A two-judge bench of the Delhi High Court last week observed how the dignity of married and unmarried women can be differentiated and asserted that irrespective of marital status, every woman has the right to say ‘no’ to a non-consensual sexual act.
Section 375 of the IPC defines rape as all forms of sexual assault involving non-consensual sexual act with a woman.
While commenting on this subject Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said consent is an “underrated” concept in Indian society but it should be foregrounded to ensure the safety of women.
“Consent has to be foregrounded to ensure the safety of women”, Gandhi added. His comments come amid a debate that calls for criminalising marital rape.
The bench of Justices Rajiv Shakdher and C. Hari Shankar while hearing a batch of petitions seeking criminalisation of marital rape asked, “if a married woman loses the right to say ‘no’ and if 50 countries that have made marital rape an offence have got it wrong”.
Advocate Jayesh Wani who specialises in Divorce cases said, “A law has to be all-inclusive. Marital rape has a definition in the Indian judiciary but it does not have an IPC code, there has to be a framework definition amending the concept of marital rape. So, a provisionary act should be enacted and worked out on marital rape. Since women are still a weaker section as per the Indian Constitution.”
“Marital rape needs a different space to context because normally rape is violent or under inducement or threatening and on the other hand marital rape is where the husband treats his wife as his property and has coitus with her against her desire, however, marital rape is very delicate as it can be used against innocent husbands too,” said Advocate Yusuf Iqbal Yusuf.
Advocate Venkatkrishna Kunduru said, “Pre-marital coitus is an important concern is what Rahul Gandhi wants to interpret. By changing the marriage criteria from 18 to 21 for a girl’s age will induce rapes in a live-in relationship. Rape means an assault on the dignity and honour of a lady. The law is more than enough so is the judicial system of India.”
The remarks come amid the hearing in the high court of petitions filed by NGOs RIT Foundation and All India Democratic Women’s Association, a man and a woman seeking striking down of the exception granted to husbands under the Indian rape law.
The remarks come amid the hearing in the high court of petitions filed by NGOs RIT Foundation and All India Democratic Women’s Association, a man and a woman seeking striking down of the exception granted to husbands under the Indian rape law.
Petitions have also been filed by some men’s rights organisations that are opposing the pleas seeking to quash the exception, saying there was no question of discrimination and Parliament has retained the provision considering the overall view of Indian society.
Thousands of divorce cases are pending in court, many families have yet to reach justice. Where divorce proceedings in India are very complicated and it is very tough to go through the proceedings for both men and women as it is a long-time process especially in contested divorce cases. First of all, the lawyer plays a key role in the success in the divorce proceedings and hence you need to select an experienced lawyer particularly in this subject dealing with more specific issues in the divorce laws. These days court verdicts are shockers, one after another others have made it much more complicated for a woman.
Although we were still improving from the blow of the grounds for divorce laid by the Supreme Court lately, another shock seems to have tormented right into the ribs! In a country where marital rape is still not a criminal offence under the IPC, verdicts that you’re about to hear will diminish your faith in the judiciary. Indian rape definition is so vague; Even intercourse with consent can be later termed as rape. There is a case where the Madras High Court intervened and imprisoned the man though the girl acknowledged that it was consensual. Our judiciary is that imprudent.
A large percentage of women and men in India live in rural areas where panchayat and tribal laws and local customs are the norms. Even now, in the 21st century, there are cases of witches being burnt alive and caste and religious antagonisms are rife. From the legal point of view, laws against marital rape are a step in the right direction, but that requires a society where women are financially independent and equal to men in all respects. Will the country provide financial assistance to a rural woman who has sent her husband to jail for marital rape? Maybe that’s why our present society is not ready for such a law. It will definitely lead to social distress, especially in religious minorities. It will be unenforceable and transgressed on a large scale.
Anyways, leaving crucial issues aside the Supreme Court says that a Hindu man can divorce his wife if she separates him from his parents. Also says extra-marital affairs of a man do not always amount to mental cruelty attracting the provision of abetment to suicide. The statement has come to light after a woman committed suicide due to her husband’s alleged extra-marital affairs. Supreme Court bench also noted that they had amicably settled their disputes and the monetary part of the settlement had been complied with. Supreme Court also waives a 6-month waiting period, grants divorce to the couple. The Supreme Court has allowed an estranged couple’s plea for divorce by mutual consent by waiving the waiting period of six months, exercising its powers under the Constitution to do “complete justice”.
According to the Supreme Court, extra-marital affairs of a man do not always amount to mental cruelty attracting the provision of abetment to suicide. The statement has come to light after a woman committed suicide due to her husband’s alleged extra-marital affairs. It is significant to note that the other woman involved in the case also committed suicide due to humiliation leading to two more suicides, committed by her mother and brother. If that wasn’t cruel enough, the man charged for infidelity filed an appeal against his conviction of a four-year sentence for causing harassment and mental cruelty to his wife, and the SC acquitted him of all charges.
In yet another bad decision, we now have weird grounds for divorce. Even though something as brutal as marital rape is not reason enough for separation, guys now have the upper hand in divorce as well. The Supreme court has passed a judgement that a Hindu man can ask for divorce if his wife tries to separate him from his ageing parents. A woman needs to leave her parents when she gets married, and that is the ‘norm’. But if she tries to take him away from his parents, aka get an independent life, she can be divorced? Because clearly only her husband’s parents age and need someone to take care of them full time, while her parents are self-sustainable? Anyways this is what the Indian judiciary has decided lately.
Now coming back to the most important fact is, whether that woman is married or unmarried? If she is married, the Husband can be prosecuted under Section 497 of the Indian Penal Code for Adultery and can be punished for up to 5 years and fine, or both. In case she is unmarried, that person cannot be prosecuted under the Indian Penal Code. The wife of that person has the remedy of obtaining Divorce from him on the ground of adultery.
According to Indian Matrimonial laws, the term extramarital affair is not used what is stated as “has since the solemnization of the marriage committed adultery” or ” has, after the solemnization of the marriage, had voluntary, sexual intercourse with any person other than his or her spouse”. The sexual relationship out of marriage with someone else than the spouse is the important factor that has to exist in order to get a dissolution of marriage by a decree of divorce. Merely if the wife is having a friendship with other men will not amount to adultery nor make it a ground for divorce, the sexual relationship with another man other than her husband that is required to exist and proved in order to get a divorce even if that sexual relationship was for one time only. When laws are clear why the judiciary has to make changes in the verdict and make human lives more complicated? Why these days many divorce verdicts have gone against women and favour men? Is there anything fishy with supreme court judges?
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Legendary Kathak dancer Pandit Birju Maharaj, who took the traditional Indian dance form to the world, passed away at his home in the early hours of Monday, his granddaughter said.
Maharaj-Ji, as he was popularly known, died surrounded by his family and disciples. They were playing ‘antakshari’ after dinner when he suddenly took ill, Ragini Maharaj.
Birju Maharaj, one of India’s best-known and most loved artists, was from Lucknow’s Kalka-Bindadin Gharana. He is survived by five children, three daughters and two sons, and five grandchildren.
He had been suffering from a kidney ailment and was under dialysis treatment for the last month due to high diabetes. He probably died of a cardiac arrest, his granddaughter said. ”He was with us when this happened. He had his dinner and we were playing ‘antakshari’ because he loved old music. He was lying down… and suddenly his breathing became uneven. We think it was cardiac arrest as he was also a heart patient.
”This happened between 12.15 and 12.30 am. It must have been just a minute or so. We rushed to the hospital but unfortunately, we could not save him. He died before reaching the hospital,” Ragini said Ragini, a Kathak dancer herself, said the only solace for the family is that he did not suffer too much in his last moments.
”Two of his disciples and his two granddaughters, my younger sister Yasyashashwini and me, were with him when this happened. He was laughing and smiling in his last moments,” she said.
Condolences poured for the Kathak maestro
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said his death is an “irreparable loss” to the entire art world.
“Deeply saddened by the demise of Pandit Birju Maharaj Ji, who gave Indian dance a special recognition world over. His passing is an irreparable loss to the entire art world. My condolences to his family and fans in this hour of grief,” the prime minister said.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman described the artiste as a ”legend of performing arts”.
Fondly called Pandit-Ji or Maharaj-Ji by his disciples and legions of followers, he had said the younger generation has many more opportunities to learn than in his time.
In his last interview with PTI in December, Birju Maharaj had said the future of Kathak, one of the most graceful classical dance forms, was bright in India with the new generation taking the tradition forward.
“Artistes who passionately work towards carrying the tradition forward are the right torchbearers of an art form and its legacy. It takes a lot of work and dedication to stay true to a mighty tradition such as classical dance,” the Padma Vibhushan awardee had said.
Brajmohan Maharaj or Birju Maharaj was a descendant of the Maharaj family of Kathak dancers. He trained under his father and guru Acchan Maharaj and uncles Shambhu Maharaj and Lachhu Maharaj.
Singer Durga Jasraj, daughter of the late Pandit Jasraj, called Birju Maharaj’s death “a monumental loss to Indian performing arts”.
“Legendary Pt Birju Mahraj Ji’s departure has left us poorer, shattered. Pray Maharaj Ji’s soul rests in rhythmic peace. Deepest condolences to his family, disciples, and fans across the world. Om Shanti,” she wrote on Twitter.
Composer Adnan Sami said, “We have lost an unparalleled institution in the field of the performing arts. He has influenced many generations through his genius.”
Court let off Nawab Malik with a mere warning in a defamation case filed by BJP's Mohit Kamboj 8
Maharashtra cabinet minister and Nationalist Congress Party leader Nawab Malik was granted bail in a second criminal defamation case filed by former president of BJP youth wing Mohit Kamboj alias Bharatiya.
Ever since the NCB raid on the Cordelia cruise case, Nawab Malik has held press conferences on multiple occasions exposing and making revelations in the case against the then NCB director Sameer Wankhede, other NCB officials and links with the ruling BJP government in the centre.
Nawab Malik in his press conference on the NCB raid on cruise ship had tried to link Kamboj with the raid in which Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan, Arbaaz Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha were arrested.
Malik had alleged that “Rishab Sachdeva, the brother-in-law of Mohit Kamboj, and two others were let off by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) after their detention in the cruise rave party case.”
“Rishabh Sachdeva’s family members were also seen in the NCB office. How were they allowed to enter the NCB office? It shows that this is a fabricated case to frame Aryan Khan to target Shah Rukh Khan,” Malik had said in the press conference.
Kamboj had stated in his defamation complaint that Malik had grossly misused his dominant position to defame him and his family with highly speculative arguments without any evidence to substantiate his alleged malicious claims.
Kamboj’s plea also mentioned his political connections and stature in the BJP Yuva Morcha and stated that he has been engaged in business. It adds that the allegations levelled by Malik were malicious.
In December 2021, the Mazagaon metropolitan magistrate had issued a summons to Malik, asking him to appear before it.
On Wednesday, Malik remained present in the court, following which the magistrate granted him bail on a surety of Rs 15,000.
“The accused (Malik) is directed not to indulge in similar kind of offences alleged by the complainant against the complainant in future, otherwise the bail bond would be cancelled,” the court said in its order.
What if Nawab Malik wouldn't have clipped Sameer Wankhede? 10
I was shocked to know the conspiracy behind Aryan Khan’s arrest, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) is a franchise cricket team representing the city of Kolkata in the Indian Premier League. The franchise is owned by Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan, actress Juhi Chawla and her spouse Jay Mehta. In February 2012, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee made Shah Rukh Khan a state’s brand ambassador.
Khan formally accepted Banerjee’s proposal to become the state’s brand ambassador. Since then, Shahrukh has hugely contributed to the state and also funded the election by helping TMC. Despite all the efforts when BJP had to lose elections on a very humiliating note. The freaking BJP found a chance to ride their ego when Aryan Khan got arrested by NCB.
When an “independent witness” of the Narcotics Control Bureau, whose selfie with Aryan Khan went viral, NCP leader Nawab Malik unearthed the NCB raids and extortion rackets. This private investigator, KP Gosavi’s presence during the Mumbai cruise ship raid prompted Maharashtra’s ruling alliance to raise questions about the anti-drugs agency’s investigation. That’s how to layer by layer, day after day Nawab Malik exposed NCB chief Sameer Wankhede, and since then there have been no NCB raids in Mumbai. I mean, actually, no news of any actor or celebrity picked up by NCB for so-called investigations.
Kshitij Prasad, a former executive producer of Dharmatic Entertainment, was forced by officials of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) to falsely implicate actors Ranbir Kapoor, Arjun Rampal and Dino Morea. NCB had forced him to implicate Karan Johar also. The agency had randomly picked all big film actors and celebrities. There was no conclusion to those cases. None was proven guilty or presented in the court, they used to be called to the NCB office in the name of investigations and then the agents used to mitigate the issue by taking huge settlement amounts.
Those days NCB and Sameer Wankhede grabbed a lot of limelight with huge media coverages, he was projected as a hero, but no one knew the motive behind selective picks by them. Those in jail were repeatedly harassed and coerced into falsely implicating other Bollywood celebrities. The NCB had conducted raids on several celebrities to unearth the alleged “Bollywood-drugs” nexus and arrested many alleged drug peddlers.
In the name of the raid, the house and offices were vandalized, their personal phones were confiscated. These NCB officers literally invaded the privacy of celebrities and prompted lengthy media trials by leaking some false and sensational chats and gossip about them. A deliberate attempt was made to terrorize Bollywood through the Narcotics Control Bureau. In the span of three to four months, the NCB interrogated several artists and people associated with them. NCB was also grossly being misused by the BJP to serve its political motives.
They wanted the entire Bollywood to be under stress so that the fear could compel them to endorse the party and its leaders. Funding was another major aspect. Since Sushant Singh Rajput’s suicide, NCB was unleashed against the film industry for the money-spinning motives. Those actors and celebrities who speak for the party were spared from raids and investigations in spite being known as drug addicts.
The NCB terror was so horrifying, the 28-year-old Bhojpuri actress committed suicide when fake NCB officers on the pretext of an NCB raid asked her to pay an amount of Rs 20 lakhs to free herself of the charges. She was accompanied by a man named Azim Qazi and one other youth at a hookah parlour, where all the three were targeted by the accused. The culprits then started blackmailing the trio. Qazi and the other youth were also meeting the two accused. Tired of the continued blackmailing, the actress went into depression and committed suicide.
This was purely a political battle between the central government and the Maharashtra state government. BJP could not retain power in the state and this embarrassment was intolerable to central leaders, they tried to create unrest in the state. NCP came into the picture to serve their motives, in the name of drugs, people were targeted to score political points. Bollywood is considered to be most neutral to any government. Then there are certain actors like Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher and others who are not only pro central government but almost sold out to them.
When Sameer Dawood Wankhede was previously in the Customs and Excise department where he allegedly extorted money from celebrities and film stars by confiscating expensive goods brought by them from foreign countries. He is rumoured to wear Armani shirts worth almost a lakh of rupees and flaunts diamond-studded Bulgari watches costing upwards of 40 lakhs.
So, this extravagant lifestyle is certainly sponsored by his greed for moolah therefore one cannot rule out the possibility that he tried to extort 25 crores from Shah Rukh Khan via his sources. Since this narcotics king has flown away, there is no single raid or media trial in the state as if all the drug cases are solved for a lifetime. The question here is, what if Nawab Malik wouldn’t have clutched this IRS officer? He would have ransacked many celebrities’ lives for no valid reason.
Display signboard in Marathi not gone well with small traders 12
As the Maharashtra Shops and Establishments (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 2017 came into force, it was found that establishments and shops with less than ten workers were evading the rules. Such complaints were received by the government and there was a demand to take action against them. To alleviate this issue, the Cabinet decided to amend the Act.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena’s old ally BJP alleged that the move was being taken keeping in mind the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections. The party said that Sena is looking to consolidate its Marathi Manoos pitch by taking this decision.
Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government approved a proposal wherein shops prominently display a signboard in Marathi. The state cabinet passed the proposal that will be binding on all shops and establishments across the state. In 2017, the Maharashtra government had made a rule that all shops in the state should have a signboard written in Marathi. However, its implementation did not go as planned. In many places, small nameplates were put on shops in Marathi and in many places, shopkeepers circumvent this rule.
In many places, the name used to be mentioned in capital letters in English. In Marathi, however, names used to be in lower case. With today’s decision, the name in Marathi will have to be in capital letters like any other language. An amendment was approved that letters in the Marathi-Devanagari script could not be kept shorter than letters in other (English or other) scripts. As a result of this decision, shopkeepers across the state will now have to display their shop signs in Marathi.
State industries minister Subhash Desai said, “The Maharashtra government has taken a decision that all shops should have name boards in Marathi. This should be in a font that is prominently visible. The decision to have Marathi name boards on shops was taken in 2017. But its implementation was not happening on the ground. Hence, the Cabinet today took the decision to implement it effectively.” “Earlier, this rule was applied to shops having more than 10 Maharashtrian employees. That rule has been amended and now all shops will have a bird in Marathi,” he added.
AIMIM Maharashtra unit president and MP Imtiaz Jaleel slammed the state government’s decision to make it mandatory for shops with fewer than 10 employees to use Marathi signboards and wondered if the move will create more jobs for Marathi youths.
Jaleel stated, “When elections come closer than you remember Marathi boards, a border dispute with Karnataka, Marathi pride. People are not fools and they understand this gimmick. Will Marathi boards give jobs to Marathi youth, is a million-dollar question? The decision to make it mandatory for shops with fewer than 10 employees to use Marathi signboards was taken by the state cabinet at its meeting in Mumbai.”
Display of signboards in Marathi, prime attack is on Bhaiyyas? 14
Once the display of signboards in Marathi in large letters was taken up by Raj Thackeray’s MNS party, his workers used to raid the shops not having Marathi signboards. The matter then went into tremendous chaos, but now the state cabinet decided to make it compulsory for shops to have Marathi signboards. Mumbai’s north Indian and a non-Marathi trader finds it hazardous. The politics of signboards finally grabbed ‘Bhaiyyas” on the hit list.
It must have been easier to guess from the word ‘Bhaiyya’ that we are talking about people of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. Statistically speaking, most of the rape cases that have occurred recently were done by people from these regions. Raj Thackeray has the card of ace to throw against any accusations about his hatred towards ‘bhaiyyas’ from the Northern part of India. His ideal approach of differentiating people based on their regions, of not limited to but, vastly geographic, has resulted in many of his own followers going against his ideology of ‘Marathi manoos’. There are many who have mentally graduated from living in a secular society with peace and such people have rightfully condemned this ideology.
One of the examples of why people have decided to migrate their businesses from Mumbai to nearby cities of Gujarat, no local body tax, no compulsory gumasta, etc. Mumbai has become like a city where people come in with high hopes and dreams yet find it extremely difficult to settle themselves in the city, how would they run a business then? And how will that help Maharashtra earn up to and contribute a high percentage GDP every year? There are various reasons why Mumbai has failed in reaching itself as the commercial capital of the country, one of which is discouragement from the government for people to take up self-employment.
Raj used to be seen as Modi of Maharashtra if given a chance however, his sour ideology has kept him at bay. There are various impositions that people do not like, for example, imposing the Marathi translation of names on every signboard, etc. Of course, one has to follow the rules of the land that they live in, but it is not compulsory to adopt their culture too, right? We live in a metropolitan society; we need to think about the comfort of those who have come from the outside. Being proud of what you are is one thing and imposing your pride on others is another, it tells about the fanatic nature of a person which clearly suggests that they don’t really believe in growth but more into chaos. Now Shiv Sena too somewhere restoring to the same hooliganism by passing bills in the cabinet.
The reason why I am talking about Raj Thackerey is that he is a competent leader, an excellent orator and an idealistic ruler who has it in him to rule the state but, the only thing where he has lost support from the masses is physically abusing the outsiders and challenging every random minister in his own time, as once he did to Rahul Gandhi, who came in Mumbai, gave his speech and left with the highest glory and fan following, unlike what happened to him when he visited Gujarat.
It is easy to get the fan following by encouraging masses with the power, people love when power is given to them, it is in the core behaviour of human beings to rule and out-rule the ruler and when someone gives you that feeling, he comes ahead and accepts to follow you. Everyone likes to win; everyone wants to have that pride in them. Raj, once when he addressed the youth of Maharashtra, said with pride that when someone talks about their son joining MNS, they should feel proud for their son and not feel ashamed of the ‘gang’ that he has joined in.
He talked about pride and glory and got many following him; however, destiny had to take the course and truth had come out. Raj Thackeray is the chief of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena. Found in 2006. He always said that Marathi people should get the first rights on the jobs available in Maharashtra, which I agree with, but he didn’t do anything other than beat immigrants, if he really cared about Marathi people then he could have made the Marathi people more capable by educating them more than Immigrants. Fortunately, Marathi people are educated enough to realize that MNS and Raj Thackeray only hate Politics and don’t do any groundwork. He is a political failure without any vision…many people thought he would turn something big after splitting from Shivsena but I was pretty sure that this was the most foolish decision which cost him his political career… either way, no one bothers about him except some unemployed youth.
Fortunately, Marathi people are well educated and didn’t vote for him in the 2014 and 2019 elections, had he become the CM, Maharashtra would have become like any other underdeveloped Indian state and full of violence. He is an excellent orator, but he doesn’t do any groundwork. If he wants to be relevant in politics then he should mind his ways. Since the Maharashtra government has passed the bill, let the law take its own course, there is no point in raiding selective shops and harassing traders.
Follow me on Twitter @VaidehiTaman and let us discuss if Raj is a leader material or just an orator?
Makarand Deshpande's 'Gandhi', a must-watch for school children 16
‘Gandhi’ was a really good concept and children can really enjoy the play whereas this can be a little uninteresting for the adults. The play begins with a Bahubali who believes in violence and then the narration of his ‘Lathi’ embarks Gandhi into the play.
For more than 40 minutes the play was like an interactive History class, with the learning from Mahatma Gandhi’s three monkeys, their names. (In Japanese Shintoism, the three monkeys are – Mizaru who sees no evil; Kikazaru, who hears no evil; and Iwazaru, who speaks no evil.) From here Makarnd takes you to Gandhi’s childhood memories, (if you have read Experiments with Truth: Mahatma Gandhi, the Child Delinquent, you may get exactly what the director and actor want to convey), but if you have not read the book the message goes wrong.
While explaining what made young Gandhi smoke a beedi and eat meat, “Makarand emphasizes “Aaati Ghanishtha Mitrata, Anishtha Ho Jati Hai, Isliye Kisise Jyada Ghanishtha Mitrata Nahi Karna”. A couple sitting beside me was whispering, “bachpan me to sab stupid harkat karte hai”. How do those innocent moments set the moral parameters for a good friendship? (Thankfully the audiences were adult enough to understand what he wanted to convey).
The Baahubali comes in contact with a poet and the poet makes him understand Mahatma Gandhi’s notions of non-violence and peace, which start impacting the strongman’s thoughts and actions. The play was all about the conflict between violence and nonviolence, in the Baahubali, since he feels himself changing once he starts guzzling the non-violent way of life, but can’t quite let go of his destructive side. He eventually surrenders, meaning that even though Gandhi was shot dead in 1948, in a way, he survives through this man.
In this play the Baahubali is an allegory for all those who are ruling with power and not with empathy,” Deshpande explains, adding, “If they think that war will create peace, it will not. It will merely create another war, with peace prevailing [as an illusion] only in the overriding period while the next one is planned.” He beautifully enacted peace and non-violence that notions propagated by the Father of the Nation — still relevant in an age where people commit violent acts.
In between these conversations, Makarand takes on the role of the narrator, describing tiny titbits of history. Whether it is the origins of the three monkeys of Mahatma or the stories behind the charkha, the chulha, the lathi and his satyagraha — things usually relate with the Mahatma.
No doubt Makarand Deshpande is one of my most favourite actors, but in this play, he hardly had any scope to perform. The best part is that throughout the play Makarand interacts with the audience directly. There are references and not-so-subtle hints directed at the current political situation as well as the ongoing pandemic. There was mention of why people are more inclined to Pushpa but not 83 movies; He trolled his audiences with humour that really makes you laugh. Then he abruptly roams across the stage and returns to make his point.
Overall, it was a good play but I highly recommend it for young adults and youth. Every school should arrange this show for their students. Sound and lights bring life to the performance. Especially the light work at the end of the show, where Gandhi was displayed on the wall makes people all of sudden patriotic and emotional. Gandhi was relevant yesterday and is so today as well. As the world turns progressively violent in its thoughts and actions, the Father of the Nation will continue to remain relevant.
It is to Makarand’s credit that he drives in this message of ahimsa without resorting to lengthy dialogues and boring speeches. Makarand Deshpande has written, directed and acted in this solo act.
People of UP feed on "Psuedo Hindutva", Shiv Sena is selling the same? 18
People used to connect with Shiv Sena only because of Balasaheb Thackeray and till the time he was alive the party had some glory across India. As we all know Uddhav Thackeray is nowhere near Balasaheb and his hold over the party is not as firm as his father. He cannot get attached to the masses as his father did. Balasaheb Thackeray was known to convert popular sentiment into votes, getting into controversies and making no apologies for it though his son has tried to tone down the party’s stance after his death. He was known for his inflammatory writings, was seen as a good orator who used harsh humour to engage his audiences. Balasaheb Thackeray was bold enough to stand against the ruling regime and propagate the cause of Hinduism. That is the reason he was very popular among people of Uttar Pradesh too, the heartland of Hindutva.
Uddhav’s alliance with Congress has not gone well with many Indians and most of those Hindus who used to worship Balasaheb as Hindu Hridhay Samrat. Shiv Sainiks were reportedly a part of the Babri Masjid demolition, and since then Shiv Sena came into the limelight in India. Uttar Pradesh Shiv Sena workers are not as hardcore as Maharashtra. They just took some positions as officer bearers but hardly contributed to the welfare of Uttar Pradesh and its people. Just ahead of elections, making statements and declaring candidates is not enough for Shiv Sena to make its mark.
After changing the political equations in Maharashtra, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut had claimed that the party has been working for a long time in UP but didn’t contest elections because it did not want to hurt the BJP. But Shiv Sena very well contested the elections and lost deposits on a humiliating note, the reason they never helped people of Uttar Pradesh in crises. I doubt how many times Shiv Sena leaders have visited Uttar Pradesh to speak for the people’s well-being. There is no single incidence that local Shiv Sainiks visited their constituencies and greeted people all these years. Why would people vote for them?
BJP might be in momentary jeopardy, but recently BJP won 66 seats out of 75 in the Zila Panchayat elections. These figures are clearly evident from the fact that if BJP won such a humongous number of seats — almost with the majority, then it would not be difficult for BJP to make government once again in the 2022 Assembly elections. The fight in UP is mainly between BJP and SP. BSP is already struggling for survival on its own and the Congress somewhat regaining its lost sheen and small political parties like NCP, Shiv Sena, AIMIM may successfully dent some per cent of votes but that would be just negligible.
The Bharatiya Janata Party has a higher chance to win because the Hindi belt States won’t repose faith in any other political party. Still, BJP has to walk on a tight rope, the Party has to appease both Dalit and Upper Caste voters of UP; if it wants to come back with the resounding mandate; then they have to even replace the Chief Ministerial candidate with someone who is acceptable to people of all caste, creed and religion. 21 per cent population is of Upper Caste, 9 per cent Yadav, 31 per cent non-Yadav OBCs, 19 per cent Muslims, 11 per cent Jatav Dalits and 9 per cent non-Jatav Dalits. 90 per cent of Upper castes and 2/3rd of the non-Yadav OBCs may go with the BJP. 1/3rd of non-Jatav votes also can go to BJP. And this takes the BJP to at least 41 per cent vote share.
Yadav and the remaining 1/3rd OBC vote can shift to SP, along with 1/2 Muslim vote, which takes it to a maximum 28 per cent vote share. Now, BSP is likely to get the Jatav vote, 1/2 non-Jatav vote and very few Muslim vote. Its vote is likely to be 16 per cent. Congress will manage some good numbers but won’t be creating any magic, that too coming from the fragmented shares. Other parties like Shiv Sena, NCP, AIMIM, Peace Party etc. can get remaining votes if any.
But if we look at rebels, most of the votes were taken away from BJP in local elections by rebels who were denied tickets. In 2019 Haryana, rebels spoiled the game for BJP as they cut a lot of votes and 5 of them even ended up winning and the same could repeat in 2022 UP if the BJP state unit doesn’t field candidates wisely. I hope they don’t rope in any foolish film stars as they did in Bengal.
BJP has to put their complete life into the election because if the BJP doesn’t win 325 out of the 403 seats, then its strength in Rajya Sabha will fall as it has already lost many states. Secondly, the BJP+RSS+VHP combine has a huge ground level and booth level base in UP. This again gives BJP an advantage but they need inner cordial relations.
The BJP led alliance may not target the votes of three communities which are Muslims, Yadavs and Jatav/ Chamars. These three jointly have a population share of around 40 per cent. All the remaining 60 per cent communities will be targeted by BJP. Since I already said that only a 35 per cent vote is required to win the election, BJP does not need all of this 60 per cent. To achieve a 35 per cent vote share, they will have to get only 60 per cent of their targeted vote. That is 60 per cent of 60 per cent amounts to around 35–36 per cent overall. Had the second wave not come, BJP could have crossed 300 seats. But now, I feel this could be the possible result- Total – 403 and majority-202, BJP- 255, SP- 100, BSP-15, INC-15, RLD- 10, others- 8.
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Uttar Pradesh Assembly Election: Shiv Sena may not be able to make much difference 20
After sewing the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance in Maharashtra, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut has announced that his party will be contesting 50 to 100 seats in the upcoming Uttar Pradesh assembly elections 2022, which are set to commence from February 10. On Thursday he received a grand welcome in western Uttar Pradesh. Political pundits predict a split in BJP votes with the arrival of Shiv Sena in Uttar Pradesh.
Nishant Varma, Political Analyst told Afternoon Voice, “Defeating a Rival, pleases any political class, which translates into a Win. Ever since multi-party politics stemmed in India, especially certain Large States, varied theories have been tested to overcome a strong contender. Religious, caste-based, gender-focused Electoral Politics is the crux to crush opponents in Elections.”
While AAP, AIMIM, TMC, etc have been feeding on Congress votes to establish themselves in states irrelevant to them on a silent behest of BJP, we are now in times where we shall witness Shiv Sena eating into Saffron Votes in UP, to the extent that a negative swing for BJP shall cement the chances of Samajwadi and allies of gaining Clear Majority in 2022 Assembly Elections. Isn’t ‘Everything is Fair in Love, War and Elections’?
Senior journalist Indrajeet Singh of News24 said, “I don’t think Shiv Sena’s entry into the Uttar Pradesh election will harm BJP throughout UP, though they could only hammer their vote shares on some prominent seats like Kashi, Ayodhya and Banaras if they give nominations to popular candidates or oust leaders of BJP or SP.”
“Coming to the overall UP elections, there will be a tough fight between BJP and SP. On the ground, the SP is getting stronger with their campaign strategy and on the other hand, BJP seems to be struggling,” Singh further added.
Harpal Singh Bhatia, a journalist from Uttar Pradesh said, “The politics of Uttar Pradesh says that Shiv Sena-BJP should fight elections together. Shiv Sena going alone in this election would be foolish. Hope their contestants lose their deposits.”
Naiyar Imam Siddiqui, an academician said, “Shiv Sena has announced that they are going to field their candidates on 50-100 seats in UP Assembly Elections and many are thinking they will only divide Hindu votes but I don’t think so. Every political party or any single person has the right to contest in an election in a democratic country. When AIMIM fought in different states election people said Asaduddin Owaisi as “Vote Katwa”, why does any political party think that any community or castes’ votes are their own property? Shiv Sena had played a crucial role in Babri Masjid’s demolition and they have every right to cash this I vote like BJP is doing on Ram Mandir for decades. Shiv-Sena has fought the Bihar assembly election but didn’t win any single seat but winning a seat and contesting an election are two different things. By contesting elections, you make a presence in public and they have more options to choose a good candidate for their representative and by winning you make a presence in the house where either you stood in support of the government or opposed their wrongdoings. It’s true Shiv Sena candidates play with votes and some candidates luck but I welcome Shiv Sena in UP Election. It’s good for democracy.”
BJP spokesperson Suresh Nakhua said, “Shiv Sena should first try to find candidates for and fight all seats in Maharashtra, it was difficult for them to find 120 odd candidates for the seats they fought last time. They should first try to put their own house in order before trying to make or break the house of anyone else.”
Shivmani, a Shiv Sena supporter of Lucknow said, “Shiv Sena may not win but it will crush the fake ego of Yogi and BJP that has taken people for granted. See how successfully Shiv Sena showed its place to arrogant BJP in Maharashtra, we want the same thing here.”
Harminder Singh of Lucknow said, “No one cares about Shiv Sena in Uttar Pradesh because they don’t have local existence, and their leaders are never seen active in the state issues. Just ahead of elections someone arrives from Maharashtra but that is not enough to win people of Uttar Pradesh.”
Uttar Pradesh Shiv Sena chief Thakur Singh has said that the current state government in Uttar Pradesh is not treating Brahmins well and inflation and unemployment are at their peak. In such a situation, the party has decided to field candidates in all constituencies of Uttar Pradesh. Shiv Sena also said that they will listen to what the public has to say and will “teach a lesson” to the ruling BJP.
“Coordinators have been appointed to strengthen the party’s organization in every assembly constituency of the state. An Uttar Pradesh Shiv Sena delegation is expected to visit Maharashtra to meet the state’s chief minister Uddhav Thackeray soon. They will hand over a report of election preparation and organization, a statement by the UP,” Shiv Sena stated.
Sanjay Raut claimed a political change was impending in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh and the recent move by a state minister and some other BJP MLAs to leave the saffron party was just the beginning. “We will field a candidate in Ayodhya, even Mathura. Out of the 57 candidates fielded by Shiv Sena in the 2017 UP polls, 56 contestants lost their deposit and the party managed to garner just a 0.10% vote share.”
In a jolt to the BJP in Uttar Pradesh, recently OBC leader Swami Prasad Maurya resigned from the state cabinet and three other MLAs announced they are quitting the party. It is speculated that more than 20 tall leaders would be quitting BJP and Yogi would not be given another chance as CM of UP.
Earlier, Nationalist Congress Party President Sharad Pawar also announced that his party would contest the upcoming Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. Stating that the party will join hands with the Samajwadi Party-led front coming up in Uttar Pradesh, Pawar said that he would attend a meeting convened next week to discuss and finalize alliances and poll strategies for the northern state, which will go to the polls in seven phases between February 10 and March 7. Whereas Shiv Sena said they will go independent without aligning with any political party.
Elections for the 403 assembly constituencies in Uttar Pradesh will be held in seven phases starting February 10, the Election Commission said. The polling in Uttar Pradesh will be held on February 10, 14, 20, 23, 27 and March 3 and 7 in seven phases. The counting of votes will take place on March 10.
In the 2017 Assembly elections, the BJP won a landslide victory winning 312 Assembly seats. The party secured a 39.67 per cent vote share in the elections for 403-member Assembly. Samajwadi Party bagged 47 seats, BSP won 19 while Congress could manage to win only seven seats.
