Talking about the circular, TDB president Ananthagopan said, “RSS shakhas were functioning in many temples, they were performing drills and such activities were taking place. That’s the reason why such a circular was issued. Temples are for the believers, there should not be any inconvenience for the devotees to worship. That’s the stand of Dewaswom board. To bring to the notice of officials, the circular has been reissued.”

The circular was issued following complaints from devotees that its earlier order to the same effect was not implemented. In the second order issued on May 18, the TDB directed its officials to ban RSS activities on temple premises. Speaking to the media including India Today, the TDB president K Ananthagopan confirmed the issuing of the fresh order and added that the governing body wanted to address the believers’ complaints peacefully.

Divine space

“The order was initially issued in 2021. A few temples have been facing issues due to the functioning of the RSS shakhas,” Ananthagopan told the media. “Temples are a pure and divine space and they should remain that way,” he further said.

“When you conduct such activities on temple premises, people with opposing views and beliefs would naturally object to it. There have been complaints against RSS activities at temples. We are objecting only to its activities in temple premises,” he added.

He said there had been no direct communication between the board and the RSS regarding the matter. “This is the directive to the officials. They will resolve the issue amicably. We are reminding the officials yet again since many of them did not comply with the earlier directive,” he said.

No to RSS drills

A copy of the order accessed by South First stated that in March 2021, the TDB had first asked its officials to prohibit the RSS from holding drills at temples under the board. The board directed its officials to ensure that armed or unarmed drills did not take place on temple premises.

It also advised the officials against providing temple resources to third-party groups. “But it has come to the notice of the board that the said order is not being properly followed. Strict disciplinary action will be taken against the officers who do not comply with the order,” the board stated in the fresh directive.

Related:

RSS seeks to disown Suresh Chavhanke, T Raja, says hate speeches don’t reflect RSS ideology

Hindu society at war, natural to be aggressive says RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat in Organiser

Hindu state by 2025? BJP-RSS ‘will have no qualms’ in changing basics of Constitution

The post Strict action if RSS shakhas are allowed on temple premises: Travancore Devaswom Board warns officials appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Pachpor was there on May 6, Saturday, to interact with Muslim intellectuals and journalists. He told TOI, “RSS is against any kind of hate speech, be it by Raja Singh or Suresh Chavhanke. When we say the RSS does not support hate speech and any such negative acts, the message reaches where it should reach. We believe in addressing differences and clearing misconceptions through dialogue and that is the reason why we are reaching out to Muslims through MRM.”

He went on to state that the RSS has never asked anyone to deliver hate speech and this is also the reason why RSS neither supports those delivering hate speeches nor comes out with any clarification about them! There were no questions put to the ideologue on the controversial teachings at RSS shakhas to young children and adolescents every day and every week nor the selective history deletions in text books. Textbooks in RSS run Shishu mandira which have alternate renditions are filled with stigma and manipulations.

The MRM and its subsidiary platforms have started a country-wide outreach programme to ensure that the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) does not face strong opposition similar to that of National Register of Citizen (NRC) Bill, Citizen Amendment Act (CAA) and the Farmers Produce Trade And Commerce bill, 2020.

Pachpor was adamant that this outfit, the MRM, along with 10 subsidiary platforms, wants to convince Muslims across the country about their motto of ‘One Nation, One People, One Constitution, One National Law, One National Anthem, One National Flag’.

He said that through the MRM, efforts are being made to bring down the school dropout rate. Pachor said that through Madrasa Prakosht steps are being taken for modernisation of madrasas so that students passing out of them have all the academic knowledge and required skills for making them employable.

Related:

Defiant of the SC, Suresh Chavhanke, Raja Singh & Hindutva outfits escalate hate to dangerous levels

Rajasthan sees upsurge in TrishulDeeskha in April

The post RSS seeks to disown Suresh Chavhanke, T Raja, says hate speeches don’t reflect RSS ideology appeared first on SabrangIndia.

How do we see these deletions? The deletion, especially that Godse is referred to as a Hindu extremist, a Brahmin needs to be understood.

One recalls that the murder of Swami Shraddhanad was committed by a Muslim, Abdul Rashid. Gandhi condemned the murder but addressed Rashid as “brother” and said that he should not be blamed for this murder; instead those who created the atmosphere of hate should be blamed. On the same lines Gandhi and his disciple, Sardar Patel in particular, saw Godse being the manifestation of the Hate prevalent in the society.

Of course Gandhi was not there to opine about Godse after his murder but his attitude to the dastardly act became clear when,  in 1944, Godse tried to attack him with a dagger at Panchagani near Pune. The incident was, “During a prayer meeting that evening, Nathuram Godse, dressed in a Nehru shirt, pajama and jacket, rushed towards Gandhi. He was brandishing a dagger in his hand and shouting anti-Gandhi slogans. Godse was overpowered… “and Gandhi was saved. In response Gandhi “asked Godse to spend eight days with him so that they could understand each other. Godse rejected this invitation and was allowed to go free by a magnanimous Gandhi.” In both the case of Abdul Rashid and Godse, Gandhi’s response seems to be similar, on the same page.

As for Gandhi blaming Hate as the cause of murder in the case of Swami Shraddhanand, the same view was taken by Gandhi’s disciple Sardar Patel, who banned the RSS. Some mistakenly believe that it was on the insistence of Nehru that RSS was banned. The actual facts are revealed by the communiqué issues by the Government. Just to recall Sardar Patel was the Home Minister at that time. (See Beyond Doubt-A Dossier on Gandhi’s Assassination, edited by Teesta Setalvad)

In a communiqué issued on February 4, 1948, the Central government said it was banning the RSS “to root out the forces of hate and violence that are at work in our country and imperil the freedom of the Nation and darken her fair name… It has been found that in several parts of the country individual members of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh have indulged in acts of violence involving arson, robbery, dacoity, and murder and have collected illicit arms and ammunition. They have been found circulating leaflets exhorting people to resort to terrorist methods, to collect firearms, to create disaffection against the government and suborn the police and the military.”

In a letter to M.S. Golwalkar, India’s first Home Minister, Sardar Patel, writes, “All their speeches (RSS members, added) were filled with communal poison… As a final result of the poison, the country had to suffer the sacrifice of the invaluable life of Gandhiji. Even an iota of the sympathy of the Government, or of the people, no more remained for the RSS. In face of this, opposition grew. Opposition turned more severe, when the RSS men expressed joy and distributed sweets after Gandhiji’s death.”

RSS propagates that mentioning the ban on RSS is a half truth as the ban was lifted by courts as being illegal. The Paragraph which has been deleted mentions quite precisely that the ban was imposed for a period, only.

All in all, from Gandhi to Patel and Nehru, they all realised that more than Godse as an individual, it is Hate which is responsible for the violence, including that of murder of Swami Shraddhanand and later of Gandhi. While the ban on the RSS was subsequently held to be not valid on legal grounds, the ban was prompted by RSS spreading the Hate which led to violence and murders, including that of Mahatma Gandhi. While paying lip service to Mahatma, the RSS, even today, continues to do what it began, spreading Hate against Muslims and at the same time glorifying a caste-based  hierarchical society.

The Hate which Godse imbibed was from the teachings within the RSS shakha. Godse writes, “Having worked for the uplift of the Hindus I felt it necessary to take part in political activities of the country for the protection of just rights of Hindus. I therefore left the Sangh (RSS) and joined Hindu Mahasabha.” (Godse, ‘Why I Assassinated Mahatma Gandhi’ 1993, and Pg.  102). He held Mahatma responsible for appeasing Muslims, and thereby, the formation of Pakistan. He joined Hindu Mahasabha, at that time the only political party representing Hindutva, and became the general secretary of its Pune Branch.  In due course he first started a newspaper, as founder editor, called Agrani(leader) and later another one called Hindu Rashtra. And undoubtedly mentioning him as a Brahmin is not unwarranted as Brahmins were at the forefront of Hindu Nationalist politics, to begin with.

Understanding the hate imbibed by both Abdul Rashid and Godse in today’s context will mean that those youth who are waving lathis, swords and pistol in the religious processions are guilty of course but the bigger blame has to be apportioned to the indoctrination of an Ideology of Hate, hate speech and the social media which is  constantly amplifying the Hate against religious minorities. Looking at the neighborhood it confirms that nationalism in the name of religion is the main weapon which is creating and propagating Hate. In a way we are following the path of Pakistan and Sri Lanka. In Pakistan (Islamic Nationalism) the Hate manufactured against Hindus and Christians did result in their persecution there. In Srilanka (Buddhist Sinhala Nationalism) Hindus (Tamils) and Muslim- Christians, have been on the receiving end of consequences of Hate.

Now with these deletions in text books those upholding Hindu nationalism and their advocates are further intensifying the Hate which has led to so many acts of violence, have led to the marginalisation of minorities further culminating in Ghettoes which are proliferating in various localities. Defending the deletions, particularly related to the Gandhi murder and the role of RSS is yet another attempt to deepen the divisive agenda that dominates Indian public discourse at present.

(The piece has been edited and modified slightly-Editors)

Please also look at

Beyond Doubt, A Dossier on Gandhi’s Assassination

Beyond Doubt I – Who killed the Mahatma?

Beyond Doubt II – The Assassins of Gandhi

The post Real History: Gandhi’s Murder, Godse & the RSS appeared first on SabrangIndia.

In his recent tour abroad (August 2018) while addressing the International Institute for Strategic Studies Rahul Gandhi stated that “The RSS is trying to change the nature of India. There is no other organisation in India that wants to capture India’s institutions… It is similar to the idea that exists in the Arab world of the Muslim Brotherhood. The idea is that one ideology should run through every institution and one idea should crush all other ideas,” and that “Muslim Brotherhood was banned after Anwar Sadat’s assassination; RSS was banned after Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination… And the most interesting one — women are not allowed in either of these organizations,” In response to this BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra retaliated and  “the likes of President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee…have a RSS background and Gandhi’s comparison of the organization with an Islamist outfit is “unforgivable”. . 

Some from RSS stable went on to say that one who has not understood India cannot understand RSS. Over the decades, there have been various analysis of the nature of RSS politics. Academics and political scientists have tried to unravel the real politics behind its activities. RSS is not just a political organization, it is a supra political organization, where its political wing BJP is but a small component of its total activities manifested through myriads of its organizations. Sudhanshu Mittal from BJP in an article states that RSS affiliated organisations all have greatly contributed to the nation.

Hundreds of such organizations are active in different sections of society. While not talking of the manipulative role of these organisations, let’s see what some of these have not been doing which is needed and is relevant for social groups. One such point comes to one’s mind about RSS affiliate Bharatiya Kisan Sangh for example. India is witnessing the torment of farmers in the form of suicides, which reflects the deeper agrarian crisis. Have we ever heard the voice of this organisation as to how to protect the agrarian sector, how government policies are flawed leading to the critical situation in village? The same question can be raised about agenda of these organisations among Adivasis. While one hears a lot about rising anti Christian violence in these areas, one knows that RSS affiliates don’t raise their voice against the displacement and marginalization of Adivasis or the recognition of land rights to India’s indigenous peoples.  

RSS also claims to be having involved in lots of charity work, its claims generally dominate the media, saying that RSS volunteers are the first to reach the site of any (natural or manmade) calamity. Interestingly, the Muslim Brotherhood is also prompt and active in the area of charity work. But in both the cases RSS and Muslim Brotherhood, Charity is the superficial point of contact with society, while the core agenda is to impose particular type of social relations, those of a structured inequality within society. At the core; the project of both RSS and Muslim Brotherhood is to bring in a social system which is opposed to democratic ethos of equality of and for all. Surely RSS and Muslim Brotherhood are no clones; still there are some features which are common as their political agenda is similar. Despite all this big paraphernalia of RSS; its core agenda remains Hindu nationalism, it regards the values of Indian Constitution as being Western and is aiming to push the society back to the values given Holy Scriptures of dominant castes. Let’s now see what Islamic brotherhood wants? On parallel lines it has stood in opposing the democratic values of equality, calling the very democratic institutions as Western and so the need to promote Islamic values, which as interpreted by them stand for inequality of gender and social groups.

Both are the exclusively male organizations, harping on the past as a golden era, sharp in their opposition to modern (dubbed Western by them) values. This should be the defining point in comparing any organisation. It is also true that while RSS has trained Pracharaks who in turn float different organizations, rooted in the RSS’ core agenda, which have different formal structures.the Muslim Brotherhood probably encompasses most of the activities under its own umbrella. Here one can add that the Christian Fundamentalism which came up in US in the decades of 1920s had many similar features. In post colonial societies in particular; organisations deriving their legitimacy in the name of religion; to begin with; have come up in opposition to the rising values of Equality. In India when the Indian National Congress began in 1885, it aimed at an inclusive nation hood cutting across all the religious communities. It also aimed at equality of all.

In contrast Muslim League and Hindu Mahasabha-RSS took birth inspired by the feudal, landlord sections, joined in by the elite and middle class sections, harping on ancient golden era, the Holy Scriptures and the grand rule of Kings belonging to their religion. RSS in a more astute or clever way floated myriad organizations to ensure a smooth division of labor and indoctrination, cooption of different sections of society for its agenda of Hindu Rashtra and also for opposing the inherent values of Indian Constitution. So that’s about the similarities with the organizations like Muslim Brotherhood and RSS.

Sambit Patra reacting to Rahul Gandhi’s statement called it unforgivable and cited that the likes of Kovind, Vajapyee and present Prime Minster Mr. Modi have an RSS background. One appreciates the listing provided by Mr. Patra. What is shows is so obvious, what it does not cite is that the likes of Godse who killed Mahatma Gandhi, Dara Sing; the one who killed Pastor Stains and Pramod Mutalik whose Sri Ram Sene attacked young women visiting pubs also have RSS background or are associated with them. While Muslim Brotherhood has been labeled as terrorist organization in some countries, two of RSS’ pracharaks are in jail for Ajmer blast. 

Surly both these exclusively male organizations have a lot in common, have the common goal of opposition to the democratic ethos, both use a dominant religious identity to enhance their agenda. The form of these two organisations and their expressions, however, do differ.  

Related:

RSS’ organ Panchajanya alleges “SC is working as a tool at the hands of anti-India forces”

UP cancels Adani’s tenders even as RSS’ Organiser inspires a social media onslaught alleging a conspiracy against ‘Adani brand of nationalism’

Yet again, hate-filled speech delivered by RSS man, Ishwar Lal: Rajasthan

Hindu society at war, natural to be aggressive says RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat in Organiser

The post Can RSS be compared to Muslim Brotherhood? appeared first on SabrangIndia.

First published on 09 Feb 2023

From about four days ago, two articles in Organiser, the mouthpiece of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh(RSS) launched its unique defence of Gautam Adani and his group and predictably set of an IT cell driven twitter flurry bad-mouthing senior independent journalists and not even sparing India’s largest philanthropist, Azim Premji. From Ravish Kumar, Abhisar Sharma, Seema Chishti to independent media outlets, this all out diatribe is clearly aimed at sketching a tale of a conspiracy that stretches far and wide with a motive to impact the 2024 general election. Two articles appeared on the web portal of the Organiser, one of February 4 the other on February 6.

The Adani group has been in the midst of an international storm, amid speculations of serious manipulations in the investment market after the New York investment firm, Hindenburg Research, published a report calling the Adani Group “the largest con in corporate history”. This was on January 24, 2023. In a series of statements, the group responded by saying that the report was “maliciously mischievous”, “un-researched” and intended to “sabotage” a secondary share offering of the group’s flagship listed company, Adani Enterprises. The group also said that Hindenburg had published its report “without making any attempt to contact us or verify the factual matrix”. This did not stop the impact of the Hindenburg report on Adani’s credibility, the fall in share prices and huge depletion in the personal wealth of the politically connected billionaire and the political maelstrom within India, given the well-documented proximity he (and other) such capitalists have with India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi.

Before we get to the source of the ‘nationalism badge’ sought to be tagged on Adani, the fact that Uttar Pradesh, headed by Ajay Bisht aka Adityanath, a ‘model BJP state’, it’s state-owned Madhyanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited abruptly cancelled the tender that included the Adani Group’s bid for the supply of around 7.5 million smart meters estimated at ₹5,400 crore. This was on February 4, 2023. The cancellation of Adani’s bod, reported Moneycontrol came in the wake of serious objections raised by Indian Powers Engineers Federation (IPEF) and UP State Power Consumers Council that despite being the lowest tender, the per metre rate quoted by Adani was 67 per cent higher than the Rs. 6,000 per metre rate standardised by REC Limited, a public sector undertaking that promotes and finances power projects in India.

This recent decision, has more to do with accountability in public finances than rhetoric. And UP is a hard Hindutva state. The RSS mouthpiece is silent on this as are the army brigade of the far right on twitter.

Then there is the southern state of Andhra Pradesh (AP) nearly ten months ago as reported by the Economic Times. The AP government cancelled bids made for two separate tenders by Adani Enterprises to supply imported coal as the prices quoted were too high, two state government officials told Reuters. ET reported that this ‘ is the first time in recent years that a major government tender for imported coal has been cancelled over high prices. Details on the cancellation have not been previously reported.India has asked utilities to step up coal imports to address a domestic shortfallexpensive imports could add to the financial woes of state government-owned, debt-laden power distributors, which have overdue payments of nearly $15 billion to power generators. A compliant ‘national’ commercial media has let news of these two and distinct happenings, state governments of the Indian union cancelling big-shot Adani tenders on grounds of their non-viability. 

Both the Andhra Pradesh High Court and later the Bombay High Court had rejected the plea of Adani and the latter had even fined the conglomerate: The Bombay High Court had in June while rejecting the Adani Ports’ plea against its disqualification as non-meritorious also imposed a cost of Rs 5 lakh for filing a case that lacked merit. Reason? The Financial Express had then reported that “JNPA had on May 2 (2022) written to Adani Ports that it was disqualified from participating in further stages of the subject tender process for upgradation, operation, maintenance and transfer of its container terminal for 30 years through Public Private Partnership. Adani Ports was disqualified as it had not revealed about termination of the concessionaire agreement between Adani Vizag Coal Terminal and Vishakhapatnam Port Trust (VPT) in 2020.” Congressman and senior lawyer AM Singvi had appeared for Adani ports.

These significant developments have escaped the eyes and ears of the public due to skeletal media analyses and follow-ups. Now, fast on the heels of the Hindenburg report, RSS’ with its huge power and clout has gotten into the act.

Back to the RSS and Organiser, though. First came a piece from the desk collated by one Yatharth Sikka based on the tweets of @vijaygajera and @thehawkeyex on February 4. Gajera whose social media name is Vijay Patel has over 110,000 follower and dubs himself a bhakt of Mahadev, proud Hindu activist and investigative farmer, son of a farmer and founder of @onlyfactindia. This handle also has coloured and targeted tweets, also constantly having rundowns with Altnews’ is Mohammed Zubair. The second handle proudly claims to have provoked criminal action against TMC member Saket Gokhale apart from pursing a clearly rightwing agenda. From this it is unclear whether the IT cell with its vast political support base has fed the Organiser or now with two published articles, Organiser has provided the fuel for the myriad accounts on twitter and Facebook spawned by the powerful Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its octopus-like affiliates.

The first article in the RSS mouthpiece,Decoding the hit job by Hindenburg against Adani Group draws a parallel between Hindenberg’s motives and what Soros is alleged to have done to ‘break the Bank of England and the Bank of Thailand’. It goes on to make wild allegations against Bob Brown Foundation (BBF), supposedly an environmentalist NGO, runs adaniwatch.org and slurs all the protests post 2017 “started by a few NGOs under the leadership of 350.org NGO. They have formed the group #StopAdani to stop this project.”

This narrative completely ignores the history of the protests that go back to 2015 when Australia’s indigenous people Wangan and Jagalingou, traditional owners of the land proposed to host Adani Group’s $12-billion mining project in the Galilee Basin of Queensland, have now sought an urgent intervention from the United Nations (UN) to stop proposed development of the massive Carmicheal coal mine.

Instead, the RSS organ attempts to draw sinister linkages between the NGO, 350.org and Tides Foundation to Soros and Tom Steyer, Ford Foundation, Rockefeller, Omdia and Bill Gates. Then it takes another leap to link the Indian NGO National Foundation for India (NFI) stating that it also got funds from Soros, Ford Foundation, Rockefeller, Omidyar, Bill Gates, and Azim Premji. Now Azim Premji’s NGO IPSMF was started, Organiser claims to ‘fund” Altnews, The Wire, The Caravan, The News Minute, etc., dubbed as ‘propaganda news websites’, when they are in fact pallbearers of independent media today. Seema Chishti, wife of CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury is under attack with the RSS magazine describing her as receiving a ‘Media Fellowship adviser at NFI” stating as if that is significant that ‘s She is the Editor of The Wire’ and also writes for ‘the Caravan. Seema Chishti, a senior journalist of repute has only last night (February 8 served a legal notice on the RSS Organiser and to Vijay Gajera/Patel demanding that they “stop and desist’ from any such scurrilous writing or legal action will follow. 

Interestingly, the Organiser is silent on the fact that the IPSMF has also supported Swarajya. Through its dubious and scurrilous reportage, in one fell swoop, the Organiser, paints independent journalists with a tarnished brush. Why? Is the attack on the conglomerate with its stated and visible proximity to the BJP and the powers that be, what has actually driven the parliamentary backbone, the hard-line RSS into agro defence mode?

Senior and popular journalist Ravish Kumar in his hard-hitting programme on his official YouTube channel in a hard-hitting programme on Monday, February 6: he titled Kya Yogi Adani ke khilaaf hai?, did a sarcastic take on the Organiser’s claims asking whether after this rather pointed and humiliating loss of tenders in UP, days before the much publicized ‘Rs 70,000 crore Global Summit in Lucknow the state’s capital, Gautam Adani the head of the massive corporate giant will show up there, and if so, what he would say??!! Ravish Kumar asks whether Adityanath who has just on February 4 cancelled the Adani tender for power electric metres after an assessment that they are 67 per cent would now be seen by the RSS-BJP IT cell brigade as ‘anti-national’?

A day before this, R Kumar did a satire around Hindenburg and its offices after a barrage of false tweets on social media alleged that he had been ‘fired’ from NDTV after the unethical Adani takeover of the television channel when in actuality, the popular Hindi journalist had resigned in protest on November 30, 2022! The  tweet of one Gaurav Pradhan Gurukul had cooked up facts stating that Ravish visited New York for a month where the Hindenburg’s offices are located when in fact the journalist has not travelled to the USA for a while now!

In this uniquely twisted  analysis published on its portal on February 6, titled Hindenburg Controversy: A Malafide intent to halt India’s economic growth authored by one Sunil Gupta, has blithely equated the exposure of the precarity of the Adani empire with an attack by a ‘foreigner enemy.’ An ingenuous assessment of India’s economy that ignores the human development indicators or the condition of the micro, medium and small-scale enterprises, joblessness or unemployment or nutrition levels among vast sections of Indians, this second special story actually states that, “ Hindenburg Research’s report on Adani could be a possible attempt by a foreign enemy in a bid to derail the country’s growth engine. 

In typical RSS style, it has pulled out of context one sentence from an otherwise detailed crisp and balanced report in the prestigious magazine. This paragraph from the report would give readers the real picture: “Mr. Adani is widely regarded as a master operator, with a genius for navigating the complicated legal and political landscape of Indian capitalism. Some investors have, though, occasionally expressed concerns about his group’s governance and opaque finances. That is the focus of Hindenburg’s report. It describes a complex network of funds and shell companies, some based in Mauritius, which interact with 578 subsidiaries spread through the seven publicly listed firms. Last year, Hindenburg claims, these entities engaged in 6,025 related-party transactions.” However, the mouthpiece of the RSS has cleverly used Economist’s tweet: https://twitter.com/TheEconomist/status/1619657503704326145
“The episode has drawn the world’s attention to one of India’s corporate success stories—and a significant motor of the country’s recent economic growth”

Meanwhile the woes for Adani only grow. Not only has the conglomerate been pulled off the listed companies in the US exchange, the Credit Swisse and Citibank are expressing serious concerns in further bankrolling the outfit. A pending contact with France remains unsigned even as a big-ticket power deal with Adani power and our neighbor Bangladesh is seriously under scrutiny. The Daily Star, a prominent newspaper from Bangladesh recently published an article, stating that “ The 25-year power import deal with Adani “is hardly favourable for Bangladesh.”. This was on January 4, 2023 21 days before the Hindenburg expose, lest the conspiracy theorists jump in. The 25-year-old deal is being seen as possible because of the Narendra Modi administration’s patronization of the tycoon and the current leadership’s cozying up to New Delhi. The Daily Star says states, “Whether this power import from Adani Godda Coal-Fired Power Plant would be beneficial for Bangladesh has been in discussion for a while now. The Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA), in its 2018 report titled “Adani Godda power project: Too expensive, too late, and too risky for Bangladesh,” dubbed this power import as “too expensive and a poor strategic fit for Bangladesh.” According to its analysis, the reason for this relatively higher price is, instead of the local coal, Adani will use the coal imported from its stranded Carmichael coal mine in Australia. The imported coal will then be transported for 700km by railway from the seaport to the Godda Power Plant in the Jharkhand state of India. And all these costs will be passed on to Bangladesh, thanks to the favourable power purchase agreement for Adani.” The newspaper commented on a Washinton Post Particle writing on “”How political will often favours a coal billionaire and his dirty fossil fuel.” In this report, the Adani Group’s coal power export agreement with Bangladesh has been highlighted as an example of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s extraordinary patronage for the conglomerate, which has even crossed the borders. Citing a source from the Indian foreign ministry, the report mentioned that, during his first visit to Bangladesh in June 2015, Modi asked Bangladesh to “facilitate the entry of Indian companies in the power generation, transmission and distribution sector of Bangladesh,” one of the beneficiaries of which is the Adani Group. The Indian government however claims that the power import deal signed afterwards with Adani, on the basis of unsolicited proposals under the controversial Quick Enhancement of Electricity and Energy Supply (Special Provision) Act, 2010, and is beneficial for Bangladesh (Prothom Alo, June 10, 2015), after having the confidential 163-page power purchase agreement reviewed by three industry analysts, The Washington Post concluded that “the 25-year Godda deal is hardly favourable for Bangladesh.” Reason ? “First, Bangladesh must pay Adani Power Plant roughly USD 450 million a year in capacity and maintenance charges, regardless of whether it generates any electricity, which is very high by the industry standards. Second, the coal to fuel the power plant will be transported on an Adani-owned ship from Australia to an Adani-owned port in eastern India, then it will be transported to the plant on a stretch of Adani-built railway. The electricity generated will be sent to the border through an Adani-built high-voltage transmission line. As per the contract, shipping and transmission costs will be fully passed on to Bangladesh. Third, while other agreements with foreign power suppliers include clauses that would put a cap on the prices Bangladesh would pay if the cost of coal crossed a certain threshold, the Adani agreement stipulates that Bangladesh will pay the market price, according to The Washington Post report.”

From Lucknow to Vizag to Dacca and Paris, the deals that this powerful and spawning company is signing up are coming up for ethical questioning. Yet for the IT cell trolls and the RSS organizer acting in cohorts the questioning is a sign of a questionable patriotism. The battle is so much about propaganda rather than facts; time will tell which side triumphs.

#HindenburgExposed
Mr. Ravish Kumar – Anti India Journalist was fired after Adani takes over NDTV.

After that He visited New York for 1 month.
During the stay of 1-month Ravish Kumar visited Hindenburg new york office 7 times. Each meeting lasted for avg 2 hrs.
1/n

— Arun Rane ॐ (@ArunRane9) February 4, 2023

Some of the scurrilous tweets by the far right;

https://mobile.twitter.com/#HindenburgExposed Mr. Ravish Kumar – Anti India Journalist was fired after Adani takes over NDTV. After that He visited New York for 1 month. During the stay of 1-month Ravish Kumar visited Hindenburg New York office 7 times. Each meeting lasted for avg 2 hrs. 1/n

#HindenburgExposed
Mr. Ravish Kumar – Anti India Journalist was fired after Adani takes over NDTV.

After that He visited New York for 1 month.
During the stay of 1-month Ravish Kumar visited Hindenburg new york office 7 times. Each meeting lasted for avg 2 hrs.
1/n

— Arun Rane ॐ (@ArunRane9) February 4, 2023

The long message is circulating on the WhatsApp, a copy of that is posted by many people on twitter as a thread of tweets. This thread of tweets is one of them: 

Industrialist Azim Premji, the owner of Wipro Company, has come under the radar of Indian investigative agencies. Modi has taken the conspiracy against Adani very seriously.
Azim Premji’s companies and the educational institutes he runs are on the radar of Indian intelligence and

— Jyotilaxmi Nambiar Kurup (@PanchvatiNasik) February 6, 2023

We Hindus respect and adore people like, Azim Premji. But, do you know, he is one of the biggest financier for all Left-Liberal, anti-Hindu media. His personal trust nurtures anti-national elements in our country. Similar funding is being done by Murthi/Tatas

We Hindus respect and adore people like, Azim Premji. But, do you know, he is one of the biggest financier for all Left-Liberal, anti-Hindu media. His personal trust nurtures anti-national elements in our country. Similar funding is being done by Murthi/Tatas @JaipurDialogues

— R K U (@rajekup) February 7, 2023

Azim Premji stories are now circulating in WA groups, people are waking up to mentality of these people, from Bollywood to Business. 

Azim Premji stories are now circulating in WA groups, people are waking up to mentality of these people, from Bollywood to Business. pic.twitter.com/xnK99m3J8m

— AJ’s?? (@ajaysapra) February 6, 2023

I’m glad Wipro couldn’t find traction. Azim Premji funds many initiatives to break India. Wipro group should go bankrupt in near future. 

I’m glad Wipro couldn’t find traction. Azim Premji funds many initiatives to break India. Wipro group should go bankrupt in near future.

— Ankur ?️ (@GaikwadAnkur) February 7, 2023

Thank you so much to all the donors of IPSMF! Just because of your funding, this Arfa and others are able to create propaganda which now even Pakistanis are sharing against India! Thank you, Azim Premji, and Nilekani family for leading IPSMF!

Thank you so much to all the donors of IPSMF! Just because of your funding, this Arfa and others are able to create propaganda which now even Pakistanis are sharing against India!

Thank you Azim Premji and Nilekani family for leading IPSMF! https://t.co/TfMhZbNXFA

— Vijay Patel?? (@vijaygajera) February 6, 2023

This insane conspiracy theory about the Adani allegations is doing the rounds on WhatsApp. pic.twitter.com/UKo47v4mDk

— IndiaExplained (@IndiaExplained) February 7, 2023

Leftists and urban naxals..they get fund from azim premji, George Soros wtc

— kiran gowda (@Byrapuraa) February 7, 2023

Leftists and urban naxals..they get fund from azim premji, George Soros wtc

— kiran gowda (@Byrapuraa) February 7, 2023

It’s Azim Premji…

I m also shocked..

Ultimately M will M..

Never be an Indian by heart. https://t.co/BhJYPvizZP

— Laser Blade (@1963Atul) February 7, 2023

@Wipro, is this how Azim Premji works? Ask him not to be Gulfam Hasan. Why betraying such a beautiful country that has given so much respect to him?

— Mandar (Jai Hind)?? (@Mandar_JaiHind) February 7, 2023

No doubt! Does the Govt not know that? .@AmitShahOffice @jsaideepak Only recently we all saw how funding to destroy @AdaniOnline was provided by Azim Premji.

— Deejee (@Deejee01011945) February 6, 2023

Azim Premji is one of biggest philanthropist of India.

Besides IPSMF, which promotes public spirited media like TheWire Caravan AltNews Art14 ThePrint, Harsh Mander’s NGO CES receives more than 50% of its grants from big hearted Premji. pic.twitter.com/eql6oEkU6X

— The Hawk Eye (@thehawkeyex) February 6, 2023

Thank you so much to all the donors of IPSMF! Just because of your funding, this Arfa and others are able to create propaganda which now even Pakistanis are sharing against India!

Thank you Azim Premji and Nilekani family for leading IPSMF! pic.twitter.com/Nmf3zYV2qG

— Gaurav (@Gaurav44997252) February 6, 2023

Used to admire ethics of Azim Premji, however this changes everything… https://t.co/6UH16Qy8AM

— Redkesh (@Observer511) February 6, 2023

Used to respect azim premji a lot its sad to see him turning out to be such a madharchod

— Now (@Still_now_) February 6, 2023

Hindi tweets against Azim Premji:

क्या सच में अजीम प्रेमजी के एनजीओ अदानी ग्रुप के पीछे षडयंत्र कर रहे थे? #अदानी #AdaniFiles #Adani #AdaniGroup #wipro #azimpremji #HindenburgExposed https://t.co/PnOnlbLgin pic.twitter.com/UUsjf7ie6e

— Manish Kumar Gupta (@ManishGupta_FCA) February 6, 2023

भारत में एक स्वयंसेवी संस्थान है, जिसका नाम नेशनल फाउंडेशन फॉर इंडिया (NFI) है। इसे भी सोरोस, फोर्ड फाउंडेशन, रॉकफेलर, ओमिड्यार, बिल गेट्स, अजीम प्रेमजी की कंपनी फंड करती है। अजीम की कंपनी कुछ अन्य कंपनियों को भी फंड करती है, जो सरकार के खिलाफ सुनियोजित तरीके से अभियान चलाते हैं pic.twitter.com/UHwURQl5nt

— Himanshu Mishra ?? (@himanshulive07) February 3, 2023

अजीम प्रेमजी के नेतृत्व में एक एनजीओ IPSMF शुरू हुआ, जो Altnews, The Wire, The Caravan, The News Minute, आदि भारत विरोधी प्रोपोगंडा समाचार वेबसाइटों को फंड करता है।
“सीमा चिश्ती” एनएफआई” में मीडिया फेलोशिप सलाहकार हैं।
ये द वायर में संपादक हैं।
कारवां के लिए आर्टिकल लिखती हैं ?

— Bhupender ? विश्व हिंदू परिषद? (@Bhupend83259663) February 4, 2023

द वायर का सोरोस, फोर्ड, बिल गेट्स, अजीम प्रेमजी, ओमिडयार और रॉकफेलर द्वारा वित्तपोषित एनएफआई के साथ एक विशेष गठजोड़ है। pic.twitter.com/Wa81SAdlGA

— Narayana value Funds (@value_funds) February 2, 2023

मोदी के खिलाफ षड्यंत्र हो रहा है यह मैंने उसी दिन कह दिया था जिस दिन अडानी के शेयर को बुरी तरह से झटका लगा था. आज एक विस्तृत रिपोर्ट आई है आप भी पढ़ें विप्रो कंपनी के मालिक उद्योगपति अजीम प्रेमजी भारतीय जांच एजेंसियों के रडार पर आ गए हैं….1. https://t.co/qBrIUCz7zl

— CA Rajkumar Dohare (@DohareCa) February 6, 2023

विप्रो कंपनी के मालिक उद्योगपति अजीम प्रेमजी भारतीय जांच एजेंसियों के रडार पर आ गए हैं। अडानी के खिलाफ साजिश को मोदी ने बहुत गंभीरता से लिया है। अजीम प्रेमजी की कंपनियां और उनके द्वारा चलाए जाने वाले शैक्षणिक संस्थान भारतीय खुफिया और केंद्रीय जांच ब्यूरो के रडार पर हैं।

— Tushar dave (@Tushard61233069) February 6, 2023

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The post UP cancels Adani’s tenders even as RSS’ Organiser inspires a social media onslaught alleging a conspiracy against ‘Adani brand of nationalism’ appeared first on SabrangIndia.

A video has been gaining attention on social media wherein RSS Pracharak, Ishwar Lal can be heard spewing hate against the religious minorities in India, especially the Muslim community. The said speech was given by Lal at a Trishul Deeksha event, held in Lohwat, Rajasthan. The speech, link for which is attached below, makes several offensives statements against the minority communities, encourage problematic and divisive mentalities and give a communal and divisive touch to our history and present. At many points, the speaker has unfairly brought in the culture of Islam and made hateful statements regarding the traditions of Muslims, and calls for the boycott of Halal products. The said event was organized by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal. Ishwar Lal is also the Sanghatan Mantri of the VHP.  

Through this speech, Lal had dehumanised Muslims, made misleading and provocative statements, and also made the unlawful and provocative calls for converting 30,000 mosques into temples, all with the aim of pushing the exclusionary agenda of Hindutva outfits. 

The speech 

Ishwar Lal begins with his communal diatribe by bringing in the baseless issue of temples demolished in the past, and says, “Bharat ke Andar tees hazar mandir hai jin ko todh kar unke upar kya bana die Masjide. Kitni Sankhya hai? 30,000. (Thirty thousand temples in India were destroyed and mosques were built on them. What is the number? 30,000.)”

He then provokes his audience by saying, “Bolo wapis mandir banana hai ki nahi banana hai? Ram jika toh bana diya, lekin abhi 30,000 baaki hai unko mandir banana hai. (Do you want to convert them back to temples or not? We made the Ram temple, but still, 30,000 temples remain. We have to convert them into temples.)” Wapis apna sthan hum ko lena hai. Aur uska naam hai Bajrang Dal. [We have to take back our lands. The name (of the organisation) is Bajrang Dal]

Lal then brings in the issue of citizenship and says, “Pakistan aur Bangladesh se bhagae hue Hinduyonko India mei Nagrikta milna chahie ya nahi milna chahie? Nagrikta dilane wale sangathan ka naam hai Bajrang Dal. (Hindus who were thrown out of Pakistan and Bangladesh should get citizenship in India or not? the name of the organization that will help them get citizenship is Bajrang Dal.)”

Continuing with his misinformed statement, Lal says, “Yeh jo humare desh ke aaju baaju ke bhaaghai- yeh Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangadesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Sumantra, Java, Indonesia, Malayasia- yeh sab kiske the? Humare the. (The countries that are in our neighborhood, like Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Sumantra, Java, Indonesia, Malayasia- who did they belong to? They were ours.)” “Humari kamzoori ke karan tut tut ke alag ho gaye. Bolo inn hisso ko wapis lena hai ya nahi lena? Bhujao mei dum paida karna hoga. Yaad rakhna, majboot banoge toh hisse wapis aenge. (They were divided because of our weaknesses. Do you want to take them back or not? We need to strengthen ourselves. Remember, these parts will only come back if we are strong)”

Then, pushing the exclusionary and divisive agenda of Hindutva outfits, Lal then says, “Desh ko akhand banana wale sanghathan ka naam hai Bajrang Dal. (The name of the organization that will work towards uniting these parts is Bajrang Dal.)”

Attacking the minorities and the secular essence encouraged by our Constitution, Lal says, “Ghar mei kutta ata hai, billi ghuss jaati hai. Aur kayi ghar mei toh Muslim aur Isaiyon ko laa laakar tum bithate ho. Jo mandir ko todhta hai jo gae ko marta hai. Gaeka maas khata hai. (We allow dogs and cats inside our house. And in many homes, you all allow Muslims and Christians. The ones who broke our temples. The one who kills our cows. The one who eats cows.)”

Referring to the existing caste system and the Hindutva motivated agenda of forced conversions, Lal says, “Daadhi rakhta hai aur Muche saaf karta hai, usko tum ghar mei laake bithate ho. Aur humare jaati kabhai, jogae ki pooja karta hai, ghar mei diya jalata hai, tirth yatra karta hai, who humare ghar mei nahi aa sakta. (He keeps a beard but not a moustache. You make them sit in your homes. But our brothers of the same caste, who worships the cow, blow an earthen candle, and go on a religious pilgrimage, can’t visit our homes.)” 

“Mandir mei nahi jaa sakta. Godhi par nahi beth sakta. Samshaan Ghat par hum usse ghusne nahi dete. Bolo yahi aisi maan sikta hui, toh yeh varn humse tut karudhar jaega ya nahi jaega? (Cannot enter temples. Cannot sit on a horse. We do not let them enter our cremation ground. If we keep such a mentality, then this section will go away from us or not?)”

Making more exclusionary and offensive statements, Lal says, “Aur iska andar Muslim ghussghuss ke bolo ‘Jai Bheem aur Jai Meem’ ke naare lagate hai ya nahi lagate? Bheem toh humari hi tha, yeh ‘Meem’ kaha se aagaya beech mei? (And Muslims will get into [these groups] and raise the slogan of ‘Jai Bheem Jai Meem’, don’t they? Bheem was our own, but where did these ‘Meem’ (Muslims) come from?)”

Pushing their agenda of ban on Halal and Halal products, the speaker then says, “Bharat ke andar Halal khareedte ho. Halal likhi hui cheez ko mat lena. Varna uska paisa kisko milta hai? Musalmaano ko milta hai. Usko bandh karwane wale sangathan ka naam kya hai? Bajrang Dal. (You buy Halal products. Never buy products that are ‘Halal’. Who gets that money? It goes to Muslims. What’s the name of the organization that stops this? Bajrang Dal.)”

Bringing in another issue communalized by the Hindu outfits, Lal says that, “Jansankhya niyantran ka anon lagu karna padega. Nahi toh yeh phir mandir tut jaenge. Jansankya niyantran kaanon lagu karwane wale sangathan ka naam kyahai? Bajrang Dal.(Population control bill has to be enacted. Otherwise, the temples will against be destroyed. The organization that will help enact the Population Control law is Bajrang Dal.)”

The speech ends with the speaker promoting the idea of establishing a Hindu nation and says, “Bharat ko Hindu rashtra banana wali sangathan ki kalpana leke jo chal rahe hai uss sangathan ka naam hai Bajrang Dal. (The organization that will made Indian a Hindu nation is Bajrang Dal.)”

The video can be viewed here:

Location: Lohawat, Rajasthan
Event: Trishul Deeksha
Organizer: Vishwa Hindu Parishad & Bajrang Dal

RSS Pracharak & VHP Sangathan Mantri Ishwar Lal delivers hate speech; dehumanizes Muslims, calls for converting 30,000 mosques into temples & boycott of Halal products. pic.twitter.com/4puOYifpMp

— HindutvaWatch (@HindutvaWatchIn) January 21, 2023

Previous Instances of hate speech by IshwarLal

Ishwar  Lal is a repeat offender and hate speech on his Youtube channel has been reported by CJP and taken down by YouTube in the past. At another event held in the month of January, near Rajasthan, a video gained attentionon social media wherein Ishwar Lal can be heard making stunning, provocative claims in a speech laced with disinformation. The entire thirty nine minute of the speech is replete with hate speech against minorities, egregious lies, and occasional misogyny and deliberate fear-mongering. He raises familiar bogeys of ‘Love Jihad’ and reiterates disinformation like Muslims brought untouchability to India and that with rising population Muslims will take over temples from Hindus in the coming decades. 

Several ‘Trishul’ distribution programs have apparently taken place in rural Jodhpur, some of which have been addressed by Ishwar Lal. These incidents are said to have taken place in Balesar, Rampura, Odiyan, and Dechu, among other places.

CJP has also alerted and complained to authorities in Rajasthan on this disturbing trend over past weeks all over the state as they have the potential of not just causing social disharmony but also disrupting harmonious relations within villages and towns. Apart from all else, they render the minority community vulnerable to stigma, ghettoisation and even physical attack.

Related:

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Maharashtra: At Shaurya Path Sanchalan event, Shankar Gaikar makes anti-Muslim statements

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The post Yet again, hate-filled speech delivered by RSS man, Ishwar Lal: Rajasthan appeared first on SabrangIndia.

It was ‘Constitution Day’ once again on 26 November, as the nation remembered with profound gratitude the day in 1949, on which the Constituent Assembly ‘adopted, enacted and gave to ourselves’ a meaningful Constitution.

The day was also a reminder that ‘Constitution Day’ for the citizens of India cannot be relegated to just one day- it has to be observed every single day; and secondly, the Constitution belongs to ‘we, the people of India’ and we should never allow it to be desecrated by anyone at any time!

Setting the tone for the day, was a momentous address delivered by the Chief Justice of India, DY Chandrachud in the Supreme Court of India. CJI Chandrachud who took over the reins of the Apex Court just a couple of weeks earlier began his address by stating that the Constitution of India was a social contract between those historically in power and those who had been marginalised.

Highlighting the need to enhance the representation of marginalised communities in the legal profession, he said:
“The story of the Indian constitution is not just a story of legal text but is a story of human struggles and sacrifices, on undoing the injustices against the marginalised communities of society– the women, the Dalits and the disabled. The marginalised were the first to bring ideas or equality and liberty in the Indian law. The first wave of resistance against colonial power came from indigenous communities.”

He went on to add:
“It is essential that the judiciary reaches out to the people and not to expect the people to reach out to the judiciary. The infrastructure of technology must not be dismantled. Though the Supreme Court is located at Tilak Marg, it is the Supreme Court for the entire nation.

“The virtual access has made it possible for lawyers to argue cases from their own places. As a CJI, I am looking to adopt technology in listing of cases and court hearings, which will help to weed out institutional flaws such as delay in listing and hearing.”

In doing so, he gave a clearly direction to the judiciary and of course reiterated the fact that the Constitution belongs to ‘we the people of India!’
This address was not a one-off from CJI Chandrachud! In February 2019, delivering the Justice KT Desai Memorial Lecture at the Bombay High Court on ‘Why Constitution Matters’, he strongly said:

“The people who work the constitution may go terribly wrong and sometimes they do as when we jail a cartoonist for sedition or when jail instead of bail is given to a blogger who is critical of our religious architecture. When a mob lynches a person for the food that she or he eats it is the constitution which is lynched.

“When we deny to human beings the power of lover for reasons of religion or caste it is the constitution which is made to weep. That is exactly what happened yesterday when a groom belonging to the Dalit community was asked to climb down from a horse in a wedding procession. Let’s make no two bones about it. It is the constitution which weeps when we read of such incidents”.

A year later, in February 2020 striking a similar note at the Justice P.D. Desai Memorial Lecture at the Gujarat High Court, he said:
“When the Constituent Assembly was called to decide the fate of separate electorates in independent India, they decided that its inclusion was not essential to and even contrary to the requirements of a pluralistic society.

“They rejected separate electorates and dismissed the relevance of numerical disadvantage in a polity. The framers of the Constitution rejected the notion of a Hindu India and a Muslim India. They recognised only the Republic of India…

“Protecting dissent is but a reminder that while democratically elected governments offer us a legitimate tool for development and social coordination, they can never claim a monopoly over the values and identities that define our plural society… Inherent in the liberal promise of the Constitution is a commitment to a plurality of opinion.

“A legitimate government committed to deliberate dialogue does not seek to restrict political contestation but welcomes it…. taking democracy seriously requires us to respond respectfully to the intelligence of others and to participate vigorously, but as an equal in determining how we should live together.”
All this was in the wake of massive anti-CAA protests all over India!

Interestingly, in August 2022, just three months before he became CJI, Justice Chandrachud at the 11th Convocation Ceremony of the OP Jindal Global University Delhi said:

“Our constitutional culture does not maintain itself. It is for each one of us citizens to participate in the slow but vital task every day of transforming our Constitution from a charter of ideals to a reflection of reality… The judiciary has a greater role to play in promoting social democracy. However, the quest for a constitutional culture is not limited to the courtroom or black letter of the law.”

Invoking Dr BR Ambedkar, he described social democracy as a way of life that recognizes social liberty, equality and fraternity as the principles of life.
CJI Chandrachud seems to be wedded to ‘Constitution Matters’ and rightly so, which should be a non-negotiable for anyone professing to be part of the legal fraternity. Seventy-three years ago on 26 November 1949, the Constituent Assembly of India adopted and gave to “we, the people” a landmark Constitution which is the only sacred book of every Indian citizen; it is a bulwark of fundamental rights and directive principles, which are a prerequisite for any healthy democracy.

The Preamble, with its emphasis on justice, liberty, equality and fraternity and its commitment to India being and remaining a ‘sovereign socialist secular democratic republic’ spells out the vision and the intrinsic character of a unique Constitution.

Thanks to the vision of the women and men of the Constituent Assembly, we can take genuine pride in a Constitution which is forward-looking and all-embracing and which respects the pluralistic fabric of the country.

After many years of having and being guided by a masterpiece of a Constitution, unbelievable events have been unfolding in India in the recent past. Since 2014, the sanctity of the Constitution is being systematically destroyed and CJI Chandrachud has been on-target referring to them and for the need of judicial reform.

The current regime seems to have left no stone unturned to destroy the independence and the autonomous functioning of several Constitutional and other statutory bodies. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Enforcement Directorate (ED) the National Investigating Agency (NIA) have become ‘caged parrots.

The army has been compromised and the police have been taught to kowtow to those who have rendered them spineless! All these agencies, together with the Income Tax Department, are systematically used (rather, abused) to throttle voices of dissent and anyone who stands up for truth and justice! The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is browbeaten to bend backwards to cater to the whims and fancies of a Government that has sent the country into a downward economic spiral!

Media, the fourth pillar of a vibrant democracy, has been made largely impotent, completely godified! Other important bodies, like the Information Commission, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and even the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) have been made toothless and filled with pliable henchmen!

The Election Commission of India has become a pawn in the hands of the Government. On 24 November, a five-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Justice KM Joseph, reserved its verdict on a batch of pleas seeking a collegium-like system for the appointment of ECs and the Chief Election Commissioner and asked the parties to file written submission in five days.

During the hearing the bench made some strong remarks questioning if the Election Commission was actually an independent body. It had a pointed “hypothesis” for the central government: “Do you think the Election Commissioner… if he’s asked to take on none less than the Prime Minister — it’s just an example — and he doesn’t come around to doing it: Will it not be a case of complete breakdown of the system?”

Ambedkar insisted on giving up the grammar of anarchy, avoiding hero-worship, and  work towards a social – not just political – democracy

The Apex Court said the Election Commission is “supposed to be completely insulated”, and referred to how the government had spoken of appointing “a man of character”; it noted that, “character consists of various components… one particular characteristic required is independence”.

The current Election Commission has demonstrated how partial it is : instead of announcing the dates of voting to the Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat Assemblies at the same time, it deferred the announcing of the Gujarat election dates till early November, only after the Prime Minister had completed his manipulative tasks of ribbon-cutting and inauguration of some populist schemes in Gujarat!

There are several other efforts being made to tamper with the Constitution, to negate its essence (justice, liberty, equality and fraternity) and to destroy some of the key dimensions of its democratic framework (sovereign, secular socialist), which are deeply interwoven into the pluralistic fabric of Indian society.

The current BJP/RSS combine, including some of their ministers and leading functionaries have often gone on record saying that once they have the pre-requisite numbers in Parliament, they will have no qualms of conscience to change fundamentals of the Constitution like that of ‘secularism’ and equal rights for all.

There are consistent proclamations for the establishment of a ‘Hindu State’ by 2025 (the centenary of the RSS); the annihilation of the minorities particularly the Muslims and Christians; ‘lynching’ of minorities is the ‘new normal’. There is talk of a ‘Common Civil Code’, of a national anti-conversion law and that the rights of the minorities guaranteed in the Constitution should be scrapped immediately!

There is the anti-Constitutional Citizenship Amendment Act; the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A where Kashmir is concerned.; labour codes which favour the corporates; thanks to the farmers agitation, the anti-farmer policies, are for the time being, in cold storage. The proposed Adani port in Vizhinjam Kerala will affect the livelihood of more than 56,000 fisher folk!

The Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) is used selectively to target dissenters and human rights defenders who stand up for truth and justice on behalf of the exploited and excluded of the country! Governors of States, instead of safe-guarding the Constitution, have begun ‘yes-men’ of the regime! The list of anti-Constitutional policies and acts are endless!

On the eve of the enactment of the Constitution, 25 November 1949, in a passionate speech to the Constituent Assembly, Dr BR Ambedkar, the father of our Constitution, gave three unambiguous warnings: the need to give up the grammar of anarchy, to avoid hero-worship, and to work towards a social – not just a political – democracy!

Ambedkar was, at that time, perhaps visioning what India could become in 2022, and how these three aspects could not only destroy all that was sacred in the Constitution, but could result in the dismantling of the democratic framework which a new resurgent India was just born into and committed to!
Ambedkar said:

“If we wish to maintain democracy not merely in form, but also in fact, what must we do? The first thing in my judgement we must do is to hold fast to constitutional methods of achieving our social and economic objectives…. where constitutional methods are open, there can be no justification for (..) unconstitutional methods. These methods are nothing but the Grammar of Anarchy and the sooner they are abandoned, the better for us.

“The second thing we must do is to observe the caution which John Stuart Mill has given to all who are interested in the maintenance of democracy, namely, not “to lay their liberties at the feet of even a great man, or to trust him with power which enable him to subvert their institutions in politics, Bhakti or hero-worship is a sure road to degradation and to eventual dictatorship.

“The third thing we must do is not to be content with mere political democracy. We must make our political democracy a social democracy as well. Political democracy cannot last unless there lies at the base of it, social democracy”.
Ambedkar added:

“Will history repeat itself? It is this thought, which fills me with anxiety. This anxiety is deepened by the realisation of the fact that in addition to our old enemies in the form of castes and creeds, we are going to have many political parties with diverse and opposing political creeds. Will Indians place the country above their creed or above their country?

“I do not know, but this much is certain that if the parties place creed above country, our independence will be put in jeopardy a second time and probably be lost forever. This eventuality we all must resolutely guard against. We must be determined to defend our independence with the last drop of our blood!”
Ambedkar’s final words in that path breaking speech, sums up his views on the measure of responsibility owed to preserve the idea of India, as envisioned in the Constitution:

“If we wish to preserve the Constitution in which we have sought to enshrine the principle of Government of the people, for the people and by the people, let us resolve not to be tardy in the recognition of the evils that lie across our path and which induce people to prefer Government for the people to Government by the people, nor to be weak in our initiative to remove them. . That is the only way to serve the country. I know of no better.”

“We, the People of India”, must pledge to and actually fight the fascist and fundamental forces who are destroying the sanctity of our Constitution. We can no longer sit in silence and in our comfort zones; we must rise as one people: our Constitution is all that matters; it belongs to us! In the words of Ambedkar “we are determined to defend it with the last drop of our blood”!

*Human rights & peace activist/writer

Courtesy: https://www.counterview.net

The post Hindu state by 2025? BJP-RSS ‘will have no qualms’ in changing basics of Constitution appeared first on SabrangIndia.

The Kannada language author of the path-breaking novella Kusumabale, and writer of several short stories, Devanura Mahadeva, one of Karnataka’s most prominent public intellectuals has now brought us The RSS-The Long and Short of It, a work endorsed by renowned author, Geetanjali Sree with an introduction and afterward by Ramchandra Guha and Yogendra Yadav respectively. This book, translated by S.R. Ramakrishna into English is now available.

[Devanur Mahadeva, The RSS- The Long & Short of It– available in English; Price Rs 199; to obtain a copy of the book, contact publishers Abhiruchi Prakashan Mysore -99 80 56 00 13]

Respected for his work with not just Dalits and Adivasis, but forging links with seminal struggles for democratic and minority rights, the publication of this pamphlet in July first drew the predictable abuse from the trolls and their mentors, in a failed attempt to discredit the author and the book. Devanur Mahadeva is a particular sore eye for the right because of his vocal advocacy of inter-faith harmony. Recently, when a socio economic boycott of Muslims selling halal meet was sought to be incited, Mahadeva displayed his public commitment to constitutional values by going to a market in Mysuru to buy halal meat!

How the RSS and HMS endorse caste

The text begins with quotations from MS Golwalkar and VD Savarkar, two major ideologues who have shaped political Hinduism, Hindutva. The quotations, earlir analysed by Sabrangindia, show Golwalkar not just justifying the caste system and its in-built hierarchies, on the grounds that they have scriptural sanction, but uncritically rooting for a society based on this brazen inequity. There is also Savarkar urging worship of the Manusmriti, notwithstanding the fact that its endorsement of caste and gender inequalities is so antithetical to the Indian Constitution. The Savarkar quote chosen by Mahadeva is revealing:

“Manusmriti is that scripture which is most worshipable after Vedas for our Hindu Nation and which from ancient times has become the basis of our culture-customs, thought and practice. This book for centuries has codified the spiritual and divine march of our nation. Even today the rules which are followed by crores of Hindus in their lives and practice are based on Manusmriti. Today Manusmriti is Hindu Law. That is fundamental.”

Golwalkar, the RSS’ major ideologue –with publications like We Or Our Nationhood Defined (the first, 1947 edition is available on Sabrangindia) and Bunch of Thoughts, calls the federal system of a union of states “poisonous”, urging instead a unitary political system based on the homogenising principle of “One Country, One State, One Legislature, One Executive’’.

Read Sabrangindia’s Exlusive, In Defence of Caste & against Cross-Breeding, 2016 in which, Golwalkar is defending Caste. In the course of a speech given in Gujarat, he then said:
 
 “Today we try to run down the Varna system through ignorance. But it was through this system that a great effort to control possessiveness could be made…In society some people are intellectuals, some are expert in production and earning of wealth and some have the capacity to labour. Our ancestors saw these four broad divisions in the society. The Varna systemmeans nothing else but a proper co-ordination of these divisions and an enabling of the individual to serve the society to the best of his ability through a hereditary development of the functions for which he is best suited. If this system continues a means of livelihood is already reserved for every individual from his birth.”

[M. S. Golwalkar cited in Organizer, January 2, 1961, pp. 5 & 16. He had been invited in 1960 to address the students of the School of Social Science of Gujarat University on December 17, 1960]  

While none of this is unknown, per se, the political coming of age and to power of the Sangh,  has dimmed its wider dissemination, of late. Timely as this work then is, is the fact that Devanura Mahadeva draws our attention to the banality of what passes for thinking in the RSS. While the seminal political text to guide the re-organisation of the Indian state is We Or Our Nationhood Defined, efforts by the RSS to post facto “disown” it when they own up in toto to Golwalkar, takes is to his second work, Bunch of Thoughts. This is a book of Golwalkar’s entitled Bunch of Thoughts. Mahedeva writes, “If you look inside this book for anything that could be considered a ‘thought’, or ‘chintane’, you will find absolutely nothing. What it offers is only a set of random, dangerous beliefs, and that too from a bygone time.” (Having read the book several times myself, I entirely concur with this judgment). The RSS’s ideology is so narrow-minded that, as Mahadeva remarks, “forget about anyone else, no sensible Brahmin even can accept this devilish view of the past that the RSS presents”.

Mahadeva is a self-proclaimed defender of the Indian Constitution. For all the lip service leaders of the RSS and BJP pay to that document, in truth they are deeply averse to its core tenets such as pluralism, caste and gender equality, freedom of speech, and federalism. Mahadeva goes so far as to suggest that “the more they damage the Indian Constitution, the more victorious they feel.”

He continues: “To destroy the Constitution, the RSS and its affiliates are committing unspeakable acts. They are playing games they shouldn’t be playing. And not just one or two! They are waging a war to overturn the federalism that binds the states and the union government, and that constitutes the bedrock of the Constitution.”

Mahadeva acidly remarks that since coming to power in 2014, “the BJP has offered Golwalkar its guru dakshina by burying federalism, by stifling to death the federal system that constitutes a critical part of the Constitution”.

Distortion and manipulation of history and fact, peddling stereotype, while using violence to generate a climate of perpetual insecurity and fear are their credos, the author states that “Falsehood is their family deity.” He de-constructs and analyses many distortions propagated in textbooks published by BJP Governments controlled by the RSS, which seek to prejudice the minds of our children with hatred for fellow citizens who do not happen to be Hindus.

Political Critique

Mahadeva also analyses how a degeneration of political parties and politics have allowed the RSS and the BJP to foster roots and grow: “When you look at India’s political parties, these are the facets you see: 1) single-person led party (2) family-controlled party (3) a party led by an anti-Constitution organisation. All three are detrimental to democracy.”

Coming to contemporary times, since the RSS-led BJP government came to power at the centre in 2014, Mahadeva also talks of the promises made by the RSS pracharak Narendra Modi when he came to power, such as the return of black money, the doubling of farm incomes, the generation of millions of jobs. These promises have remained wholly unfulfilled. Instead, economic inequalities and disparities of wealth have grown alarmingly. Burgeoning crony capitalism spiralled by de-monetization that killed India’s informal sector and medium scale enterprises (MSMEs), only two corporate lords have benefitted this decimation during Modi’s prime ministership: Gautam Adani and Mukesh Ambani (both incidentally from the prime minister’s home state, Gujarat).

The ideological critique of the RSS and the BJP that constitutes the heart of the exercise… In the space of a few thousand words, Mahadeva lays bare the intrinsic authoritarianism, its casteism, and its majoritarianism of the RSS, BJP and its affiliates, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VJP) and Bajrang Dal (BD). Mahadeva’s work, easily readable is a much needed text to counter the political hegemonising by the RSS-BJP. Before assuming political power, the infiltration of men and women of this ideology into positions of governance enabled them to assume power; now they enable these forces to retain it.

Karnataka, Mahadeva’s home state has seen violent polarisation, hate politics and even attacks on minority cultural sites and places of worship, under the BJP. This state goes to the polls next year. If this politics of caste hegemony and majoritarianism is not checked, this would signal the decline or end of the region’s pluralist and humanist traditions. It is this imminent, lurking danger that leads Devanura Mahadeva to give out a gentle call to action, a plea to all those who oppose the RSS and the BJP to come together on a common platform to restore the foundations of the Republic and rescue it from being further ravaged by the fanatics on the Right. It is worth quoting his call at some length:

  “At least now, forward looking groups, organisations and parties should rise above being just little streams; they should flow collectively as one river. To be able to do that, they must abandon the unhealthy attitude of being pure and superior to others. They must give up their ego, and develop the humility to accept that hundreds of paths might exist for attaining an aim. They must put an end to their leadership squabbles. Rather than insist narrow-mindedly that they lead, or that their party lead, they must join a broad alliance to save federalism and the Indian Constitution and the diversity that is the life breath of India. They must come together to build a participatory democracy, where all citizens and communities participate, to create a culture that is tolerant, loving and free of distinctions of high and low.”

Related:

The Sangh’s Hypocrisy on Dalits, It’s Time to Read ‘Bunch of Thoughts’, Again!

Kerala Science Centre to be named after Golwalkar

The Ideology of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is both Hate-Ridden and Supremacist – Part 1

The post How the RSS’, Golwalkar, HMS’ Savarkar glorified caste: Devanur Mahadevan appeared first on SabrangIndia.

A video that went ‘viral’ of a group of men reportedly belonging to Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) conducting training within the premises of a corporation (civic body) school at RS Puram near Coimbatore on Sunday, October 9 has created yet another controversy in Tamil Nadu. The school headmaster has been sent a show cause notice. The RSS claimed it did not conduct any training inside the school and the volunteers were involved only in cleaning activity.

It was the members of Thanthai Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam (TPDK) that staged a protest in front of the school and raised slogans against corporation officials for allegedly providing permission for the RSS event, reported The Indian Express. Police personnel were deployed to prevent any untoward incident.

RSS ‘training’ at corporation school in Coimbatore sparks row, probe ordered
(Images: IE Tamil)

Read here: https://t.co/NQp5IF73ii pic.twitter.com/yLSRmRxOc8

— Express Chennai (@ie_chennai) October 10, 2022

General secretary of the TPDK K Ramakrishnan, said: “The government should immediately take action against the concerned officials. The government should take measures to prevent such camps of RSS from taking place anywhere at corporation schools or public places in the future.” The issue was and is the grant of permission for such a training within the school.

Commissioner of the Coimbatore Corporation, M Prathap told the. Indian Express that the civic body does not grant permission for any social, political or religious gathering in schools and also added that it is investigating the incident. He added that the school headmaster was sent a show cause notice in connection to the incident.

#WATCH || வீடியோ: கோவை அரசுப் பள்ளி வளாகத்தில் பயிற்சி நடத்திய ஆர்.எஸ்.எஸ்!

சட்டரீதியான நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கப்படும் என மாநகராட்சி ஆணையர் பிரதாப் தகவல். https://t.co/gkgoZMHWlc | #Coimbatore | #RSS | #tamilnadu pic.twitter.com/XZ5lT5onpY

— Indian Express Tamil (@IeTamil) October 10, 2022

Further, the RS Puram police registered a case against the people who allegedly trespassed into the school premises.

Meanwhile, the RSS, quick to have a defence, claimed it did not conduct any training inside the school. “No shakha (branch meeting) was held and the volunteers were involved only in cleaning activity and it is part of our annual seva event where volunteers clean public places and other institutions,” IE Tamil quoted an RSS member as saying.

RSS in Tamil Nadu

In fact, the past few weeks have seen several attempts by the RSS to establish itself in the public sphere within Dravidian Tamil Nadu. In fact, on October 2, to commemorate the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)  took out a massive rally in Puducherry.

A day after the Tamil Nadu government denied permission to the RSS to hold a rally on October 2, the Madras high court on Friday, September 30, said the rally can be held on November 6. The week before the high court had directed the state government to grant permission to the RSS to hold a rally on October 2. After the RSS was denied permission, despite the Madras High Court giving its nod for a rally, a contempt of court petition was moved. The petition was moved by Karthikeyan, joint secretary of RSS’s Thiruvallur unit, and hearing the same,

Widely reported in the media, including the Hindustan Times and the Indian Express, however, the government then approached the court, seeking a revision of the original order,  citing intelligence reports from central agencies indicating potential law and order problems. Meanwhile, the RSS’s Tiruvallur joint secretary R Karthikeyan also filed a contempt petition against officials and police for not granting permission for the rally despite the earlier court order.

The Madras high court finally directed Tamil Nadu police to grant permission to Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) for a march across 49 locations on November 6 and threatened to initiate contempt action against authorities if they violated the order.

A day before, on September 29, the state government had declined to grant permission for the march – initially scheduled for October 2 – even as a single judge bench of the court on September 22 gave its nod, with certain riders. October 2 is the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. The DMK-led state government refused to allow the march citing law-and-order concerns, in the wake of recent violence which erupted after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) raided the now-banned Popular Front of India (PFI) on September 22 and 27 and arrested several of its members.

Justice G K Ilanthiraiyan, who had passed the order on the rally last month, was listening to a contempt of court petition by R Karthikeyan, joint secretary of RSS’s Thiruvallur unit, on September 30, when it directed the state government and police to give permission and inform the court about the same by October 31. In his petition, Karthikeyan pointed out that denial of permission to hold the march was an act of contempt against the high court order.

If a decision is not taken or permission is not given, the court will take up the contempt application and proceed to pass orders, the judge warned.

“Your concern is with regard to October 2, which happens to be Gandhi Jayanthi day. In that case, the event can be allowed to take place on November 6,” the judge said. Before this, , state public prosecutor Hasan Mohammed Jinnah had informed the judge that about 52,000 police personnel were on the roads after September 22 to protect the life and liberty of citizens due to issues such as NIA raids, petrol bomb attacks and the ban on PFI. Multiple petrol bomb attacks were reported in the state against Bharatiya Janata Party and RSS members following the crackdown against the PFI.

However, senior advocate G Rajagopalan and advocate B Rabu Manohar, who represented the RSS, insistently cited a Supreme Court ruling to say that law and order problems can never be a reason to deny permission. The top court had made it clear it was for the authorities to maintain law and order, they said. Senior counsel S Prabakaran, who also appeared for the RSS, said the organisation need not suffer because of the ban on PFI. “Our submission was that when a high court has given a positive direction, how can an inspector of police not follow it…they are unable to obey a court order,” advocate Manohar said, referring to the September 22 order.

In response, representing the state, senior advocate NR Elango said the government received intelligence inputs from the Centre on possible law and order problems in view of the series of action against the PFI. The lives of the members of the general public is foremost important and the state cannot take any risk on their safety, Elango said.

The counsel, however, said police were willing to grant permission on any other day other than Gandhi Jayanthi on October 2.

It was after the RSS presented four alternative dates, the judge directed the police to grant permission on November 6 and adjourned the contempt petition to October 31. Before suggesting the alternate date, the judge concurred with the state government on the security situation, saying he was watching the ground reality and alleged threat due to the action against PFI.

Meanwhile, earlier on the same day, justice Ilanthiraiyan reserved orders on a petition filed by Thol Thirumavalan, MP and head of Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi’s (VCK), to recall the September 22 order on the march. VCK, an ally of the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), had sought permission for a “social harmony” human chain, as a way of opposing the RSS march on October 2, which was also rejected by the government.

The high court also suggested Thirumavalavan approach the Supreme Court with his plea. The top court is the right forum to deal with the issue, the judge said, when the writ petition from the Lok Sabha member came up for hearing. Thirumavalan, who met Tamil Nadu directorate general of police (DGP) Sylendra Babu later in the day, said: “The DGP said he would discuss with his department and let us know.” “There is an agenda behind the RSS selecting October 2 for their march,” he alleged. The state government had filed a petition on September 27 for a review of the order on September 22.

Despite all these multiple developments, the RSS did take out a rally in neighbouring  Puducherry after the Tamil Nadu government denied permission for the RSS rally. This was after the government under Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) denied permission to the rally of Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), Communist Part of India (CPI) and Communist Party of India Marxist (CPIM), all allies of the ruling DMK, on October 2, citing concerns over public safety and law and order. This came in the wake of recent violence which erupted after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) raided the Popular Front of India (PFI) on September 22 and 27 and subsequently put a ban on the organization and its affiliates. 

Speaking to the media on the issue, Narayanan Thirupathy of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said, “The DMK is uptight about the growth of the BJP and RSS. RSS always preaches discipline, control, etc, so these people are afraid of them. This is the only reason.” 

Related

Ubriddled hate and Islamophobia on display at RSS event

TN: Temples Becoming Launch Pads for Hindutva Propaganda, Increase in Govt Vigil Demanded

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Chennai: The Madras High Court on Thursday directed the Tamil Nadu police to grant permission to the RSS to conduct a state-wide march and musical procession on October 2.

The single bench of the Madras High court represented by Justice G.K. Ilanthiraiyan orally directed the state police to grant permission to the RSS march by September 28.

A group of RSS functionaries had approached court stating that the Tamil Nadu police was prejudiced against their organisation and was sitting on their request for granting permission to the march.

The petitioners said that the RSS was planning to conduct marches accompanied by musical processions only in 50 spots across the state and that the RSS was a nationalist organisation.

They also informed the court that the march has to be held on October 2 as it is a Sunday closest to the foundation day of the organisation, September 27. They also claimed that the date was also chosen as it was Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday also and the RSS was conducting the programme nationally.

The petitioners said that the march was intended for promoting communal and social harmony.

The petitioners also stated that no participant will carry any arms and that no inconvenience would be caused to the general public due to the march.

The state government in its argument said that the organisation had not given the exact details of the spots where the programme would be organised and hence the police was yet to grant a decision.

The single bench of the Madras High Court orally directed the state police to grant permission before September 28 to the programme with reasonable restrictions.

The court also said that it would give a detailed order on the petitions later.

Courtesy: The Daily Siasat

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