The entire recorded history of India is the patrimony of each citizen, no matter the faith or region she or he belongs to. This is the central message in the just revealed fact that the first official invite for the 5 August ceremony concerning the Ram Mandir has gone to Iqbal Ansari, the litigant in the case involving the birthplace of Lord Ram, who is a proud citizen of the Republic of India. Despite the multiple tragedies caused by the devastation of the 1947 Partition of India (an outcome that ought to have been resisted more effectively than seems the case), there are fringe elements within each religious denomination in India who seek to compartmentalise the people of India into silos separated by faith. Oddly, many who swear by secularism — equal treatment to all faiths in the matter of state policy — look the other way at divisive practices and rhetoric in some groups, while complaining about others. What is applicable to one group has to be made applicable to all, if the true intent of secularism is to be protected, and there can be zero exceptions to this rule. Any abuse of the beliefs and practices of a faith are symptoms of a lack of moderation and tolerance that are antithetical to the ancient traditions of India, where caste was determined not by birth but by duty. Caste by birth is a contradiction in scientific terms, akin to belief in some families such as that the sons and daughters of politicians are better fitted than others to take up a political career. Another country where the same belief is strong is China, where several of the sons and daughters of prominent political figures of the past hold leading positions in the Chinese Communist Party and the government.
After 15 August 1947, the government headed by Jawaharlal Nehru and successors from his family (Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, as the de facto Head of Government during 2004-14) made several gestures towards the Muslim community that may have been in place had Partition been avoided, and it was thought necessary to have an affirmative action programme designed to ensure that the community did not fall prey to those who spoke of “Islam in danger” in Hindu-majority India. Had Partition been avoided, there would have been 500 million Muslims in India, and they would have been a global force ensuring the rollback of Wahabbism and anchoring within the principles of mercy, compassion and beneficence that is the direction given by the Holy Quran. After Partition and the trauma that was caused by vivisectionists mainly located in what remained part of India, what was needed was to ensure that the Hindu majority regained the rights enjoyed by it until the time of Emperor Aurangzeb, who by his intolerance hollowed out the Mughal empire. The return of just three sites to what they were in the pre-Aurangzeb period (Kashi, Mathura and Ayodhya) would have ensured that the lava of perceived victimhood that had been created by the movement for Partition and its consummation be dispelled. Instead, Nehru continued to maintain the British-era policy of government control over temples (but not the structures of any other faith), and Rajiv Gandhi ignored the counsel of representatives of the overwhelming majority of Muslims represented by Arif Mohammad Khan to welcome the Supreme Court’s Shah Bano judgment. Instead, he got passed a law negating the judgement, and from that point onwards, public support began to diminish. During the period when Sonia Gandhi was in effect running the government, the Right to Education Bill was passed, in which only institutions run by Hindus were affected in terms of its provisions. This drawback has yet to be rectified.
Curricula in schools and colleges remained broadly what they were before 1947, except that an overlay of Soviet and Fabian concepts was added. The need for the youth to be taught to value the entirety of civilisation in the Indian subcontinent was ignored, and much of the past continued the British-era practice of being classified as myth. Even during the Vajpayee period, the Ram Setu was sought to be demolished, on the grounds that it was a natural structure rather than a bridge created in the past. Only recently has scientific conformation come of that, which is why the expectation is high that the Ram Setu will be declared a national monument and Lord Ram›s path to Lanka be recreated in the way the Great Wall has been in China, or Roman and Greek ruins preserved in Italy and Greece, or Stonehenge in the UK. Whatever the faith a boy or girl may have been born into, the entire history of India from ancient times to the present is a priceless heritage that needs to be celebrated rather than ignored. The western period has created synergies that would be of great value in India joining the Five Eyes, not by slogans such as “Angrezi Hatao” but by using the international link language and its dissemination to emerge as a Knowledge Superpower. Indeed, the states where there is the greatest hunger to learn English are the Hindi-speaking states, where the youth are eager for modern education and have shown across India and the world their aptitude for it. The Mughal heritage of India is an essential link in the partnership between India and the Middle East, as well as with the country with the largest number of Muslim citizens in the world, Indonesia, an essential partner in the drive to keep the Indo-Pacific open for all, as called for by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Singapore. The Vedic heritage needs to be removed from the closet into which the British pushed it, and where it was allowed to remain even after 1947, for this gives India the right to claim the distinction of being the oldest living civilisation in the planet, together with the Jewish civilisation that has endured not just centuries but millennia of persecution. Even Communist China under Xi Jinping is reviving the past of that country, and Confucius has once more emerged from the dungeon where his thought was consigned by Chairman Mao, who was on a mission to destroy the “Four Olds” through the Cultural Revolution. Several of the priceless artifacts and structures of ancient China that had survived the Japanese occupation were destroyed during this period, and are now being recreated.
The manner in which the Muslim community in India has ignored a fringe seeking to oppose the Ram Mandir shows the innate tolerance and inclusivity of the Indian people. Grievous political errors including by those eager to keep the country united ensured the success of the Churchill-Jinnah conspiracy to divide brother from brother by forcing the creation of a separate state. Although records have long been available of these machinations, the events connected to them find no mention in curricula, although they should as a warning to those listening to continuing calls for division. Ayodhya symbolises the unity of India. The nation has cause to be proud of the achievements of the Vedic, Mughal and Western periods in Indian history, even while needing to be made aware of the errors that caused so much turmoil and hardship. Lord Ram is a part of the heritage of every citizen of India, and it is only right that on 5 August 2020 citizens from across the spectrum of language and faith congregate or watch on their screens the celebration of a glorious chapter in the history of the subcontinent.
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Kejriwal attacked in Gujrat, man hurled bottle
Arvind Kejriwal, the chief minister of Delhi, was assaulted during a visit to Gujarat, which is nearing election time. At a Rajkot public protest, a bottle was thrown at the leader of the AAP.
When Kejriwal arrived in Rajkot to attend a Garba festival, an unidentified man threw a water bottle at him. He did not, however, receive a bottle strike.
While Kejriwal was in Rajkot visiting a temple, a bottle was thrown at him.
The AAP hasn’t yet complained about this, though. Additionally, as of right now, neither the AAP nor the officials have made any statements. Arvind Kejriwal is in Gujarat for two days.
Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav hospitalized in Gurugram
Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Mulayam Singh Yadav’s health deteriorated and has been shifted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Medanta hospital in Gurugram.
Meanwhile, for several days Mulayam Singh Yadav has been admitted to the hospital but on Sunday his health deteriorated, and has been shifted to ICU.
Moreover, as soon as Akhilesh Yadav get the news of his father’s health he left for Delhi from Lucknow.
Earlier in July Samajwadi Party patriarch’s wife, Sadhna Gupta passed away in a private hospital in Gurugram.
However, Mulayam Singh Yadav founded the Samajwadi Party and he is referred to as Netaji. Currently, the 82-year-old leader represents the Manipuri constituency in the Lok Sabha.
Rajashthan CM Gehlot sides with Mallikarjun amid Congress President poll
On October 2, 2022, Rajasthan’s Chief Minister, Ashok Gehlot, stated that veteran party leader Mallikarjun Kharge has the expertise to improve the Congress and will win the party’s presidential election handily, while opponent Shashi Tharoor is an “elite class” member.
“Kharge has a long political experience. He has a clean heart, he comsdses from the Dalit community and (Kharge contesting the election) is being welcomed everywhere,” he told reporters after paying tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at the secretariat in Jaipur.
Gehlot, one of the proposers for Kharge, claimed that although Tharoor is a good man and has good ideas, he belongs to the elite class.
“Tharoor is a class apart; he is from the elite class but the kind of experience that is needed to strengthen the party at booth, block, and district levels, that is with Kharge and cannot be compared to Shashi Tharoor. Therefore, it will naturally be a one-sided contest for Kharge,” he said.
For the position of Congress president, Mr. Kharge and Mr. Tharoor are squarely in opposition.
Mr. Kharge, a Karnataka-born Dalit leader, is now the overwhelming favourite to become Congress’ president.
According to sources, Mr. Kharge has resigned as the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha.
Pune bridge demolished by controlled explosion
A controlled implosion was used to destroy an ancient bridge built in the early 1990s in the Chandani Chowk neighbourhood of Pune, according to officials.
In the Chandani Chowk neighbourhood of the city, the bridge across the Mumbai-Bengaluru Highway (NH4) was destroyed at about 1 in the morning on Sunday.
After the demolition, a number of trucks and earthmover machines were put to use to bring down the hanging structures and lift the material away.
The planned demolition of the bridge generated a great deal of curiosity among the local people.
The bridge was demolished as part of a large-scale development project at Chandni Chowk that aims to improve the flow of traffic at the crucial intersection. The crossroads will eventually get a multi-level flyover, and work is already being done to that end.
The locals were extremely curious about the proposed removal of the bridge.
“The bridge was demolished at 1 am on Sunday through a controlled blast and everything was executed as per the plan. Now, we have pressed earthmover machines, forknails, and trucks to clear the debris from the spot,” said Chirag Chheda, co-owner of Edifice Engineering.
The bridge was demolished by a team from Edifice Engineering and NHAI officials. According to officials, this is the same business that destroyed the Supertech Twin Towers in Noida during the latter week of August of this year.
Due to the incident, all vehicular traffic in the region was stopped and rerouted.
When asked why some of the bridge’s support columns did not entirely collapse, one of Edifice’s chief engineers replied that the bomb had destroyed the concrete, leaving just the steel bars.
“Once the steel bars are removed using the machines, the remaining structure will also come down,” he said.
He continued by saying that more steel was used in building the bridge than they had anticipated.
Nitin Gadkari, the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, inspected the ongoing bridge construction at Chandani Chowk from the air on Friday.
Ajay Bhadoo appointed as Deputy Election Commissioner of ECI
Ajay Bhadoo has been appointed as Deputy Election Commissioner of the Election Commission of India on Sunday by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet.
The Secretariat of the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet released the press release and said, “Appointment of Ajay Bhadoo, IAS (GJ:1999), as Deputy Election Commissioner, Election Commission of India, from the date of assumption of the charge of the post, for an overall tenure of five years up to 24/07/2024 or until further orders, whichever is earlier.”
Earlier in July 2020, Bhadoo was appointed as Joint Secretary to former President Ram Nath Kovind.
Meanwhile, Bhadoo is a Gujarat batch IAS officer. He has also served as the Vadodara Municipal Commissioner.
Moreover, in July 2018 he took charge of the Municipal Commissioner’s post.
UK minister plans to change immigration policy
Suella Braverman, the country’s new interior minister who is of Indian descent, stated in an interview with The Sun on Sunday that the Liz Truss government in the UK hopes to keep its promise made during the 2019 election campaign to reduce net migration.
Braverman stated that Britain has a high number of low-skilled migrants and a large number of international students adding that the students more often brought dependents with them to UK thereby affecting the country’s growth.
“What we’ve got is too many low skilled workers coming into this country. We’ve also got a very high number of students coming into this country and we’ve got a really high number of dependents,” the interior minister said.
Suella Braverman continued, saying that the UK government will limit migration and reassess immigration policy because “those individuals are coming here, they’re not necessarily working or they’re working in low-skilled positions, and they’re not contributing to building our economy.”
In the year ending June 2021, net migration to the UK was 239,000, according to the UK’s office for national statistics. There have been more non-EU workers, particularly those from India, while there are fewer European Union workers in the UK as a result of Brexit. Therefore, a decrease in net migration to the UK may have an impact on Indian immigrants and students who want to study there.
In line with Suella Braverman’s remarks, the Guardian reported earlier this week that Liz Truss would alter immigration laws to address the serious labour shortage in the nation.
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