Archives for September 2018

Two intriguing exercises in U-turns are on at the moment. While Congress president Rahul Gandhi is trying to rid the Congress of its pro-Muslim image, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief, Mohan Bhagwat, is claiming that a Hindu “rashtra” (nation) will include Muslims as well.

Although Bhagwat did not specifically say so, it was obvious that the Muslims would not be treated as second-class citizens in a nation of Hindus as was decreed by M.S. Golwalkar, the second sarsanghchalak (head) of the RSS.

Are these changes for real or fake? If they are real, then both the Congress and the RSS can be said to be turning over a new leaf.

The formidable impact of such changes, especially the one in the RSS, on the social and political scene is obvious. In a way, it will be on the scale of Mikhail Gorbachev’s perestroika (restructuring) and glasnost (openness) which brought the communist Soviet Union into the capitalist world.

Will the RSS similarly break out of its earlier Hindu-centric mould for which it was accused by several judicial commissions of instigating communal riots and become secular?

However, the problem in the case of the RSS is that it is not alone. It is a part of a large brotherhood which includes the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), the Bajrang Dal, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and others.

Although the RSS is their mentor, it is not known whether it will be able to bring their thinking in line with its new, accommodative mode.

The task is bound to be difficult considering that the saffron brotherhood has nurtured an anti-minority outlook for decades, regarding Muslims as “internal enemies No. 1” and Christians as “internal enemies No. 2”, according to Golwalkar.

Although the RSS and the BJP have now distanced themselves from this section of Golwalkar’s catechism, the Ramjanmabhoom agitation of the 1990s showed how the Hindutva brigade continues to hold the two communities as responsible for all of India’s woes, starting from the destruction of temples in medieval times to the country’s partition in the modern period to the conversion of Hindus to “alien” religions.

Another fear of the saffronities is that the Muslims would outnumber the Hindus by breeding exponentially with their four wives — hum panch, hamare pachis, as Narendra Modi once said — while the Christian missionaries will continue to “harvest” gullible Hindu souls.

It is open to question, therefore, as to what extent Bhagwat’s words of wisdom will lead to a dramatic rethinking in the Hindutva ranks. It is this scepticism which apparently made the opposition parties at the national level stay away from the three-day conclave which Bhagwat addressed at New Delhi’s prestigious Vigyan Bhavan.

However, the proof of the pudding will be in the eating. If there are no more lynchings of suspected beef-eaters, no more campaigns in favour of “ghar wapsi” or the reconversion of Muslims, and no more instances of love jehad resulting in the harassment of inter-faith couples, then it will be presumed that the RSS chief’s counsel of restraint is having a sobering effect on the saffron storm-troopers.

As important as the stoppage of lynchings will be the end of the cold-blooded killings of rationalists or scientists or journalists, which have evidently been carried out by those indoctrinated by the philosophy of hate directed against Left-Liberal members of the intelligentsia.

And, what about the venomous outpourings of the countless saffron trolls who let out whoops of joy over the killing of an intrepid scribe? Will they pipe down and become models of restrained behaviour?

Cynics may wonder whether Bhagwat’s latest nod to the “idea” of a multicultural India, which is normally derided by the Hindu Right, is an attempt to gain respectability for the Sangh Parivar by entering the gated enclaves of the Left-Liberals who regard themselves as the standard-bearers of a modern, cosmopolitan lifestyle while the Parivar with its fetish for Hindi, vegetarianism and cow’s urine is seen as a bucolic outsider.

It is possible that the RSS realised that notwithstanding the enormous material and political clout it has acquired because of the BJP’s political success, its social standing hasn’t improved. The anglicised, deracinated “urban Naxalites” in the cocktail circuits continue to regard the Hindu Right as usurpers in the corridors of power.

But if the RSS dons the cloak of inclusiveness, where does that leave the BJP? Already, Bhagwat’s praise of the Congress’s role in the freedom struggle and his observation that he does not believe in the idea of the country being made “mukt” (free) of any party has poured cold water over the BJP’s plan of ushering in a Congress-mukt Bharat.

This is the first sign that the RSS and the BJP do not see eye to eye on at least one matter. The place of honour for Muslims in a Hindu rashtra will also focus attention on the BJP’s reluctance to choose Muslims (and Christians) as the party’s election candidates.

The branding by some BJP leaders of their opponents as anti-nationals also goes against Bhagwat’s moderate tone. If the RSS chief’s discourse robs the BJP of its divisive plank, its election campaign is bound to lose its sting. The “chelas” (ideological followers), therefore, will have to harmonise their political line with the guru’s latest views.

[IANS]

The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Friday denied reports of resignations by policemen in the aftermath of the abduction and killing of three policemen in Shopian district.

A police statement said that the videos uploaded on the social media showing special police officers (SPOs) claiming to have quit were motivated.

“Services of SPOs are reviewed from time to time and based on these reviews some SPOs are disengaged. The videos uploaded on the social media are motivated,” the statement said.

“There have been no resignations by policemen after the killings of three SPOs by the terrorists,” it said.

But the Jammu and Kashmir Police has issued an advisory to all policemen on leave in south Kashmir to report for duty immediately.

The advisory also directs policemen not to visit their homes till further orders.

(IANS)

The US has welcomed as “terrific news”, India’s acceptance of Pakistan’s offer of a meeting between the foreign ministers of the two neighbours on the sidelines of the annual UN General Assembly (UNGA) session in New York later this month.

Reacting to the development on Thursday, US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert in a press briefing said: “We saw that. I think that’s terrific news for the Indians and Pakistanis to be able to sit down and have a conversation together.”

The thaw came in the wake of a letter by Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan to his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi in which he had sought a meeting between foreign ministers Sushma Swaraj and Shah Mehmood Qureshi on the sidelines of the UNGA.

“We saw the reports about the positive messages being exchanged between Prime Minister Khan and also Prime Minister Modi… We hope that the conditions will be set for a good, strong bilateral relationship in the future,” Nauert said.

The Indian government had said that the two leaders will meet at a mutually convenient date and time. But, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar made it clear that “the coming meeting was not resumption of the dialogue process”.

IANS

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday said that Rs 1 crore would be given to the family of a BSF trooper who was killed by Pakistani forces on the International Border near Jammu.

Kejriwal made the announcement after visiting Narendra Singh’s family in Haryana’s Sonipat along with Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)’s state unit chief Naveen Jaihind.

“For the martyred soldier of Haryana, the Delhi government will bring the case under a special provision in its cabinet meeting and provide the family with a financial aid of Rs 1 crore,” a Delhi government official said.

After meeting the family, Kejriwal slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government and Modi for their failure in acting against the unlawful activities of Pakistan.

“Before becoming the Prime Minister, Modi ji used to talk about giving a befitting reply to such attacks instead of writing ‘love letters’. Give a reply now… It is not the time to stay mum,” Kejriwal told the the media.

“You go to Pakistan to cut a cake (meeting with former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in 2015). But cake cutting is not going to stop the attacks on our soldiers. You had said that you will take strict action against Pakistan, so do it now,” he added.

Asked if India should continue playing cricket with Pakistan, Kejriwal replied: “Not playing cricket with Pakistan is not going to stop the murders, it is the Prime Minister’s action that could help.”

On the reports of Surgical Strike Day being celebrated on September 29, Kejriwal, on his Twitter account said that the “best way to celebrate surgical strike day would be for the PM to visit the family of Narendra Singh, who was tortured and slain by Pak this week.

“PM should assure the nation that Pakistan would be given such befitting reply that it won’t dare do it again,” Kejriwal said in a tweet.

The mutilated body of Singh, the Border Security Force’s (BSF) Head constable, was found on Tuesday hours after Pakistani forces had resorted to unprovoked firing in Ramgarh sector of Jammu.

IANS

Even after a number of court directions, political interference has not stopped in the functioning and the administration of the police department. The best example for this is the high drama that prevailed in Mysuru, on Thursday.

On Wednesday, the state government issued an order transferring DCP Kavita from Mysuru Intelligence wing to the post of DCP (crime and traffic) Mysuru. However, to her dismay she was made to wait till 9.30 pm the next day to take charge and then in a shocking turn of events, she later learnt that her order was revoked.

All of this scene unfurled reportedly because the tough cop refused to meet KR Nagar MLA and Kodagu district in-charge Minister SaRa Mahesh before assuming her new charge.

Kavitha had arrived early in the morning to report to the new post. However, she was kept waiting.
If sources in the police department are to be believed, few senior officers reportedly asked her to meet the Mahesh, but she didn’t oblige stating that as per the transfer rules, she need not meet anyone.
Even though City Police Commissioner AS Subramanyeshwara Rao is considered as the tough officer he was the mute spectator to the whole drama, it is said.

At about 11 pm, the drama came to an end as CM HD Kumaraswamy cancelled her transfer order and retained her in the intelligence wing.

PTI

Former minister and AICC secretary Satish Jarakiholi, on Thursday evening met AICC Karnataka in-charge KC Venugopal in New Delhi and discussed the prevailing political situation.

According to the sources, Jarakiholi brought up the issue of increasing interference of DK Shiva Kumar and Lakshmi Hebbalkar in Belagavi district politics. “He requested Venugopal to suggest DKS not to interfere in the district politics. He also demanded at least two more cabinet berths to the ST community in the coalition cabinet. He also requested Venugopal to brief about the prevailing dissidence activities in the party Karnataka unit to the AICC president Rahul Gandhi,” a source said.

Speaking to the reporters after his meeting with Venugopal, Satish Jarakiholi declined to share full details of the meeting. ” I have requested more cabinet berths to the ST community,” he said.

It can be recalled that back in Bengaluru, his brother Ramesh Jarakiholi dropped all his dissidence activities as per the suggestion of the party leadership.

PTI