US President Donald Trump has softened his stand on Kashmir mediation. Trump said that he would “certainly intervene” between India and Pakistan on Kashmir if they wanted him to, days after he stunned New Delhi with his claim that Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked him to mediate on the vexed issue.
According to reports, Trump on Thursday said it was up to India and Pakistan to resolve the Kashmir issue but he was ready to assist if the two South Asian neighbours wanted him to help in resolving the issue.
He was referring to his last month’s meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan at the White House, wherein he stunned India by saying that Modi, during their bilateral meeting on the sidelines of G-20 Summit in Japan, sought his mediation on the Kashmir issue. However, India rejected the offer, while Pakistan welcomed his statement.
When asked how would he “want to resolve the Kashmir issue“, Trump said, “If I can, if they wanted me to, I would certainly intervene.”
“It’s really up to Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi (to accept the offer of mediation),” Trump told reporters responding to a question on India not accepting his offer of mediation on Kashmir.
“Have they accepted the offer or not?”, Trump sought a clarification when asked about India’s rejection of his mediation offer.
“I think they are fantastic people, Khan and Modi, I mean. I would imagine they could get along very well, but if they wanted somebody to intervene, to help them. and I spoke with Pakistan about that and I spoke frankly in (sic) India about it,” Trump said. He rued that the issue of Kashmir had been going on for a long time. “That’s been going on, that battle, for a long time,” he said.
Last week, in his joint media appearance with Pakistan Prime Minister Khan in his Oval Office, Trump stunned India by saying that Prime Minister Modi sought his mediation/arbitration on the Kashmir issue.
Trump said the Indian Prime Minister asked for this during their bilateral meeting in Japan in June on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit.
India quickly denied it and said the Kashmir issue was never discussed between Modi and Trump. Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar refuted that Modi ever made that request.
“We heard remarks by President Donald Trump in a meeting with Prime Minister Imran Khan of Pakistan, to the press that he is ready to mediate, if requested by India and Pakistan, on Kashmir issue,” he said in a statement to the Indian Parliament.
Kumar, 44, who is NDTV India’s senior executive editor is one of India’s most influential TV journalists, the award citation by the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation said.
He is among five individuals who were declared winners of the award, which is Asia’s premier prize and highest honour and celebrates greatness of spirit and transformative leadership in Asia.
Kumar, born in Jitwarpur village in Bihar, joined New Delhi Television Network (NDTV) in 1996 and worked his way up from being a field reporter.
After NDTV launched its 24-hour Hindi-language news channel – NDTV India – targeting the country’s 422 million native speakers of Hindi, he was given his own daily show, “Prime Time.”
Kumar’s “Prime Time” programme “deals with real-life, under-reported problems of ordinary people”, it added.
“If you have become the voice of the people, you are a journalist,” the citation added. As an anchor, Kumar is sober, incisive, and well-informed, it said.
His more important distinction, however, comes from the kind of journalism he represents, the citation added.
“In a media environment threatened by an interventionist state, toxic with jingoist partisans, trolls and purveyors of ‘fake news,’ and where the competition for market ratings has put the premium on ‘media personalities,’ ‘tabloidisation,’ and audience-pandering sensationalism, Ravish has been most vocal on insisting that the professional values of sober, balanced, fact-based reporting be upheld in practice,” it said.
His programme takes up current social issues; does serious background research; and presents issues in well-rounded discussions.
Kumar interacts easily with the poor, travels extensively, and uses social media to stay in touch with the audience, generating from them the stories for the programme.
Striving for a people-based journalism, he calls his newsroom “the people’s newsroom,” it said.
In electing Kumar to receive the 2019 Ramon Magsaysay Award, the board of trustees recognises his unfaltering commitment to a professional, ethical journalism of the highest standards; his moral courage in standing up for truth, integrity, and independence; and his principled belief that it is in giving full and respectful voice to the voiceless, in speaking truth bravely yet soberly to power, that journalism fulfills its noblest aims to advance democracy, the award citation said.
The four other winners of the 2019 Ramon Magsaysay Award are Ko Swe Win from Myanmar, Angkhana Neelapaijit from Thailand, Raymundo Pujante Cayabyab from Philippines and Kim Jong-Ki from South Korea. Established in 1957, the Ramon Magsaysay Award is Asia’s highest honour.
It celebrates the memory and leadership example of the third Philippine president after whom the award is named, and is given every year to individuals or organisations in Asia who manifest the same selfless service and transformative influence that ruled the life of the late and beloved Filipino leader.
This year’s Magsaysay Award winners will each receive a certificate and a medallion with an embossed image of Ramon Magsaysay facing right in profile.
They will be formally conferred the Magsaysay Award during formal presentation ceremonies to be held on August 31, 2019.
India’s Bravehearts made us proud by laying their lives for our country but gave many reasons to feel proud by motivating their widows to join the services. Many martyred Army Jawan’s wives joined back Indian Army to serve the nation and live up to the dreams of their better halves. It takes a lot of courage to stand in the line of fire every single day, not knowing which one is going to be your last. However, what’s even harder is to see a loved one do that and not flinch, even when your worst fears come true. There is no doubt about the fact that the Army wives have nerves of steel. Today we honour and talk about a few women who chose to walk in the not-so-comfortable shoes of their martyred husbands and kept their legacies alive.
A year after Major Kaustubh Rane martyred in an encounter with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Gurez, his wife Kanika expressed her wish to join the Army. After her husband’s death, it was Kanika’s wish that she joins the Armed forces to keep the memories of her husband’s valour alive. She also wanted to don the uniform for her three-year-old son. Twenty-nine-year-old Major Kaustubh Rane was a resident of Sheetal Nagar area near Mumbai. On August 7, 2018, he had led an Army team, which laid a siege in Gurez area of North Kashmir during the night but were fired by the terrorists who had positioned themselves comfortably in the cover of darkness. While his team managed to foil the infiltration bid and gunned down two of the eight infiltrators, Major Rane along with three soldiers was killed during the operation.
The only son of his parents, Rane had always dreamed of joining the armed forces. He had completed his military training from Pune and was commissioned as an officer from the elite Officers Training Academy, Chennai in 2011. Kanika appeared for the exam to join the Indian Army as an officer and with her grit and determination, she cleared it. She will now be heading to Chennai for her training in October.
The wife of Army Major Prasad Ganesh, who was killed in a fire accident near the India-China border a few years ago, also joined the armed forces after completing one year of mandatory military training. Major Prasad died in a fire accident in Tawang district of Arunachal Pradesh on December 30, 2017. Gauri Prasad Mahadik, his wife who cleared the Services Selection Board (SSB) with flying colours in the widow category in her second attempt, joined the Officers Training Academy (OTA) of the Indian Army in Chennai this April. She is undergoing 49 weeks of training. After completing a one-year mandatory military training at the academy, the 31-year-old, Gauri will be inducted into the army as a lieutenant in March 2020. Gauri competed with 16 candidates during the SSB examinations and she topped the exam and qualified for training at OTA.
Gauri is a qualified lawyer and company secretary and was employed; however, after the death of her husband, she left the job and started preparing for the armed forces. She was firm to join the army as a tribute to her husband and the uniform which she will wear after commissioning. Gauri married Prasad in 2015 and resides with her in-laws in Virar.
Another brave woman who is the wife of an army soldier who was killed while on duty has joined the force after successfully completing her training. Neeru Sambyal has joined the Indian Army as a lieutenant three years after her husband was killed. Ms. Sambyal’s daughter was just two when her rifleman Ravinder was killed in April 2015. She had married him in April 2013. Ms. Sambyal completed 49 weeks of training. She was commissioned on September 8. Being in the army, one has to be mentally strong as there are times when one has to face situations where physical strength won’t matter much because these ladies have sound mind and determination.
Garima Abrol is the wife of martyred squadron leader Samir Abrol, who lost his life in the Mirage 2000 aircraft crash. In February, she wrote a heartfelt post to the government questioning why these pilots had to die in such circumstances. Her post ended with the words ‘I do not want any other sister of the Armed Force family to suffer the pain that I am going through. Words can’t describe how painful it is out here alone without my better half, my BATMAN’. Then the news came that she had decided to step into the shoes of her husband and that she will be joining the Air Force next year.
We can only imagine how much strength and courage it would have taken to do what these women are doing. Another brave woman is Sangeeta Mall, wife of a rifleman who was killed in action in Jammu and Kashmir while battling terrorists. In March 2019, she was commissioned into the Indian Army after passing out from OTA (Officer’s Training Academy) in Chennai. Before Sangeeta got married to Shirish Mall, she was a teacher. They got married in 2013. Shishir was part of the Gorkha Rifles and was posted in Baramulla sector of Jammu and Kashmir when he was martyred in 2015 during a gun battle. It is not easy to choose to be with someone whose life you know is in danger every hour of every day. However, these strong women who not only chose to be with such men but also follow in their footsteps. Let us congratulate their strength and courage by speaking about them as much as possible.
(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@www.afternoonvoice.com)
Kanika Rane, wife of martyr Major Kaustubh Rane has become an inspirational woman. She has decided to join the Indian Army. Just one year ago, her husband Major Kaustubh Rane was martyred in an encounter with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir. Similarly, prior to this, late Colonel Santosh Mahadik’s wife Swati Mahadik, Major Prasad Mahadik’s wife Gauri Mahadik and many other brave women of Maharashtra have also joined the Army. The list of widows of martyrs of the state is long who joined the Army and set an example for other women.
Kanika is ready to fulfill the dream of her husband. She appeared for the exam to join the Army as an officer and with her grit and determination, she cleared it. Now, she will go to Chennai for her training in October. After her husband’s death, Kanika wished to join the Army to keep the memories of her husband’s valour alive. Not only this, but she also wants to don the uniform for her three-year-old son. She wants her son to grow up in an Army atmosphere and feel proud that his father made for the country. Kanika said that her husband was very lively and had an amiable nature. He could never see her cry. She said that she is fulfilling her husband’s dream by joining the army.
An Indian Army officer on the condition of anonymity said, “There are many ladies who have joined the forces after their partners martyred in battle. And they have such amazing spirit and enthusiasm for the forces as they have seen life from both the sides, they are trained with us, equally furious and hardworking, seeing them fills everyone with more pride.”
It is remarkable that Major Kaustubh Rane was a resident of Sheetal Nagar, Mira Road. Major Rane is survived by a three-year-old son Agastya, wife Kanika Rane and parents Prakash Rane and Jyoti Rane, who live in Hiral Sagar building in Sheetal Nagar. On August 7, 2018, he had led an Army team which laid a siege in Gurez area of North Kashmir during the night. While his team managed to foil the infiltration and gunned down two of the eight terrorists, Major Rane along with three soldiers was killed during the operation.
Astik, a resident of Mira Road said, “On August 9, 2018, thousands of people gathered in Mira Road to pay their last respects to Major Kaustubh Rane who was killed in Jammu and Kashmir. With tears in eyes, we bid adieu to Kaustubh Rane. Today, we feel proud to know it that his wife Kanika Rane is going to join the Army. She will definitely inspire crores of girls and women to exhibit courage in difficult and critical time.”
Major Kaustubh Rane was the single son of his parents. Kaustubh Rane’s family, originally hails from Vaibhavwadi in Sindhudurg district. His father Prakash Rane is a retired government employee and mother Jyoti Rane a retired deputy principal of a prominent school. They have been residing in Mira Road for the past 30 years. Kaustubh Rane’s early education took place in Mira-Bhayander, Mumbai, and Pune. He always dreamed of joining the armed forces. He had completed his military training from Pune and was commissioned as an officer from the elite Officers Training Academy, Chennai, in 2011. He got a promotion and became major in 2018. He was felicitated with the Sena Gallantry Medal by President Ram Nath Kovind on January 26, 2018.
Kundan Deshmukh, a Mira Road resident said, “Kanika Rane has taken a right step to join Army. She can become an inspiration for the youth to join armed forces. It can instill discipline among the youth. More and more youth must come forward to join the Indian army.”
As per reports, people believe that since India is not currently at war, no jawans and officers are martyred. But the truth is that the Indian army is always involved in special operations to tackle various insurgencies. Every year, Indian armed forces have fresh casualties, and more women faced with great tragedy like Kanika Rane, Gauri Mahadik, Swati Mahadik and others. Despite being at peace, India has the largest number of war widows in the world. They say that the government assistance they have received is not enough to live a dignified life. According to data from District Sainik Welfare offices (DSW), at least 90 per cent of army widows live in rural areas, and are either illiterate or have minimal levels of education. This limits their employment opportunities, and in some cases, leaves them vulnerable to losing their monthly pensions to unscrupulous in-laws.
Besides Maharashtra, there are many examples where wives of martyrs joined the armed forces and inspired the entire nation not to hesitate in sacrificing themselves for the sake of mother India.
The World Bank publishes global racking report in relation to ease of doing business every year. In the ranking last year, India jumped 23 places to 77th. It is trying to get into the top 50 countries this year. Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi also wants India to join this year in top 50 countries.
The government has done more than 35 reforms in the last 12 months. By the help of this, the government is expecting to reduce the time, cost, the process of documentation involved in starting the new business. In order to facilitate the speedy filing of returns for goods and services tax (GST) returns, to reduce the incurring fee for small traders, to increase the pace of loan disbursement, increase the recovery speed under the Bankruptcy Code 2016 (IBC), etc., the government is taking various initiatives on continues basis. For examples, Department of Industrial and Internal Business Policy (DPIIT), Department of Revenue, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, Delhi Municipal Corporation, etc. are working with the World Bank’s representatives for taking the benefits of reforms.
Significantly, in the last few years, India has made significant improvements in its position in the context of ease of doing business. For instance, in the case of obtaining permission for construction, during the last 4 years, India reached the 52nd rank whereas it was on the 132nd rank in the year 2018. In terms of giving power connections, India is at number 24, while in 2014 it was at 137th place. In terms of cross border business, India is at number 80, while in 2014 it was 126th place.
In case of cross border business, Central indirect taxes and customs boards have implemented a few reforms through which every port are monitored on a real-time basis with the help of dashboard. According to the time taken in the approval of the transmitted goods, it is classified in red, amber and green so that the border officers are able to mark the goods being sent. The Customs department has started the facility of providing round-the-clock service at JNPT, which works like a single window in the matter of sanctioning the transmitted goods. According to the recently launched scanner service, 100 containers can be scanned per hour, while 8 to 10 containers can be tested per hour through the mobile scanner. Corrective steps are being taken in the context of the time-consuming goods.
Tax payments under GST have also become easy. Now, those who pay GST have to file 2 tax returns instead of 3. The positive impact of GST reforms last year was not fully reflected. Apart from this, several important improvements have been made. The Ministry of Company Affairs has terminated the Incorporation fee for companies having authorised capital up to Rs 5 lakhs. The Department of Revenue has eliminated the need to give details of bank account for GST registration. Due to improvements in construction rules, the cost of carrying luggage in the warehouse in Delhi and Mumbai has decreased. The permit fee for the use of the building for the use of the warehouse in Delhi has been reduced from Rs 10 per square meter to Rs 2 per square meter. The government has done 13 reforms last year, which had not been considered by the World Bank while releasing the ranking list, due to which the benefits of reforms, India could not take, but in this year, the world bank can be considered earlier done reforms, because, its positive impact is now visible.
In the case of ease of doing business, the government is coming out soon with a comprehensive policy to bring improvement in India’s ranking. It is believed that through the proposed policy, the rule of obtaining license related to starting a new business will be abolished. It seems that due to the compulsion of obtaining a license in India, businessmen are not starting a new business and existing businessmen are also facing many difficulties while dealing with government officials. By simplifying rules, Foreign Direct Investment is expected to accelerate and trade relations with other countries will also become better.
In order to implement the strategy that simplifies the business, the Industry Promotion and Internal Business Department has sent a draft Cabinet note to various ministries, so that all the departments should be taken together and the proposed policy is implemented in time. In such a scenario, the business environment in the country is expected to be strong by the proposed policy.
Foreign Direct Investment equity inflows in India have declined by one percentage point in the fiscal year 2018-19, which has reached the level of $ 44.4 billion. However, for the first time in the last six years, it has declined, but it is not good for the health of the economy. Therefore, the proposed policy proposes to eliminate the need for licensing. After the implementation of the proposed policy, the traders will have to register only to start the business. The renewal process will also be terminated for industries in which licenses will be required. In the proposed policy, it is also proposed that the burden of compliance will not exceed one hour per month to speed up the development process of startup companies. This will help startup companies to move forward.
It is worth mentioning that the World Bank has been issuing a list of countries with accessibility for the past 15 years. In the latest report of the World Bank, all the 190 countries have 10 sectors of regulation, such as starting a business, obtaining permission for construction, process of giving electricity connection and the time it takes, registration of property, time to get the loan, minority Investors’ safety, payment of taxes, implementation of the agreement and settlement of bankruptcy Ranking, etc.
Last year, India had made improvements in 6 norms out of 10 parameters that the World Bank had set for improving the business environment. These strictures include the introduction of a business, construction permit, and acquisition of electricity, obtaining loans, payment of taxes, cross border trade, implementation of contracts and dealing with the bankruptcy process. Under the ease of doing business, the time it takes to starting a new business, the time it takes to make warehouses, the time consume in the electricity connection for a company, guarantee of the investors’ money, the level of tax structure, the type of tax, the time taken to deposit tax, the time required for documentation, the process of contracts between the two companies etc. determine the ease of doing business ranking.
This report of the World Bank is important in many ways because this report increases the trust of the investors towards any country and the credibility of the said country at the global level also increases. This year, India has done more than 35 reforms, in which simplifying the most important GST process and accelerating the recovery rate under IBC. In addition, India has implemented 13 other reforms this year, which was not taken in the cognizance by the World Bank in the last year’s ranking.
Seeing the affirmative effect of reforms and considering the positive impact of a proposed comprehensive policy, it is being said that India can be included in the list of top 50 countries in upcoming World Bank’s ease of doing business ranking.
By Suneel Kumar Pandey
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of AFTERNOON VOICE and AFTERNOON VOICE does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.
The BJP on Thursday expelled its jailed Uttar Pradesh lawmaker Kuldeep Sengar, who is accused of raping a minor girl from Unnao.
The party has expelled Sengar, BJP sources said.
The action came days after the girl was critically injured and two of her aunts died in an accident in Uttar Pradesh. The family alleged that the accident was an attempt to kill her.
Prime Minister Modi has rightly stressed that “In our policies, in our economics, we have to change the conversation about conservation.” According to the census, Madhya Pradesh saw the highest number of tigers at 526, closely followed by Karnataka at 524 and Uttarakhand at number 3 with 442 tigers. While announcing the results, the PM has clearly pointed out that the country would strike a healthy balance between development and the environment. It is clear that “India will build more homes for our citizens and at the same time create quality habitats for animals. India will have a vibrant marine economy and healthier marine ecology. This balance is what will contribute to a strong and inclusive India.” According to the World Wildlife Fund, fewer than 4,000 tigers remain on Earth and most of them live in reservations in India where killing a tiger can result in jail time.
We should know that we are not just animals, but that we belong to the same family tree as other mammals, that our physiology and bodily processes are just like theirs, and that our mental processes too are from the same general pattern. The protection of the national animal has been a significant achievement till now. Hope this continues and leads to a significant rise in the coming years. Among animals, some are fewer in number than the others, If proper care and security are extended to them, the rare animals would survive. Only the future can tell whether national animal will survive to maintain the much-needed ecological balance. If we delay now, it might be too late.
Tigers play a large role in sustaining the biodiversity of forests, in maintaining healthy ecology, habitat conservation and the livelihoods of rural communities.The tiger population has decreased in the states of Telengana and Andhra Pradesh. The destruction of forest coverage by Maoists may be one of the reasons for this decrease.Wild tiger deaths were also reported from Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Kerala, Karnataka, and Uttarakhand. During the first six months of the year, 30 deaths were reported. The protection of the national animal has been a significant achievement till now.
Hope this continues and leads to a significant rise in the coming years.Credit must also be given to Aircel for initiating “Save Tiger” campaign, along with New Delhi Television (NDTV), who played an active role in creating awareness among the people on dwindling tiger population in India.The number of wild tigers has gone up to 3,890, from the earlier 2010 estimate of 3200, according to the World Wildlife Fund and the Global Tiger Forum. A new Tiger commando force should be created to protect tigers from the poachers. Government must try to put in more efforts to improve the arrangements to conserve the national pride – the Tiger. Let us look after the environment and campaign against development projects that threaten the tigers’ habitats. Save tigers today by donating, lobbying, volunteering and being ecologically friendly.
In the words of PM Modi, “the story that started with Ek Tha Tiger and then continued with Tiger Zinda Hai, should not stop there. It should be Baaghon Mein Bahaar Hai.”
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
One should never get lured by huge discounts and unreasonable offers as they are signs of desperation as well as alarming signals of wrongdoing. Sad to learn that a Yoga guru duped 700 members by amassing their hard-earned money and shutting shop in today’s time of economic slowdown. We would hear many such more cases in the days to come and people need to be careful in their financial transactions.
We are today living in the world of financial irregularities where builders are looting flat buyers, industrialists and businessmen are fleeing the country after taking billions of rupees as loans and the list is endless. The government should come up with stringent laws and punishment so that such incidents are minimised in the days to come. Cheap is not always good and people too should do some homework before investing putting in their hard-earned money on lucrative offers that most time are frauds by ‘fly by night’ operators!
S.N.Kabra
Why is PM silent on Unnao rape case?
Kuldeep Singh Sengar, the rapist in the Unnao rape case, is an embarrassment for the BJP. I wonder why Yogi Adityanath is shielding him! How much money has he paid to the police that they cannot even put him in jail? Shame on our government for shielding crooks, murderers, and rapists. Why are PM Modi and the Home Minister mum on this issue? Is it because Kuldeep Singh Sengar belongs to the BJP? Why are our women treated like sex objects for men to play within a country like ours?
Jubel D’Cruz
In a first, CJI allows CBI to file case against HC judge
Chief Justice of India (CJI) at last has given nod to Central Bureau of Investigation CBI to file a case against a sitting judge of Allahabad High Court Justice SN Shukla, first-ever in independent India paving way for further follow-up action under Prevention of Corruption Act against the said judge. Earlier following an adverse report from an In-House panel, CJI had written to Prime Minister for removal of the judge for showing favours to a medical college in extending deadline for admission of students in violation of a Supreme Court order. Justice Shukla had declined to resign or take voluntary retirement.
However, even if Prime Minister may wish to accept the demand of CJI, even then presently the only cumbersome procedure through impeachment by Parliament may not allow easy removal of the judge even if persons on responsible posts both at legislature and judiciary may want to do so.
Best is to constitute a permanent National Judicial Commission having retired Supreme Court judges as member-nominees of President, Prime Minister, Chief Justice of India, leader of the largest opposition party in Lok Sabha and Bar Council of India with Central Vigilance Commissioner as its ex-officio Secretary. This Commission can be the final authority in appointments and probe against judges of higher courts with the power to recommend President of India for removal of a guilty-found judge without requiring the involvement of Parliament.
Subhash Chandra Agrawal
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
Any casteist remarks and discrimination or humiliation on account of particular caste is condemnable. Ancient Indian society was divided into four “Varnas” according to occupations-Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya, and Shudra. With the passage of time this division as per occupation was replaced by a similar division by birth. Brahmins got the most respectable position in society, followed by, Kshatriyas and Vaishyas. Thus, being Shudras became a curse and discrimination started. Bharat Ratna Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar fought against this evil. The Parliament enacted the SC-ST Atrocities Act, 1989 to prevent atrocities against Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. Unfortunately, superior of the earlier, the Brahmins are being marginalised. The government and the society accept the contributions of Brahmins but they ignore them due to vote politics and baseless bias towards Brahmins. They are humiliated and mocked for being Brahmin.
It is worth mentioning that recently, the Brahman Samaj of India had approached the Supreme court seeking cancellation of certificate issued to the movie Article 15, alleging that there were objectionable dialogues spreading rumour and caste hatred in society. The Ayushmann Khurrana starrer Article 15 hit the screens on June 28.
All these lead to a section of Brahmins demanding “Brahmin Atrocities Act (BAA)” to prevent humiliation, casteist mockery, discriminations and atrocities against them like SC-ST Atrocities Act. They have launched a social media campaign for the “Brahmin Atrocities Act”. They say that Brahmins should be protected by a stringent Atrocities Law. According to this campaign, it is becoming harder to live respectfully for Brahmins in India due to the lack of mechanism, laws that can protect Brahmins from getting publicly humiliated. Miscreants easily make fun of Brahmins publicly. The demand for Brahmin Atrocities Act is gaining momentum.
As per the social petition of Pro. Kakasaheb alias Manoj Kulkarni, Solapur, Brahmins are one of the most respected communities in India. Unfortunately, the history of India shows Brahmins in negative characters due to mistakes committed by some people of the community. However, nowadays, Brahmins are really facing negativity and racism threats in India. They and their profession are shown as funny characters and negative characters in movies and social media. Many other foreign missionaries and communities are spreading hate in the minds of innocent Indians and creating social inequalities in the society. Today, the community of Brahmins has become minorities and facing huge problems in the society. As Brahmins, we demand the Supreme Court to pass “Brahmin Atrocities Act (BAA)” in which any person who targets/makes fun of Brahmins community/shows negativity towards Brahmins in movies or social media must be punished severely just like SC-ST Atrocities act. This petition had 136,352 supporters.
Rambhadranand Ji Maharaj, Shri Mahant, Panch Agni Akhada, Mumbai, told Afternoon Voice, “According to Hinduism, Brahmins are sublime and respectable. Great saint and poet Tulasi Das has written in the Ramcharitmanas-“Vipra Dhenu Sur Sant Hit Linnh Manuja Avatar”. It means, God also takes care of Brahmins first. Any injustice to Brahmins is very wrong. Everybody should avoid humiliating and hurting them. They are educated and knowledgeable but they are poor too. So, any conspiracy against them must be exposed. Brahmins should be provided every facility and right they are entitled to. Above all, any casteist remark against anybody should be treated as an atrocity. It is worst if it is against Brahmins. I support any move to enact stringent law like “Brahmin Atrocities Act” to prevent atrocities against them.”
The petition further says, Brahmins are showcased as majorities and economically strong which is absolutely wrong. Majority of the community are still below the poverty line and are facing many problems economically without any proper support from the governments, both at State level or Central level. Kapil Koranne started similar petition to PMO India and two others. He says, day by day, political as well as non-political groups/organisations are becoming aggressive and unnecessarily making Brahmins a target. The Brahmin community is non-aggressive, polite, and less in number as compared to the other communities. Thus, they are easy targets. Hence, Brahmins feel very insecure these days and need protection by some amendments dedicated to protecting them by law. Another person, Supreeth Vasishtaý also moved this campaign appealing for a stringent law for protecting Brahmins.
Chetan Rajhans, Sanatan Sanstha National spokesperson said, “There will be no social harmony if any caste is targeted. Atrocities Act protects one caste and does not protect another caste. It is inequality. It is against the Constitution of India. All castes are equal, all castes are great. They have their own contributions to the society. Either Brahmins or non-Brahmins should avoid casteist remarks. Any casteist remark is an atrocity. As far as reservation in jobs and educations are concerned the Modi government has given 10 per cent reservation for Economically Weaker Section (EWS) including Brahmins.”
After the Patidars in Gujarat and Jats in Haryana, Brahmins have now begun demanding reservations for the caste in the government institutions and jobs. Around 2,500 Brahmins from Delhi-NCR, under the banner of the All India Brahman Jagruti Sanstha demanded reservations. Members of the Sanstha, a five-year-old non-political organisation that aims to raise issues concerning the fraternity at the national level, have been demanding for long that the “unfair treatment” meted out to the Brahmins by society at large should be stopped.
All these while, Brahmins never get on to the streets to fight for reservations, and they knew where their bread and butter. Brahmins always looked for respect, power, and recognition. As a Brahmin, I don’t support reservations because there is no merit in this system. Coming to the Brahmin reservations, we are just 2 per cent of the population and there is no chance for political appeasement as we are not political vote bank, parties will not show any interest in us. Already most of the Brahmins lost interest in applying for the government jobs since there are less number of general category posts. Political parties and some section of media are against the Brahmins and Brahminism. Most of the Brahmins are poor and they are not getting any financial support in education and because of this, they are unable to get admission in the elite institutions. Still they continued to be the same type of living status. In Mumbai, most of the Brahmins such as Tiwari, Mishra, and Pandit are either taxi drivers or security guards. Some of them are vegetable vendors or street cooks. They are Brahmin by birth but economically backwards. None of the political party ever gave any thought to elevate their standard of living. We as a country need to progress and go forward, but then everyone is fighting to prove themselves as ‘backwards’ and under privileged.
Brahmin is a pretty small community, maybe a couple of crores in all over the world. As a Brahmin, I am not against the reservation for the downtrodden SC/ST/OBC communities. History and present say that they were and are still being discriminated and that aspect needs to be redressed. That’s just fine with me. They need to be brought up into mainstream strata and as the reservation system helps them in raising their bar, so be it. However, looking at the present scenario, one feels why not seek some benefits? Economically, there are both wealthy and extremely poor Brahmins as that happens with any community. Then as a community, irrespective of our economic situation, we feel, we have the courage, tenacity, determination to compete and slog it out to prove our mettle and come on tops. Many of us may not be financially strong but we are a gifted community to come out with flying colours in our endeavours.
During Gujarat and Karnataka elections, we all have seen Rahul Gandhi becoming janeu-dhari (the one who wears Brahminical thread) Hindu. There was a huge debate about his ancestry, the BJP made a lot of fun circulating various pictures of him sporting skullcap, worshipping fire and much more. The Congress party is typical secular. However, in the recent past, they have changed their stand and tried to bridge the gap between the Hindu upper caste and Congress politics. In the recent past, Randeep Singh Surjewala, while addressing a Brahmin seminar in Haryana’s Kurukshetra, appealed to the Brahmin community, claiming that Brahmin Samaj’s DNA is present in the blood of the Congress party.
In a move that came ahead of 2019 elections, he also stated that after coming to power in the state, the Congress would provide 10 per cent reservation to the poor and set up Brahmin Kalyan Board. The board would provide Rs 100 crore soft loan and scholarships to the needy Brahmin youths for setting up business and students to take up higher education at 4 per cent interest rate. He announced that three chairs in the name of Pandit Parshuram, Pandit Lakhmi Chand and Pt Bhagwat Dayal Sharma would be set up in Maharshi Dayanand University. Surjewala also referred to the sacrifices and offerings of freedom fighters Mangal Pandey, Chander Shekhar Azad, Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya, Pandit Moti Lal Nehru and Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru, saying that the Congress is the party that has ‘since the first struggle for Independence till today given such leadership that has shown the way forward to society.’
Well to my surprise, while announcing so much for the forward community, Congress was not scared of their traditional vote bank that is the minority and Dalits? These days Brahmins are termed as Manuvadi by these communities and there is hate war among the people. Haryana and Punjab Congress has its share of followers and voters, whereas in Uttar Pradesh, Congress has not been in power for the last 27 years. The Samajwadi Party can depend on the Yadavs who constitute around 9 per cent of the population, while the Bahujan Samaj Party has a committed vote base of close to 20 per cent, a majority of the Dalits in Uttar Pradesh belong to the Jatav community, to which BSP supremo Mayawati belongs. Since 2014, the BJP has been successfully wooing non-Yadav OBCs; add to this, the Banias who have been the traditional voters of the party. Congress, on the other hand, had become dependent on the vote pulling power of individual candidates: it has a paltry 28 MLAs in the U.P. Assembly. Congress’s calculation in fielding around 100 Brahmins, therefore, capitalising on the Brahmins by creating natural identification is their need.
N.D. Tiwari, the last Brahmin Chief Minister lost power in 1989, and his caste fellows. Brahmins in UP account for around 11 per cent: their position at the top of the caste hierarchy has meant that their capacity to influence others has always been greater than their numbers would suggest. Indeed, as recently as 2007, when the BSP won a majority in the state, Mayawati’s successful wooing of Brahmins had ensured her not just a sizeable share of their votes – community leaders had used their position in society to influence other castes, too, to back the BSP. If the Congress, therefore, succeeds in convincing Brahmins that it is worth backing, then, Muslims – who constitute about 15 per cent of the population in UP – may throw their weight behind it.
To sum-up, the erstwhile manuwadi-hating political parties making all efforts to woo Brahmin votes. This topical love for the Brahmin caste is their need; it’s another gimmick to fool the voters. Brahmins, who constitute good percentage of the population, are a necessary factor for any party to win the elections with a clear mandate. The upper caste needs to understand the cunningness of the politicians. Under the current circumstances, it is the Brahmins that seem to be the best bet for politics. Political parties have played its cards right so far. My personal opinion is that, No Brahmin should fall in the trap of reservation; it’s another jumla by different political parties for vote gain.
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