradesh government is opposing the filling of the reservoir this year, towards which the Chief Secretary had requested the NCA on 27/5/19 to call for a meeting for reconsidering the decision of filling the reservoir. However, this request was not taken seriously. The meeting that was called for 21/8/19 was cancelled on 20/8/19. The Additional Chief Secretary of the Narmada Valley Development Region met the Chairperson of the Narmada Control Authority in New Delhi to request them to not proceed with filling the dam reservoir.

6. Upon the request of the Gujarat government, a meeting of the Sardar Sarovar Reservoir Regulation Committee was called on August 16, 2019, in which the Gujarat government sought approval for filling the reservoir at the rate of 30 centimetres per day. However, this demand was not accepted due to the fervent opposition to the same by the Madhya Pradesh government, to look after the interests of its people.

7. I want to assure Medha Patkar Ji and all her associates in the Narmada Bachao Andolan that my government is fully committed to the complete rehabilitation of the affected families. Redressal of the demands as well as grievances of the affected families will be undertaken by setting up camps in each village. I sincerely request Medha Patkar Ji to call off her fast and cooperate with us for the immediate redressal of the issues of the affected families.

8. The Madhya Pradesh government will sincerely endeavour to keep to the gates of the dam open and strive for a stay on the decision to fill the reservoir completely.

(Translation from Hindi by Abha Jeurkar)

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Rehabilitate Narmada dam oustees on war footing: NBA petition to Kamal Nath

Sat, 31 Aug 2019 07:16:42 +0000

A separate petition to Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath, floated by the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA), close on the heels of a similar plea by “Friends of Narmada” to the President, the Chief Justice of India, and the Prime Minister, has sought “immediate action” to rehabilitate thousands who have been displaced due to the Sardar Sarovar project in Gujarat.

Medha Patkar with supporters on the bank of Narmada

Seeking signatures from supporters, the petition, which has been released a day after Parkar rejected Kamal Nath’s offer to quit hunger strike, insists, “Until the rehabilitation is complete, the water level of Sardar Sarovar should remain till 122 meters. In the Narmada valley, Medha Patkar and 24 other women from the affected villages continue to remain on an indefinite fast.”

Kamal Nath

Those willing to sign the petition have been asked to email the following text to Kamal Nath:

Thousands of families in the affected villages of the Narmada valley Sardar Sarovar project are being inundated by the reservoir water. So far, three poor farmers from Nimar and other tribal regions have died as they combated the rising water levels.

Even as your government has protested against the decision of filling the reservoir to its limit of 139 meters, but the Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited (SSNNL) affiliated with the Gujarat and Central government have continued to fill the reservoir without paying any heed to the concerns of rehabilitation of the displaced, environmental damage, and in the absence of any fact-finding reports or affidavits.

Thousands of families in Madhya Pradesh have not yet been fully rehabilitated, as residents at the rehabilitation site have not been granted adequate access to facilities as per their legal rights. In this context, the displaced people are made to witness their farms and livelihoods being submerged under the water. In this situation, we are confident that the Government of Madhya Pradesh will stand on the side of the people.

According to the letter sent by the Chief Secretary of the state of Madhya Pradesh to the Narmada Control Authority (NCA), dated May 27, 2019, a total of 6,000 families from 76 villages are residing in the submergence area. 8,500 applications, 2,952 for farmlands and others for the eligibility of compensation of rupees 60 lakh, are still pending.

According to the Narmada Bachao Andolan, not just 6,000 people from the 76 villages, but many more families (approximately 32,000 families) are affected. Can the shopkeepers, small business people, artisans, potters, boat people allow the destruction of their villages, in the absence of access to rightful alternate livelihoods?

A temporary rehab centre in MP

There is very slow progress on these issues. Today, it is important to follow the right procedures, as the last 15 years have seen a lot of corruption, lies and confusion. Unfortunately, the corrupt activities have still not been arrested. Since the previous government, assurances given to withdraw the petitions filed in the High Court and Supreme Court have not yet been fulfilled.

Therefore, Madhya Pradesh must see to it that the water level in the Sardar Sarovar does not rise above 122 meters. We seek your support for Narmada Bachao Andolan towards this goal.

You and your party have supported the displaced people by not only providing assurances in your election manifesto, but also by standing directly with them. In 1996 as well as in 1978 Narmada Bachao Andolan, all party agreement had been reached on this issue.

After 34 years of non-violent struggle, Medha Patkar Ji and 24 other women from the affected areas have been forced to sit on an indefinite fast.

According to the Narmada Water Dispute Tribunal and the orders of the Supreme Court, ensuring complete rehabilitation of the people in the submergence area is their right as well as the legal responsibility of the state.

We, therefore, expect that your government takes sensitive, just and immediate action on a war footing.

Courtesy: Counter View

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In a first, MP government to introduce law against cow vigilantism

Thu, 27 Jun 2019 08:10:07 +0000

In a much needed step towards curbing cow vigilantism, Kamal Nath-led Congress government of Madhya Pradesh is all set to introduce an amendment to its anti-cow slaughter law, owing to the rising cases of cow vigilantism and the self appointed ‘gau rakshaks’ taking law in their own hands.

As reported in the Indian Express, Congress-ruled Madhya Pradesh is likely to become the first state to introduce a law against cow vigilantism. With the MP Cabinet clearing the amendment to its Madhya Pradesh Gauvansh Vadh Pratishedh Adhiniyam, 2004, the bill is all set to be introduced in the Legislative Assembly in its monsoon session. The amendment, if passed, will bring the cow vigilantes under the scanner and those found guilty of violence shall be imprisoned for six months to three years, and a fine of Rs 25,000 to Rs 50,000. At present, offences related to cow vigilantism are dealt under the Indian Penal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure.

Additional Chief Secretary (Animal Husbandry) Manoj Shrivastava told The Indian Express that punishment under the Anti-Cow Slaughter Act, 2004 will increase to a minimum of one year and a maximum of five years if a mob is involved in cow vigilantism. In case of repeat offenders, the jail term will be doubled. Further, the amendment seeks to punish those who abet cow vigilantism with a jail term of one to three years. People who damage property of those charged under the anti-cow slaughter law will also be punished.

Speaking to the Hindustan Times, Srivastava said, “The amendment has been made keeping in mind the Supreme Court order…telling states to act tough on cow vigilantism.” In July 2018, the Supreme Court had asked Parliament to consider creating a new penal provision to deal with incidents of vigilantism, saying “mobocracy cannot be allowed in society.” It had also given a list of directions, including preventive, remedial and punitive steps, to deal with the crime. However, no state or even the centre till date has paid heed to the SC directive. MP government can be the first to do so.

Once the amendment comes into force, the cattle traders will have to take permission from a sub-divisional magistrate before transporting the cattle. State Animal Husbandry Minister Lakhan Singh Yadav said most cattle transporters do not carry documents to show “whether the cow being transported is going for slaughter or for sale, and often end up being harassed or bashed up by gau rakshaks”. “The magistrate’s permission will be a legal paper that should satisfy the gau rakshaks,” Yadav added.

The move comes in the wake of an incident near Kachhiwara, under Dundaseoni police station in Seoni district, on May 22, when five people thrashed three persons, including a Muslim man and woman, on suspicion of carrying beef. The police had arrested Shubam Baghel, who identified himself as the Seoni district president of Hindutva organisation Shri Ram Sena, and his four accomplices. The victims were also arrested for allegedly carrying beef.

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BJP Alleges MP Government in Minority, Writes to Governor To Conduct an Emergency Session

Mon, 20 May 2019 10:52:51 +0000

Just a day after the exit poll results were announced, predicting a sweeping win of the BJP, Madhya Pradesh’s (MP) leader of opposition from the BJP, Gopal Bhargava, has written to the Governor, Anandiben Patel, stating that the Kamal Nath-led Congress government has lost majority in the state assembly.

As reported in the NDTV, Bhargava has written to Patel, requesting to call for an emergency session of the state assembly, a day after exit polls predicted a thumping victory for the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections. An aggregate of exit polls has also predicted that the BJP will win 24 of the 29 Lok Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh.

“We are sending a letter to the Governor requesting an assembly session as there are a lot of issues… It (the Madhya Pradesh government) will fall on its own. I don’t believe in horse-trading but I feel its time has come and it will have to go soon,” Bhargava said.

Kamal Nath’s party has a wafer-thin majority in the state. In the 2018 assembly elections, Congress won 114 of the 230 seats and formed the government with the support of two BSP candidates and one SP candidate.

Chief Minister Kamal Nath has hit back at the BJP leaders seeking his government’s dismissal with the advice to wait till the Lok Sabha poll results are out. “Wait till May 23. We have seen so many exit polls going horribly wrong in the past. Don’t be impatient,” Kamal Nath was reported saying.

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