Don’t complain about high fines, but be a disciplined driver

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September 20, 2019

Road Safety Awareness needs to be sensitised. Minor traffic violations can be let off after warning, however, violations of traffic which is of serious nature should be penalized at once. Traffic on road has three components namely – Compliance of rules and driving safe, apprehending violators and upkeep of infrastructure through proper functioning.

The steep penalties for violation of road rules that came into force on September 1 under the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019 have produced a backlash, with several State governments opting to reduce the quantum of fines, or even to reject the new provisions. Gujarat has announced a substantial reduction in the fines, West Bengal has refused to adopt the higher penalties, Karnataka and Kerala are studying the prospects to make the provisions less stringent, and others are proceeding with caution. Motorists have reacted with outrage at the imposition of fines by the police, obviously upset at State governments pursuing enforcement without upgrading road infrastructure and making administrative arrangements for issue of transport documents.

Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari has reiterated that it is left to the States to choose the quantum of fines, since it is their responsibility to bring about deterrence and protect the lives of citizens. Gadkari’s argument is valid, and the intent behind amending the Motor Vehicles Act cannot be faulted. After all, India has some of the deadliest roads in the world, and 1,47,913 people died in road accidents only during 2017. The question that has arisen is whether enhanced fines can radically change this record when other determinants, beginning with administrative reform, remain untouched.

The core of reform lies in Section 198(A) of the amended law, which requires any designated authority, contractor, consultant or concessionaire responsible for design or construction or maintenance of the safety standards of the road to meet those laid down by the Central government. This provision, which prescribes a penalty for a violation leading to death or disability, can be enforced through litigation by road users in all States. Since the standards are laid down, compliance should be ensured without waiting for a road accident to prove it. Until infrastructure meets legal requirements, fines and enforcement action are naturally liable to be challenged in courts; the condition of roads, traffic signals, signage and cautionary markings which affect motorists, cyclists and pedestrians, would all fall within its ambit.

State governments also cannot escape responsibility for failing to reform their Regional Transport Authorities, since these offices are generally steeped in corruption. The Transport Ministry could well have made electronic delivery of RTO services mandatory, something that a lapsed UPA-era Bill promised. It should act on this now. Ultimately, ending the culture of impunity that allows government vehicles and VIPs to ignore road rules will encourage the average citizen to follow them. Gadkari should lose no time in forming the National Road Safety Board to recommend important changes to infrastructure and to enable professional accident investigation.

Better enforcement and infrastructure are key to mitigating anger over higher road fines. But there are number of traffic violators, who are ready to pay fines to escape punishment even though the fine rates have gone up. We cannot call it futile fines. When it pinches your pocket, then you feel the responsibility of following the traffic rule to the hilt. For example wearing of helmet by two wheeler riders is compulsory and it is proper to follow the rules for safeguarding our interest.

Helmet is a part and parcel of Motor Driving but people generally avoid wearing it for various reasons. By avoiding helmet people are risking their lives and put the family into unnecessary trouble. Even Pillion riders will have to wear helmet. Helmet is insurance to life after all as most of the accidental deaths are due to head injury. While a recent National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) report declares that motorcyclists are about 18 times as likely as car occupants to die in a traffic crash and three times as likely to be injured, a study conducted by the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuroscience, Bangalore has also confirmed that the severity of head injury, death due to head injury, incidence of skull fracture and occurrence of post-traumatic epilepsy were higher among those who were not using helmet as compared to those who did. Protective headgear certainly reduces the severity of the impact on the brain. Unfortunately, the majority still prefer a severely injured brain to a fractured helmet. So, it is not the time to carp about high fines but be a disciplined driver.

(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)

Letters to the Editor: 20 September, 2019

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Web Team

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September 20, 2019

Supreme Court verdict on substantial funding for declaring a body under RTI Act welcome

Well-analysed Supreme Court verdict dated September 17, 2019 (Civil Appeal 9828 of 2013) declaring DAV College Trust and Management Society public-authority under RTI Act because of substantial government-funding is welcome, but may not serve the purpose till central government takes corrective measures to practically implement the verdict. Otherwise as usual, substantially government-funded bodies declared public-authority by CIC will challenge CIC-verdicts in High Courts for easy stay-orders and unending adjournments thus unnecessarily involving precious time of CIC and courts.

Remedy is that central government by notification may declare all public-private-partnerships, sports-bodies, cooperative-societies and other such bodies, public-authorities under RTI Act. Land and Building Departments of central and state governments should study all cases of allotment of land or government-accommodations at subsidised rates or lease, and declare all these as public-authorities under RTI Act.

Central government has already desired that Mother Dairy may be public-authority under RTI Act. Retired Central Chief Information Commission RK Mathur in a CIC-verdict noted that Institute of Banking Personnel Selection IBPS is not a public-authority under RTI Act even though four million candidates appear every year for examinations conducted by it. For future, an undertaking should be taken from all bodies being given land or government-accommodations at subsidised rates or substantial government-funding that these will be under purview of RTI Act.

Co-operative giant IFFCO through which annual fertiliser-subsidy of rupees thousands of crores is routed gifted prime-properties worth rupees hundreds of crores in New Delhi to its office-bearers with even Comptroller and Auditor General report pointing out massive irregularities in functioning of IFFCO.

BCCI challenged CIC-verdict ordering it as public-authority under RTI Act at Madras High Court despite Union Ministry of Sports supporting CIC-verdict in this respect. It is noteworthy that even Law Commission on being approached by central government subsequent to Supreme Court directions, opined in favour of BCCI to be under purview of RTI Act.

Subhash Chandra Agrawal

(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)

Centre slashes corporate tax rates to boost economy

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Web Team

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September 20, 2019

The government on Friday slashed the income tax rate for companies by almost 10 percentage points to 25.17 per cent and offered a lower rate to 17.01 per cent for new manufacturing firms to boost economic growth rate from a six-year low by incentivising investments to help create jobs. The tax cut will cost the exchequer Rs 1.45 lakh crore annually.

After announcement of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, domestic investor wealth soared by Rs 2.11 trillion in morning trade on Friday as equity market rallied following a slew of economy-boosting announcements by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. The BSE Sensex advanced over 1,300 points to a high of 37,421.70. Led by the spike in equities, the market capitalisation of BSE-listed companies climbed Rs 2.11 trillion to Rs 1.4 trillion. From the 30-share Sensex basket, barring NTPC, all other 29 scrips were trading in the green led by Tata Steel, Maruti Suzuki India, HDFC Bank and Yes Bank, which were trading with gains of up to 5.7 per cent. The rupee also rallied 66 paise to 70.68 against the US dollar on announcements made by the finance minister.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the reduction in tax rates has been done by promulgating an ordinance to an amendment to the Income Tax Act. “In order to promote growth and investment, a new provision has been inserted in the Income Tax Act, with effect from financial year 2020. It will allow any domestic company an option to pay income tax at 22 per cent subject to the condition that they will not avail any exemption or incentives,” she told reporters here. After considering surcharges and cess, the effective tax rate will be 25.17 per cent. This compares to 30 per cent corporate tax rate currently, and an effective tax rate of 34.94 per cent.

“To attract fresh investment in manufacturing and boost Make In India, new provision has been inserted in the I-T Act, which allows any new domestic company incorporated on or after October 1, 2019, making fresh investment in manufacturing, and starts operations before March 31, 2023, an option to pay income tax at 15 per cent,” she said.

The effective rate for new companies would come to 17.01 per cent after considering surcharges and cess subject to the condition that they do not avail any other tax incentive or concession such as tax holidays enjoyed by units in special economic zones (SEZ) or accelerated depreciation.

This compares to the current base rate of 25 per cent for new companies and an effective tax rate of 29.12 per cent. Also, the companies will not have to pay minimum alternate tax (MAT).

She said any company which do not opt for concessional tax regime and avails tax exemptions or incentives shall continue to pay tax at pre-amended rates. “These companies can opt for concessional tax regime after the expiry of tax holiday or exemption,” she said.

To provide relief to companies which continue to avail exemptions and incentives, rate of MAT has been reduced from existing 18.5 per cent to 15 per cent.

Also, the super-rich tax introduced in Sitharaman’s maiden budget on July 5 by way of a higher surcharge on income, shall not apply on capital gains arising on sale of equity shares in a company or business that is liable to pay securities transaction tax (STT). The enhanced surcharge shall also not apply to capital gains arising on sale of any security, including derivatives in the hands of foreign portfolio investors, she said.

To provide relief to listed companies which have already made a public announcement of buyback of shares before July 5, 2019, tax on such buyback shall not be charged. Sitharaman, however, sidestepped questions on the impact the concessions will have on the fiscal deficit target, saying that the government was conscious of the reality and will reconcile numbers.

With her maiden budget seemingly failing to address issues facing the economy and doing little to bolster growth that has slowed to a six-year low and check unemployment that has risen to a 45-year high, Sitharaman has over the past one month announced measures in three tranches for different sectors of the economy including automobiles, banks and real estate.

India’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth slowed for the fifth consecutive quarter in April-June 2019 to 5 per cent, the lowest in six years. This was on the back of faltering domestic demand, with both private consumption and investment proving lackluster.

In response, her initial policy measures included support for the automobile sector, reduction in capital gains tax, and additional liquidity support for shadow banks. Accompanying structural reforms included a further easing of the foreign direct investment regime and consolidation of the public banking sector. In the third part, last Saturday (September 14), she announced a stressed asset fund to finance unfinished real estate projects and measures to boost exports.

Mumbai ATS needs more hands to trap drug peddlers

By

Vaidehi Taman

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September 19, 2019

Few days back, five people were arrested including the factory owner Jitendra Paramath and four others who handled circulation of the drug across the country. The Maharashtra Anti-terrorism squad is always vigilant but the ratio between cops and peddlers is quite visible. Many illegal parties that happen beyond the time allocated by the police may leave you with a warning. Resorts and camp tours and holiday destinations surround Mumbai, these destinations are haven for such parties and gatherings. Consumption and sale of drugs are illegal in India so the party birds try to be extra careful. In most of the cases they never get caught. Rather they become more confident. Look at any social media or sites, just register your demand for drugs you will get the delivery. On some social media the close groups of such party arrangers openly leave their contact numbers if you want.

The misguided youth, having lack of time from parents and living with their own challenges find emotional outlets in such events. A rave is an electronic music dance party that lasts all night. It can feature performances from DJs or live music performers. Raves usually take place in dark rooms filled with laser lights, strobes and for machines. Law enforcement agencies suspect a lot of drugs, including Ecstasy, do the rounds at a rave. These party organizers choose such a place where strictly no moral policing would take place; one can do what one wants to do.

It was 1980 when the word rave was coined. These days, you can see rave parties in some electronic dance music festivals. Goa, Mumbai and Lonavala are the land of party animals and such festivals are common. But these days Pune is also stealing the show and its Sunburn music festival is another source. Laser light, coloured images, fog machines, and visual effects, painted bodies, glow sticks, and pasties on the body of girls and boys. The youth here is in trance.

Drug overdose deaths and activation of unidentified drug peddlers controversy surrounding suspicious deaths and high-profile crimes—drugs and alcohol seizure from the party venue is not new, we read it in news every month. But there is no concrete way to deter these people. They find their ways and sometimes these minds are extra sharp than the cops.

It is widely known that drug use is common at raves. Drugs like MDMA, LSD, and marijuana are the most common rave drugs and typically cause users to feel mellow and friendly. However, everyone reacts differently to drugs and other drugs like cocaine can cause aggressive behaviour.

There are some common drugs that are used in Rave parties and whenever we read news these are the names of the drugs that get surfaced. MDMA — also known as Ecstasy, E, Molly and Energy, LSD — also known as Acid, Rainbow, Red Lips, Smiley, Sugar, and Zen, Cocaine — also known as Yay, Blow, White Powder, Rock, Sniff and Snow, Marijuana — also known as grass, weed, reefer, Mary Jane, Kush or hemp. The manufacturing units have their own operations; good that ATS is very vigilant and grabbing the custodians of drugs.

Behavioural issues to movies like Sanju Baba and Udta Punjab, attracts youth. They want to try to experience what their heroes did and this is one-way trap. One who gets in for trial remains here until death or extreme rehabilitation. Consumption of drugs is even due to the competition and pressure. Some crave for freedom; some are in search of peace and fun. Moreover, due to life style in metro cities, teenagers have easy access to drugs since most of the dealers are high school age themselves. The marketing of drugs works differently than other marketing schemes. Since the more people who use, the more people who crave, it’s very difficult to set up a drug operation in an unsaturated area. If you went to a place where nobody had ever used meth and tried to sell the stuff, nobody would want it. That’s where teenagers come in. They’re much more likely to accept risky behaviours and try new substances. Once you become an addict, you’ve made an addict for life. Those teenagers will grow up addicted to the substance, and it will spread like wildfire- creating an entirely new drug scene. As much as I hate capitalism for making people greedy and willing to take advantage of each other, it gives us the freedom to choose what substances to buy and not to buy. At this point, Cops are doing their job, but we as citizen need to be more responsible towards youth of our country, if we can’t stop at least we can report the incidences.

(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@www.afternoonvoice.com)

Meow-Meow, MCat nabbed in Panvel

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Afternoon Voice

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September 19, 2019

Five people were arrested including the factory owner Jitendra Paramath and four others who handled circulation of the drug across the country.

The Maharashtra Anti-terrorism squad probing the multi-crore-drug lobby of Mephedrone (Meow-Meow, MCat) has nabbed the key person behind the manufacturing of the banned narcotic drug at a factory in Panvel.

On September 10, the ATS officials acting on specific information busted the factory and seized 129 kg of pure Mephedrone worth Rs 56 crore in the international market.

ATS officer said, “A chemistry graduate, Doctor had improvised the technique of drug manufacturing. We launched a manhunt to nab the doctor whose real name is Sardar Patil, a native of Sangli district in Maharashtra. The accused was referred to as the Doctor in the cartel as he was considered one of the best sythesisers of the drug and knew how to manufacture Ketamine, Methamphetamine and also Mephedrone.”

He said, “He worked at a chemical factory named Omkar industries in Sangli till 2015. It is at this factory that the Doctor learned and mastered the skill of synthesising synthetic drugs like Ketamine, Meth and Meow Meow.”

The factory at which the Doctor worked till 2015, Omkar industries, was owned and run by Transport baron Ravindra Konduskar. Konduskar ran a fleet of buses across the state and was arrested by the DRI (Directorate of Revenue Intelligence) in 2015 following a Mephedrone seizure from a bus in Pune.

The seizure led to a raid at Omkar industries and another 355 kg of Mephedrone was seized by the DRI. Konduskar had reportedly employed some Iranian chemical synthesisers for synthesising the drug and it was from them, the Doctor learned the process of synthesising.

Two more suppliers of Mephedrone have been arrested by the ATS who handled the smuggling network for the cartel and another 4.9 kg of Mephedrone has been seized. The Doctor was arrested from his hometown in Sangli where he had been hiding since the drug bust and is presently in the ATS custody.

It is remarkable that drug smugglers are targeting students of various schools and colleges in the city. According to Mumbai police, at least 125 drug peddlers have been arrested under a special drive in the last eight months from western suburbs and contrabands worth more than Rs 4 crore have been seized from them. Many women were arrested by Bandra police for being part of the illegal drug ring. Gang of women peddlers, especially from Bandra, are found to be involved in the drug trade in a big way. These women used to supply drugs to areas like Andheri, Dongri, Jogeshwari, Borivali, and Nallasopara.

As per Additional Commissioner of Police (West) Manoj Kumar Sharma, drug suppliers used women, and in some cases even children as couriers. Senior police officials from Bandra to Oshiwara and the Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) to Powai have been directed to flush out peddlers. Police are concentrating on suburbs like Bandra, Oshiwara and Khar which are highly affected by the menace.

SE Asian countries want to purchase Tejas: Rajnath Singh

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Web Team

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September 19, 2019

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday flew in the Tejas fighter aircraft from the HAL airport in Bengaluru, becoming the first defence minister to fly in the indigenously-built light combat aircraft (LCA). He said that said many countries in the South East Asian region have expressed their willingness to purchase Tejas aircraft.

Wearing a G suit, the minister buckled himself in the seat behind the pilot in the aircraft. He was accompanied by Air Vice Marshal N Tiwari, who is also the Project Director, National Flight Test Centre, ADA (Aeronautical Development Agency) in Bengaluru.

Defence Minister tweeted, “Flying on ‘Tejas’, an Indigenous Light Combat Aircraft from Bengaluru’s HAL Airport was an amazing and exhilarating experience. Tejas is a multi-role fighter with several critical capabilities. It is meant to strengthen India’s air defence capabilities.”

Rajanath Singh said about his experience that the fight was very smooth and comfortable. He further stated that he was thrilled. It is remarkable that the Tejas is an indigenous light weight, multi role supersonic aircraft developed in both fighter and trainer versions. Advanced materials like composites are used in the manufacture of the Tejas to reduce weight and increase the component life. The Tejas is designed to carry a veritable plethora of air-to-air, air-to- surface, precision guided and standoff weaponry.

100 days of Modi Government 2.0

By

Vinod Dixit

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September 19, 2019

There is no doubt that after winning the election; Modi started working for towards first 100 days plan. As PM Narendra Modi braced for a second term with a historic mandate, herculean economic challenges await him. Modi government has become more appreciative and encouraging of wealth creators.

PM Modi has described the first hundred days of BJP government as “development, trust and big changes.” He said 130 crore people inspired his government to take significant decisions in this period.

PM Modi has been bolder and has taken important decisions in his second innings. In the first 100 days of the Modi 2.0, the special status of Jammu and Kashmir stands altered, triple talaq is a law, Unlawful Activities Prevention Act has been amended and the Right to Information Act diluted.

In a big victory, the Modi government finally managed to successfully turn the triple talaq bill into an Act. The law that allows triple talaq is one such law and was needed to be abolished. It grants equality to Muslim women and is a powerful measure for women empowerment. The Triple Talaq bill bans and criminalizes the practice of instant triple talaq among Muslims.

The abrogation of Article 370 which stripped off the special status enjoyed by the people in Jammu & Kashmir was a massive success in favour of the Saffron party. In a smart move, the party militarised the state and removed the article 370. The BJP had earlier in its ‘Sankalp Patra’ promised to annul the controversial clause – a long pending demand of the RSS. The Government also passed the Jammu and Kashmir (Reorganization) Act, 2019, under which J&K was bifurcated into two Union Territories- Jammu and Kashmir with a legislative assembly and Ladakh without a legislative assembly.

The government announced the merger of 10 state-owned banks to form four large banks. The move was aimed at providing relief to banks from rising NPAs and better banking facilities to consumers. The aim was to create the 2nd largest, 4th largest, 5th largest and 7th largest PSBs in India. Now the total number of public sector banks in India stands at 12, down from 27 in 2017. The bank mergers are expected to reduce the cost of lending, enhance profitability and boost the economy.

Apart from passing 36 bills in one session, PM Modi at the start of the budget session said that the country is looking towards a $5 Trillion Economy by 2024. To reach the promised economy, the centre also merged ten of the biggest public sector banks (PSBs) into four entities.

The third most contentious bill to pass was the RTI (Amendment) Bill, 2019. This bill seeks to amend the RTI Act, 2005. It was passed in the upper house by a voice vote amid a walkout from the Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the other opposition parties.

The government has also simplified the GST refund process. All pending GST refund due to MSMEs will be paid within 30 days. The government also announced linking of Repo rate to interest rate, thus, reducing EMI for housing and car loans. The government has attempted to simplify lives by making labour laws more transparent. The government has approved the Code on Wages, Bill 2019 to provide fixed minimum wages to the entire workforce.

The government has extended the PM Kisan Scheme to another 3.44 crore farmers, taking the total number of beneficiaries under the scheme to 6.37 crore. The Parliament passed the Motor Vehicle (Amendment) Act 2019, paving the way for efficient, safe and corruption free transport system in the country. The law also aims to improve road safety and help citizens in their dealings with the transport departments.

There is no doubt that Modi has captured the keys to India’s Parliament by outlining an aspirational agenda for the country viz. creating millions of jobs, building world-class infrastructure and eliminating corruption. Modi government has managed to package and sell the policies to their young voters with ease. The magnetism of a decisive leader has proved more important in the development policies of the country.

(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)

Letters to the Editor: 19 September, 2019

By

Web Team

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September 19, 2019

Beg to differ with Amitabh Bachchan

Big B backs Metro so do every citizen of the city who are only against the carshed at Aarey which can only be constructed by axing thousands of trees. Rich celebrities like Amitabh Bachchan and others have the luxury to holiday in Europe for as many days they want to recharge themselves in clean greener environment which 99 per cent of Mumbaites can’t afford. Bachchan says his friend used metro during medical emergency to reach hospital which is a complete lie as you need an ambulance during such times with all the life saving equipments in it to escape death during critical illness.

Not a single Mumbaite is against Metro which we all know is speedier and environment friendly. We are just against axing trees and Amitabh Bachchan should infact be the brand ambassador to ‘Save Aarey‘ when many people including the legendary Lata Mangeshkar from his film fraternity are supporting the cause of saving trees in the city!

S.N.Kabra

Save trees at Aarey Colony

Destroying trees from Aarey colony for the sake of constructing the Mumbai Metro car shed is like improving batting skills at the cost of bowling. The trees at the Aarey colony must be saved at any cost from being felled.

Jubel D’Cruz

Aarey in election fray

It was rather unfortunate that Aarey issue is becoming a topic for the Maharashtra elections. Shiv Sena is trying to blackmail saying that fate of saffron alliance hinges on the scrapping of Aarey car shed. Already CM of Maharashtra flagged off the car shed project and it is the need of the hour for the work and maintenance of Metro train movement.

Making it as a poll issue appears rather childish and not a sporting one as far as Sena is concerned. The BJP will have to strike a compromise with Sena if it wants an alliance. The offer of 110 seats to Sena has added insult to the injury and now Sena wanted to repair the damages in relationship and stitch the wounds for better seat share. Comparing Aarey with Nanar is not the correct way to deal with the present seat sharing crisis. The Aarey issue has come in the election fray and it is in a very bad shape as far as coalition politics is concerned.

Nickhil Mani

(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)

Sena and Congress lock horns over Savarkar and Nehru

By

Vijay Panchal

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September 18, 2019

Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray has demanded Bharat Ratna for Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. He said that if Savarkar was the first prime minister of India then Pakistan would not have been formed. Thackeray lauded the contribution of Jawaharlal Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi but at the same time said that efforts of other leaders must not be sidelined.

When our correspondent Nikhil Sagare spoke to Maharashtra Congress spokesperson Dr Raju Waghmare he said, “Shiv Sena has not done any work since past five years. They have not addressed any issue like flood affected people, farmers, unemployment, inflation, fuel price hike. With elections round the corner, they remember Pakistan. They try to rake up Savarkar issue and indulge in politics.”

“They are trying to divert people’s attention from real issues. They had fought election on development agenda but later on they tried to gain mileage over Balakot air strike issue. Flood affected people and farmers are hungry. They have not tried to resolve farmer’s suicide issue,” he added.

Thackeray was speaking on the launch of Veer Savarkar’s biography titled Savarkar: Echoes From A Forgotten Past. He said, “Savarkar must be awarded the Bharat Ratna. We don’t deny the work done by Mahatma Gandhi and first PM Jawaharlal Nehru but the country saw more than two families being born on the political scene. I would have called Nehru brave if he had survived in jail for 14 minutes against Savarkar who stayed in prison for 14 long years,” said Uddhav.

Taking a swipe at Rahul Gandhi who in the past has taken jibes at Hindutva icons including Savarkar, Thackeray said that the former Congress chief should be given a copy of the book. Thackeray told the author of the book Vikram Sampath that he would buy copies and ensure that every school and college in the state stocks it in libraries adding that it should be compulsory reading for MPs and MLAs too.

Shiv Sena spokesperson Manisha Kayande said, “We have been demanding that Veer Savarkar must be honoured with Bharat Ratna. In the editorial of Saamna it has been mentioned that if Savarkar was made prime minister then Pakistan would not have been created. India is facing hardships due to the creation of Pakistan.”

Uddhav said that Savarkar’s name gets dragged into heated political debates often from Rahul Gandhi’s defamatory remarks to Prime Minister Narendra Modi paying homage to the freedom fighter in Cellular Jail.

Thackeray expressed his displeasure over the jail in which Savarkar was kept. He said, “The jail has become a picnic spot for people. People are unaware about the hardships faced by Savarkar during his imprisonment.”

On one hand, Thackeray has been criticising the Nehru-Gandhi family, on the other hand, Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut has been lauding the contribution of Nehru in nation building. Why are both leaders from the same party issuing different statements? He appreciated Jawaharlal Nehru for following Parliamentary Democracy. Raut also raised question on the role of opposition in current political scenario.

Raut said, “There may be difference of opinion about Jawaharlal Nehru and Congress party but he has followed parliamentary form of democracy. Nehru had understood the importance of opposition. In the initial days when there was a weak opposition Nehru said he along with handling the PM’s post he would also like to oversee the role of opposition leader. Even former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had followed the principles of Nehru. If there is no opposition in the country then it is termed as a huge setback for democracy and politics becomes one-sided.”

Vinayak Damodar Savarkar a Ratna of Bharat

By

Vaidehi Taman

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September 18, 2019

Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray made a statement that Pakistan would not have come into existence had Hindutva ideologue Veer Savarkar been the country’s Prime Minister at the time, and demanded that he be awarded Bharat Ratna. Savarkar’s name gets dragged into heated political debates often, from Rahul Gandhi’s “defamatory” remarks to Prime Minister Narendra Modi paying homage to the freedom fighter at Cellular Jail. Irrespective of Jawaharlal Nehru’s unique contribution to the making of modern India, he is a much-remembered and hated man today because of a purposefully twisted history touted over the decades by right-wingers. Savarkar advocated that an antagonist should be paid back in the same coin. So, in a nutshell, Savarkar’s supporters take an utterly defensive stance while defending him against assaults from his ideological rivals, thus leaving him virtually defenseless on issues that concern the future of the nation and to which Savarkar’s thoughts provide a solution. These days tampering history and making own propaganda narrations about freedom fighters has become new trend in modern politics.

Right wing supporters hate Nehru and Gandhi on the other hand liberals and Congress supporters disown Savarkar as freedom fighter. They have their own explanations by calling him coward and hater politician. Congress hatred for Veer Savarkar is also on same line, history often becomes incarcerated in the hands of ideological fanatics and hero worshippers. The ideological campaigners distort history as much as those resorting to hero worship. Both of them don’t want to tolerate an opposing view, howsoever, truthful it might be.

Vinayak Damodar Savarkar is one of the most misunderstood and falsely maligned personalities from Indian freedom struggle. Savarkar was a fearless freedom fighter mostly remembered in political circles for writing his seminal book ‘Essentials of Hindutva’ in Ratnagiri Jail. In 1923, Veer Savarkar remains largely unknown to the masses because of the vicious propaganda against him and misunderstanding around him that has been created over several decades

Episodes in life of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar before he was arrested and jailed in Cellular Jail justify the title VEER given to him.

In Maharashtra, he is a hero and unquestioned at that. Congress has ruled there for most of the 70 years and the leaders of Congress too extol Savarkar. He inspires because his life was like that. We grew up listening to his story of valour, his poetry (in form of songs) and documentaries on him. Savarkar was one of the revolutionaries of the early 1900s. He went to England in 1906 and started revolutionary activities there. He also wrote the book “History of War of Indian Independence” on the 1857 uprising. What was called mutiny till then began to be called the “First War of Independence”. His activities made him a wanted man (Madanlal Dhingra who killed Curzon Wylie was a close associate) and he went to France to escape arrest. He was arrested there in 1910 and was being taken to India by ship. He escaped from the toilet hole in the ship at Marseilles and swam through the sea to port. His friend who was to pick him up arrived late and hence the police caught him.

He was sent to India and sentenced to “Kala Pani” in Andaman. This was in 1911. This was the most inhuman, brutal jail sentence in the empire. He was kept in a small cell with no toilet, no human contact, beaten, tortured for days. He was made to pull the “kolhu” at the oil mill amidst whipping. He was given no books, or stuff to write. He composed many poems during that time and memorised all of them and wrote them down many years later. These are legends in Maharashtra and every child of the soil knows them. After 10 years of legal battle and persuasions, he was released from Andaman and sent to Ratnagiri jail where he was kept for four years. Then, he was released but put under house arrest for 12 more years with no movement allowed. So the man was in jail for 27 years in all. Would a coward, collaborator be kept in jail for 27 years? What sense does that make? Eventually, he was released on the assurance that he wouldn’t engage in politics. He turned to social service and the cause of Hindutva. He was a science affiliate, against the orthodoxy, championed many temple entry causes for Dalits. Hindutva was in response to the Muslim aggression, which started after the Khilafat movement and into movement for Pakistan. All predictions he made then came true and the problem we have is what we have. He lived till 1966 and was given a hero’s status by Indira Gandhi when he died. He was acquitted in Gandhi murder as Godse had left him when he murdered Gandhi was discouraged by Savarkar. Now from the above history, do you see a coward, turncoat, bigot and whatever else Congress and Left ecosystem says about him or do you see a revolutionary who went through lot of hardships and kept contributing till the end? One can easily say why did he try to defend himself in court, instead of confessing to all the charges.

There are other interesting facts about him. Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev had met Savarkar in Ratnagiri in late 1920s and drew inspiration from him before embarking on their revolutionary activity. Even Subhas Chandra Bose’s decision to leave India and join Japan-Germany axis in World War II was based on Savarkar’s advice that in international politics, one’s enemy’s enemy should be seen as a friend and befriended. The only leader who has lived up to an extent to Savarkar’s vision on foreign policy and national security so far is Indira Gandhi. And the only leader who can live up to it in future is, perhaps, Narendra Modi, based on his foreign vision so far. It’s high time people should stop spitting venom against freedom fighters in the name of new political revolution and tamper the history. Let it be Nehru, Gandhi or Savarkar, no one can deny his or her contribution towards independence moment of our country. Today we are breathing in free and independent country because of many such patriots and freedom fighters. There is no point in poking in history by changing the facts.

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