BJP IN INDIA

‘The RSS: A View to the Inside’ is a very good read for all those who are interested in knowing
about internal workings of Hindu organizations and India itself. Through case-study method, the authors
have attempted to shed light on most pressing issues faced by Sangh in recent times and how it has
transformed and continues to do so to make itself relevant, socially acceptable and maintain
cohesiveness within itself.

The passage of the 2019 Citizenship Amendment Act exemplifies legislative populism in its most ethnic format, the National Register of Citizens being its subservient arm or vice versa. The anti-CAA, NRC movement offers a significant challenge to Narendra Modi’s brand of populism, a challenge that is generative of a “new” vision of democracy. It is my contention that Shaheen Bagh protest contains possibilities for redefining democracy. The meaning of the Urdu word ‘Shaheen’ is ‘eagle’,  and is central to Muhammad Iqbal’s decolonial poetic philosophy.

The BJP evolved over the last five years under the potent combination of Modi and Amit Shah, both stalwarts who emerged from state-level politics in Gujarat, into a committed, aggressive, sharp-witted and effective political juggernaut. Under the indelible spell of these two leaders, who radiated the unmistakable impression of operating in perfect sync with each other, the party morphed from being a scantly supported Hindi heartland entity that could win a mere 2 seats in the 1984 General Elections to a pan-India phenomenon, one that is today the undisputed ruler of New Delhi. The rapid geographical expansion of the BJP into regions alien, and in some cases even hostile, has been nothing short of spectacular. The political map of India, barring small aberrant spots of other hues, is completely shaded in the saffron of the BJP. Even while this outreach into virgin territory for the BJP was yielding rich dividends for it, the party did not lapse into complacence in the states that had given it its massive mandate in 2014 in the first place. The fact that the party succeeded in sustaining a continuous political campaign mode throughout the last five years, whether there were elections around the corner or not, played a big role in this.

A distinctive Ram statue was used in Hyderabad, Telangana, in the annual shobha yatra (grace procession) between 2012 and 2018 for the occasion of Ram Navami, the festival of Ram's birthday. 1 This festival occurs each year in the larger program of Spring Navratri. Yatra translates from Hindi as "procession," and is used to refer to both religious and political variants, while shobha commonly translates as "grace." The two terms together highlight the religious aspects of the procession and its place in the ritual calendar. The first public shobha yatra in Hyderabad occurred in 2010. Previously, it was a more relaxed affair that was celebrated in private. This change occurred in response to the Milad-un-Nabi celebrations of the Hyderabadi Muslim community becoming public for the first time in 2010, just a few weeks before that year's Ram Navami. 2 The last yatra I have information about is 2018. Personal and academic factors made it impractical to continue to follow the Hyderabadi yatra after this date. However, the impact of pandemic restrictions on the yatra would be fascinating to discuss. A cursory search suggests

GUT-WRENCHING FACTUAL REPORT ON THE ANTI-MUSLIM VIOLENCE [FEBRUARY-MARCH 2020] IN DELHI BY DELHI MINORITY COMMISSION, A STATUTORY BODY SHOWS HOW INDIAN STATE HAS COMPLETELY DISCARDED DEMOCRACY-SECULARISM WHILE DEALING WITH THE ANTI-MUSLIM VIOLENCE. SAME WAS THE CASE IN 1984 WHEN SIKHS WERE THE VICTIMS.
https://archive.org/details/DMC-delhi-riots-fact-finding-2020

Ambedkar stood with the most downtrodden and deprived sections of the Indian society; the sections which had no voice in public life. The social mobilization of these sections by Ambedkar helped in the national freedom movement. As the Chairman of the Drafting Committee, Ambedkar advocated a strong nation-state.

This essay critically reviews Jan-Werner Müller’s What is Populism and its application in the Indian debate to show the efficacy and limits of his exposition. It focuses on three points: elision of subjectivity of those who are targets of populism, neglect of religion as a key factor in populist mobilizations, and the near desertion of International Relations in accounting for populism. These points are discussed by drawing, inter alia, on contemporary Indian populism, especially related to pluralism, a concept that Müller insightfully foregrounds as central to populism. It is hoped that a political-anthropological approach to populism will enrich its theoretical understanding beyond disciplinary and spatial grooves.

This conversation between a private security guard, Dharmendra Panchal, and  Irfan Ahmad serves as a window to understand contemporary India from the perspective of an “ordinary” or “common” man, an ardent and articulate supporter of the current ruling party and its worldview. At the centre of this conversation is the salience of Hinduism in politics, not only at the national level but also internationally. Addressing such issues as the visibility and assertion of Dalits (ex-untouchables) in the public realms, inter-caste and inter-religious marriages, prostitution, development, technology, corruption, terrorism, the notions and practices of war, the United Nations and the current world order, in this conversation Panchal describes his worldview according to which the current dark time of Kaliyuga marked as it is by untruth (adharma) is about to end. The advent of
Kalkī, future avatar of god Vishnu, will end the present Kaliyuga and herald the age of truth (Satya Yuga) which Panchal saw actualized well in his own lifetime. The new age of truth led by Hindus will establish a righteous and prosperous order at domestic as well as at the world level. Panchal skilfully connects the Hindu metaphysical postulates to the empirical world of politics to present a description and narrative that invite analytical attention.

Hindutva is the political philosophy of racist Brahminism. Hinduism is a hybrid religion and calling Hinduism racist would be unfair. It is this racist Brahminism that has come to define Hinduism at large, however it needs not necessarily. The following describes the Brahmic Hinduism and NOT Hinduism in general.

What are the new characteristics of Hindu nationalism—now in a phase
when Hindutva logics are percolating into various local practices, in
India and in diaspora, and now that the BJP has assumed electoral
office? This short ‘Post Script’ essay uses the cases represented in this
special issue on ‘neo-Hindutva’ to think through overarching themes
that distinguish present expressions of political Hinduism. I argue that
while the vernacularization of Hindutva continues to generate new
expressions that variously modulate or adapt classic Sangh Parivar
positions in specific local contexts, the wide dispersion of Hindutva
logics and the wider tendency to use political frameworks for almost all
social affairs is generating other responses. Most notably, Hindutva
vernacularization increasingly involves seeking out apolitical forms of
politics itself: transcendent logics and neutralizing frameworks that
position Hindutva as outside of the usual political corruptions of the
modern Indian State. While such forms have a long history in the
subcontinent, I argue for greater attentiveness to apolitical aspirations as these coalesce in what are usually politically overdetermined contexts. The pull of the apolitical cannot be cynically dismissed as disingenuous or merely a veiled politics, or we risk fueling rather than addressing the various dimensions of its evolving critique.

The so-called radicality of this Conference did nothing but further contribute to the erasure of Indian Muslims and Indian brand of anti-Muslimness. It carried out Hindutva’s goal. Genocide of Muslims is an aesthetic project for Hindutva. Genocide of Muslims is an aesthetic project for this seemingly anti-casteist but clearly and always anti-Muslim left.

Education has been the major area of work for RSS all through. Since it has a view of Nationalism which is opposed to the concept of Indian Nationalism, it already had made lot of efforts to promote its views through Shakhas, through Sarswati Shishu Mandirs and through Ekal Schools. It has set up organizations to influence the policies in the field of education like Vidya Bharati. It has also started putting its followers in the top positions in Universities and major research institutes of the country. The previous BJP led NDA regime had already started the process of saffronisation by changing the school books and by introducing like courses like Paurohitya (Clergy specialising in rituals) an Karmakand (rituals). (1) The attempt to bring in their view point on ancient, medieval and modern history have been intensified during last few years (from 2014) with BJP being in the seat of power. RSS leaders has been interacting with MHRD ministry to overall change the education system. One can say that the gradual changes in education and forthcoming education policy by BJP is aimed to bringing it in tune with globalisation, privatisation along with Hindutva agenda of Manuwad. (2)

The landslide victory of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 2019 general election and many State assembly elections after 2014 have marked a "BJP Dominant System" in Indian politics. BJP's rise as a formidable force with remarkable adaptability in Northeast India is a spectacular phenomenon. The formation of North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) as coordinating as well as a political coalition became very significant strategic move for BJP's rise. This article examines the NEDA as a contributory factor and key strategy of BJP in Northeast India.

The RSS hoped to become “the core around which society itself would become strengthened and cohesive,” explains journalist Hartosh Singh Bal. It was intended to provide a foundation for the country by becoming a predominant group with a hand in every aspect of life in India. Under Bhagwat’s leadership, today the RSS operates as a state within a state. It is essentially, a shadow government. It is more than just that, argues novelist Arundhati Roy. “No longer a shadow state or a parallel state, it is the state,” she writes. “Day by day, we see examples of its control over the media, the police, the intelligence agencies. Worryingly, it appears to exercise considerable influence over the armed forces, too.”

It has taken decades of quiet, hard work for the RSS to achieve this level of social and political control. For a long time, the paramilitary was busy laboring at the state level. In 2002, for instance, Roy reported that “the police, the administration and the political cadres at every level” had been “systematically penetrated” in the state of Gujarat. This is where Modi first cut his teeth as a BJP politician. It is also where the RSS conducted its first pogrom of the 21st Century, which the former leader of the VHP called a “successful experiment which will be repeated all over the country.”

“The traditional muscle power of the BJP has always been the RSS,” said a former US ambassador to India. “The RSS can survive without the BJP but the BJP cannot exist without the RSS. This inextricably links the BJP to the RSS’s Hindutva (Hindu nationalist) agenda. If the BJP does not toot the Hindutva horn, the RSS will not mobilize the Hindu voters.”

Today, however, the RSS’s role is much broader than merely mobilizing voters. It doesn’t just provide boots on the ground to help win elections — it pulls the strings of the party’s elected officials. Indian attorney AG Noorani calls the BJP “a creature of the RSS,” adding: “Without it the BJP will collapse. Not only does the RSS provide the muscle, cadres who constitute the indispensable foot soldiers during elections, but also the top officials.”

This e-book is copyright free. This dossier on the RSS has been compiled for the purpose of spreading awareness about the RSS, a Hindutva organization that presents the most lethal danger to the principles of democracy, justice, secularism, egalitarianism, and liberalism not only in India but the world over. This document is based on its own records and authenticated sources. It may be used in any form including translation in other languages without seeking financial benefit or tampering with the facts and authorship. The author would be grateful if its use is shared by friends/organizations.
I SEEK YOUR KIND HELP TO SHARE IT WITH THE RESEARCHERS, ACADEMICIANS, ACTIVISTS, JOURNALISTS IN INDIA & ABROAD.FOR HINDI VERSION: https://www.academia.edu/44570985/%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B7_%E0%A4%9F_%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%80%E0%A4%AF_%E0%A4%B8_%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%82%E0%A4%B8%E0%A5%87%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%95_%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%82%E0%A4%98_%E0%A4%8F%E0%A4%95_%E0%A4%86%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%82%E0%A4%95%E0%A5%80_%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%82%E0%A4%97%E0%A4%A0%E0%A4%A8_%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%82%E0%A4%98_%E0%A4%95%E0%A5%87_%E0%A4%85%E0%A4%AA%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%87_%E0%A4%A6%E0%A4%B8_%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B5%E0%A5%87%E0%A4%9C%E0%A4%BC%E0%A5%8B%E0%A4%82_%E0%A4%B8%E0%A5%87_%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%AC%E0%A5%82%E0%A4%A4

AMIT SHAH DE FACTO PM OF INDIA ON INDIAN PARTITION: BULLDOZING HISTORY
No other fascist organization, in the present world, can beat Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in demagogy, hypocrisy and double-speak. In fact, what George Orwell termed as "doublespeak" would be an understatement in the case of RSS. The latest proof of this nasty character was provided by the Union Home Minister Amit Shah, de facto PM and a senior RSS leader in the Lok Sabha (akin to the House of Commons in England) on December 9, 2019. While introducing the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 which is not only against democratic-secular Indian Constitution but also violates all humanitarian principles; this Hindutva zealot justified the need for such a law by referring to the Partition of India in 1947. He told the law-makers,
“You want to know why this bill is necessary. If the Congress had not divided this country on the basis of religion, there would be no need to bring in this bill. It was the Congress that divided the country on religious lines, not us,”
[https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/history-contests-amit-shah-on-partition/cid/1725610?ref=top-stories_home-template]
It was unashamed bulldozing of history with the aim to hide the identity of the real culprits who dissected a nation causing unimaginable bloodshed, violence and destruction. When Amit Shah claims that "it was the Congress that divided the country on religious lines, not us,” it is not due to ignorance or outcome of his illiteracy. It was Goebbels speaking through Amit Shah; shout a lie multiple times so that it becomes a truth!
Let us compare the above claim of Amit Shah with the contemporary documents available in the archives of Hindutva organizations like RSS and Hindu Mahasabha led by VD Savarkar.
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The social media has, soon after its inception, been widely used in the political sphere internationally. In fact, such was its extensive impact that the role of social media in international politics can be traced back to several historic events like “Occupy Wall street”, The rise of the arab spring and the M-15 movement in Spain,  that the 2012 election campaigning of Barack Obama gave him the title of the “first social media president”. However, it cannot be the same in a country like India where a majority of population still does not have access to the internet, let alone social networking sites.. Yet, almost every other Indian politician has an active account on multiple platforms. Social media consulting firms are hired by the political parties in order to create the most appealing image of theirs to the “netizens” of the country. The results of the 2014 elections in May show clear majority win to the Bharatiya Janta Party with 336 seats to the NDA and one may simply not resist from observing that the Prime Ministerial candidate of the party, Narendra Modi was among those politicians who were very active on social media, having a huge base of fan following of 11.8 million on Facebook and 6.13 million on twitter. Modi had also used the Google Hangouts in 2012, which gained considerable limelight. Meanwhile, the other major candidates-Arvind Kejriwal and Rahul Gandhi had a considerably lower fan following- 5.5 million and 0.3 million respectively on Facebook. While it is not the case that social media is an exclusive privilege of the metropolitan cities and the Tier I cities, we have to still consider the fact that the number of people that have access to the social media are filtered in the sense that out of the literate population, the computer literate and the ones who have access to the internet and social media, are the ones who have direct access and influence of the social media. Despite this, the role being played by the social media, especially during the times of Lok Sabha elections in May is too significant to ignore.

The 2014 general elections in India were significant for a number of reasons, most significantly was the widespread use of social media by most parties in their campaigns. This essay is not an analysis of the effectiveness of social media used by political parties in the campaign rather it is the examination of the social media campaign used by the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) for the national elections in India in 2014 and how this has created an effective ‘public’, as defined by Michael Warner. The essay will examine online platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and the BJPs community organizing website – Mission272+ to demonstrate this.

AMIT SHAH'S DEFENCE OF CITIZENSHIP AMENDMENT BILL 2019 SHAMES EVEN GOEBBELS
The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 (CAB) that promises to open the door for Indian nationality to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Christians and Parsis who got into India (on or before December 31, 2014) from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan, facing religious persecution, was introduced in the Lok Sabha by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on December 9, 2019.  This bill transgressing the fundamental soul of the democratic-secular polity of the country was passed in less than 8 hours due to RSS/BJP rulers enjoying brute majority in Lok Sabha. Sadly, it happened on the eve of International Human Rights Day, the 10th December. It would replace the Citizenship Act, 1955 which made no such distinction. 
It is not difficult to understand that it is the first step in the direction of  bringing in a more monstrous law for scrutinizing citizenship of all existing Indian citizens. The NRC exercise is going to play havoc with crores of Indians specially marginalized and Muslims.
Let us examine the Amit Shah's defence of this Bill in the Indian Parliament and outside one by one.
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With Balraj Madhok's death on May 2, 2016 an era of old guards of Hindutva politics comes to an end. A senior RSS pracharak till his death was paid handsome tributes by the RSS leaders including PM Modi, himself a senior pracharak, for being a "stalwart leader of Jan Sangh. Balraj Madhok ji's ideological commitment was strong & clarity of thought immense. He was selflessly devoted to the nation & society. [I] had the good fortune of interacting with Balraj Madhok ji on many occasions". The RSS also issued a formal condolence message signed by the supremo Mohan Bhagwat on behalf of all swayamsevaks, referring to his contribution of commitment to nation and society in less than 4 lines. It is intriguing that memory of Madhok was being reduced to being a leader of Jan Sangh. He was a leading RSS pracharak on whom his organization relied for initiating prominent Hindutva projects. This reductionist attitude of the present RSS leadership towards his contributions to the politics of RSS is the outcome of a design to hide Madhok's role as a chronicler of the degeneration which was spreading as an epidemic in the high echelons of the RSS in 1970s and 80s. 
This he discussed in volume 3 of his autobiographical series titled 'Zindagi Ka Safar –3: Deendayal Upadhyay Ki Hatya Se Indira Gandhi Ki Hatya Tak' (Journey of Life-3: From the Murder of Deendayal Upadhyay to the Murder of Indira Gandhi). The present article discusses the stunning revelations of Madhok about degeneration of RSS top brass. It is unfortunate that 'independent' media and commentators have not taken any note of these revelations.

This article explores the “fundamentalist dilemma,” or how fundamentalist movements participate in secular political systems, especially when they gain prominent political positions that allow them to impose their extreme ideology on the entire society. After analyzing prevailing responses to this dilemma, ranging from political integration to aggressive takeover, the article turns to the case of Israeli Haredim. It explores three models of political integration through which Haredim have applied religious practices in the public sphere: protest, consolidation, and takeover. The study’s main finding is that, opposite to a commonly accepted assumption that fundamentalists’ integration into secular politics causes them to moderate, the more political power that fundamentalists accrue the stronger is their tendency to promote their religious agenda. Yet the Israeli Haredi case also reveals the limitations of this tendency: fundamentalists often restrain their expansionist instinct when having to take nonfundamentalist reactions into consideration.

अपने शरीरों पर दौलत लपेटे भारत के संसद सदस्य!
तवलीन सिंह ने एक बार फिर अपने एक ज़ोरदार लेख में उन संसद सदस्यों को शीश दिखने की कोशिश की है, जो भारत जैसे ग़रीब देश में, जिसे दुनिया में भूकों की राजधानी भी कहा जाता है, के संसद सदस्य होने के बावजूद अपने शरीरों पर महँगे-तरीन वस्त्रों, आभूषणों, घड़ियों, जूतों, परसों की नुमाईश करते हैं। तवलीन ने प्रधान-मंत्री से निवेदन किया है की वे गर सच-मुच में काले धन पर अंकुश  लगाना चाहते हैं तो बराबर में बैठे संसद सदस्यों (तवलीन का इशारा सत्ताधारी पार्टी से जुड़े सदस्यों की ओर भी है जिन से PM घिरे रहते हैं) जिन्हों ने दौलत ओढ़ रक्खी है, इस की भी जाँच कराएं।
सच तो  यह है की तवलीन का यह लेख PM मोदी को भी अत्मविवेचन के लिए कहता है जो पांच लाख रुपयों की कीमत का कोट पहने दिखे थे (इस कोट को गुजरात के एक बड़े हीरा व्योपारी ने एक करोड़ से भी ज़्यादा रक़म दे कर खरीद था ताकी वह इस का प्रयोग एक विज्ञापन के रूप में धन्ना सेठों को हीरे-जवाहरात बेचने के लिए कर सके) और आज जो भी वस्त्र पहनते हैं उन्हें कभी दुबारा पहने हुवे नहीं देखा जाता। आशा है देश के PM तवलीन के मशवरों पर धियान देंगे।

On the 70th Martyrdom Anniversary of Gandhi
THE HINDUTVA GANG CONTINUES TO CELEBRATE 'VADH'/MURDER OF GANDHI
In last 4-5- years a concerted campaign is on to spread confusion about the identity of the conspirators/killers of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, also known as Father of the Nation. He was assassinated on January 30, 1948 at Delhi. After prolong hearings Nathuram Godse and Narayan Apte were sentenced to death and six others including Godse's brother, Gopal Godse were sentenced to life imprisonment. Savarkar was also tried for conspiring to kill Gandhi but was acquitted due to lack of evidence. 
In a surprising move the highest court of justice in India, Supreme Court on October 6, 2017 admitted a petition filed by one Pankaj Phadnis who also happened to be a trustee of the Abhinav Bharat, an organization with linkages to Savarkar in the past claiming it was one of the biggest cover-ups in history.
Court which was initially of the view that "nothing can be done in law" in the case which was decided long ago, changed its opinion by admitting the plea for reopening the Gandhi murder case. It even appointed senior advocate Amarender Sharan as an amicus curiae in the matter to examine the petition and documents provided by Phadnis.  Anyway, reopening Gandhi murder case is going to be an impossible task as according to the official responses, researchers' findings and press reports many of the related documents have gone missing, files discarded and are not available in a separate dossier as is the case with Subhash Chandra Bose disappearance/death case. 
When Tushar Gandhi, the great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi sought intervention in the case opposing the plea for seeking reopening of the 70-year-old assassination case of Gandhi, Bench of Justices S.A. Bobde and M.M. Shantanagoudar questioned the locus standi of Tushar Gandhi in the case. Shockingly, great-grandson of the murdered Gandhi was questioned about his right to intervene in the case but the petition of Phadnis who was neither related to Gandhi nor to the killers was entertained. 
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This essay argues that the ethno-nationalist political ideologies and propagandas used by political parties in India and South Africa are incorrect. These tactics contrast the values of secularism and harm minority factions in the respective countries. Instead it is important for these political parties to break away from these narrow ideologies and adopt centrist policies. Inclusive political and economic policies in this form will embrace pluralism and will lead to sustainable economic development.
While South Africa’s ANC continues to favour the black elite India’s BJP continues to support Hindu nationalism. This is detrimental as minority factions in both the countries are extremely affected. In order for a democracy to be successful it is imperative to imbibe a spirit of political culture and encourage citizens to participate in state matters. The government of both the countries in this regard must pursue brokerage politics and initiate practical reforms that benefit both majority and minority factions. In addition to pursuing brokerage politics, the governments of both countries could implement forums for participatory budgeting. Active involvement of the citizens in this manner make the state accountable for their actions. This policies in the long run will lead to sustainable development.

Over the past month and a half close to a billion people across the huge expanse of India have been engrossed in the newest addition of its five-yearly General Election that elects the members of the lower house of the Indian Parliament, the Lok Sabha, and in turn, the country’s Prime Minister. The sheer scale of the exercise, the level of public participation despite the oppressive mid-summer heat, the vibrant colours that light up the public rallies of popular political leaders, the speeches by politicians at these rallies extolling the virtues and accomplishments of their chosen political party while spewing fire against their opponents, these all contribute to making the exercise what The New York Times described as “the greatest show on earth”. General Elections in India are the real manifestation of India’s vaunted democracy. Importantly, they are also the important glue, along with the country’s federal structure, that binds the vastly diverse ethnic, linguistic, and religious mix of the country together.

THE LOW OF INDIAN STATE: NANA DESHMUKH & PRANAB MUKHERJEE ARE BHARAT RATANS NOW!
The Indian State may be a modern entity, claiming to be governed by a liberal-secular constitution, but the mindset of its rulers is frozen in the feudal and colonial past. One glaring example is that of bestowing awards or sinecures to its favourites which was common practice with the feudal lords and the British masters when they ruled India. They regularly awarded their henchmen/women with titles like Amir, Rai Bahadur, Salar Jung, Jang Bahadur, Counsellor of the Empress, Khan Bahadur, Grand Knight of Star of India, Sir and hundreds others. The British masters 'honoured' Indian rulers or princes of states like Gwalior, Patiala, Nabha, Kapurthala, Pataudi, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Nizam, Bhopal etc. with many of these titles for helping the former in crushing the 1857 War of Independence.
The Indian Constituent Assembly conscious of this evil of the pre-independence rulers' culture to patronize anti-people/nation personalities abolished award of titles under Article 18, which read, "No title, not being a military or academic distinction, shall be conferred by the State…" There were to be no exceptions. It was strictly followed till 1954 when these were introduced from the back door under the heading 'civilian awards' which Constitution of India prohibited in clear words. It became a happy hunting ground for favourites of the Indian rulers. The only exception was 4th PM, Morarji Desai who during his stint as PM (1977-80) suspended conferment of such awards on the ground that the "availability of such titles led people to flatter those in power and harmed both government and society a great deal.” The irony was that Desai was awarded Bharat Ratn posthumously!
However, Desai was not off the mark. In a democratic polity where ever person enjoyed the same status, conferment of these civilian titles only showed the rampaging darbari culture to honour those who were part of the kitchen cabinets or in good books of the ruling party, family or alliance. There have been allegations that awards were secured through lobbying, manipulation and even bought. It was not Congress rulers only who indulged in such favouritism. This evil continued with a semblance of transparency, care was taken not to honour people with sectarian and questionable past. With RSS/BJP government headed by PM Modi in 2014 these precautions were abandoned.

Three dimensions of the future tasks of the farmers movement in Punjab seem to be of key importance: international, national and those related internally to Punjab. Internationally, the key task is of resisting global capitalism, nationally, it is against the centralisation of economic and political power, and internally within Punjab, it is for fighting for ecological and social egalitarianism.

I have no love lost for any of the four major political parties that I have
interacted with in Bengal in the last half-century. I joined the Indian
Administrative Service in 1975 during the Emergency, and I have seen at close quarters how democracy was trampled by the Congress in Bengal – with the Maintenance of Internal Security Act, arbitrary arrests and detentions by the police and widespread clampdown on free speech and political rights.

RSS SEEKS MADRAS HIGH COURT HELP FOR ERASING ITS VIOLENT ANTI-MUSLIM HERITAGE: A FIT CASE FOR PERJURY 
[This dossier is in continuation to my request to friends in Tamil Nadu that democratic-secular organizations/individuals must intervene in this case so that anti-national RSS fails to manipulate/use higher judiciary for hiding its toxic communal agenda. I have reproduced original RSS documents (except one by Rajeshwar Dayal ICS who was the first home secretary of UP after independence) for use in the courts. The original documents can be provided on demand. It is to be noted that the following narrative is restricted the times of independence. The Hindutva juggernaut under RSS is running amok 1990 onward. ]
The Madras High Court, presently, is seized of an interesting matter. RSS needs its help to hide its criminal attitude towards Indian Muslims such as calling for ethnic cleansing of Indian Muslims. According to the press reports,
"P. Chandrasekaran, secretary of the Chennai chapter of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a writ petition has been filed in the Madras High Court by objecting to a sentence in the latest Class X social science textbook of State board schools (published by the government of Tamil Nadu) that the Hindu Mahasabha as well as the RSS had taken a "pronounced anti-Muslim stance during the days that led to partition of the country on religious lines in the pre-Independence era"  [https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/rss-functionary-seeks-deletion-of-sentence-from-class-x-textbook/article30570432.ece]
Chandrasekaran's intervention on behalf of the RSS is quite perplexing as RSS keeps its roster of membership closely guarded secret. According to the petitioner the above mentioned book under the title ‘Hindu Communalism, Muslim Communalism and Indian Nationalism’ read, “The Muslim League dubbed the Congress as a Hindu organisation and claimed that it alone was the representative of the Muslims of India. Similarly, the Hindu Mahasabha and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) took a pronounced anti-Muslim stance.”  The petition argued “It has been made to appear as if that during the struggle for freedom, RSS took an Anti Muslim stance and the same had resulted in the partition of the country.” The petitioner further claimed that RSS was not against any religion but was working towards the ‘consolidation of the Hindu society.  [https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/controversial-lines-rss-be-removed-tn-school-textbooks-after-sangh-opposes-116003] He demanded that the “objectionable” sentence from English as well as Tamil versions of the textbook be deleted. According to the petitioner, “If such wrong messages are included in the textbook meant for school students, it will lower the image of the organisation in the minds of the young people and it is highly objectionable”.  [https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/rss-functionary-seeks-deletion-of-sentence-from-class-x-textbook/article30570432.ece]
This writ petition was brought before Justice P.D. Audikesavalu who quickly directed the government counsel to obtain instructions on the issue by January 22, 2020, from the School Education Department, the Tamil Nadu Textbook and Educational Services Corporation (TNTESC) and the Director of State Council for Education Research and Training (SCERT). The government of Tamil Nadu's education department submitted before the High Court that "We have formed a team to inquire into the issue. The TN school education department will strike the controversial portion from Social Science book of Class 10". Unfortunately, even before finding the truth or falsehood of the statement in the text books by its own committee, the government of Tamil Nadu told Madras High Court that it would remove certain portions pertaining to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) from class 10 textbook.
[https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/will-omit-sections-on-rss-from-book-tamil-nadu-government-tells-hc/story-fcWR2W8rxXwyJquLhuR6GM.html]
PLEASE READ THE WHOLE STORY TO KNOW THE SHAMEFUL STORY.

How Narendra Modi Seduced India With Envy and Hate
The prime minister has won re-election on a tide of violence, fake news and resentment.
By Pankaj Mishra
Mr. Mishra is the author, most recently, of “Age of Anger: A History of the Present.”
IT IS BEING REPRODUCED WITH THANKS TO NYT.
ALSO READ:
The Guardian view on Narendra Modi’s landslide: bad for India’s soul [EDITORIAL]
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/may/23/the-guardian-view-on-narendra-modi-landslide-bad-for-india-soul?CMP=share_btn_link

The cry for an abnormal Muslim population growth in Assam is a hoax. It is factually busted time and again but the political forces which find it suitable as polarization tool keep propping this issue as campaign material. An Army General should have avoided any public rhetoric on such politically heated issue.

Amit Shah is no ordinary Indian ruler. He is president of the BJP which rules Centre and majority of the Indian States. Most importantly, he is the other half of our PM, Modi, they together rule as the most powerful duo ever to rule India after Independence. Additionally, he is a senior RSS functionary. With this bio-data Amit Shah is naturally the ideological face of the Hindutva ruling elite and his utterings hold the status of holy words for his followers. 
Recently, he was in Chattisgarh to speak to “eminent persons” for strengthening BJP in the state where assembly elections are due in 2018. While philosophising on the irrelevance of Congress, belittling its rule in the freedom struggle, he went to discuss Gandhi. According to him Gandhi, to quote original words of his in Hindi, “bahut chatur baniya tha woh”. Its English translation would be, “he was a very clever baniya (merchant or moneylender)”. These words for Gandhi make one thing clear that Shah was treating Gandhi not as a leader of the composite Indian nation on whose calls Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, Jains and others came out in millions to oppose the foreign rulers; thousands of them laying down their lives for the freedom. On the contrary Gandhi was a ‘baniya’, a Caste/group among Hindus. It needs to be noted here that by this categorization Shah, in fact, borrowed the language of MA Jinnah who always referred Gandhi as ‘Hindu baniya’ who represented only Hindus. So in the vocabulary of this Hindutva icon, Shah, Gandhi was reduced to the status of a Hindu leader which Muslim League always propagated and propagates even today. Shah even disregarded the fact that Gandhi was murdered by the Hindutva zealots because he was not acting as a leader of the Hindus only but wanted an all-inclusive India. 
Shah’s denigration of Gandhi was not limited to his political identity. The Hindi idiom which he used for Gandhi; “bahut chatur baniya tha woh”, has sinister hatred overflowing in the phrase which non-Hindi (or Urdu) speaking people will not be able to understand. In Hindi “tha woh” (था वह) phrase is used for servants, persons of lower status, those who are considered not respectable or very intimate friends. For elder persons, for respectable persons, we always use “the ve” (थे वे). It is shocking that Amit Shah, himself a baniya, uses such words for another baniya, a fellow Gujarati, that too an elderly person who is no more. It is in contravention of both Gujarati and baniya ethos. The baniyas are known for their cultured and refined use of words as they aim at winning hearts in order to reach to the pockets of customers. It seems Shah’s hatred for Gandhi grown out of Hindutva beliefs has made him oblivious of the civilized behaviour practised by the baniyas.

As western Uttar Pradesh counts it dead, Shamli tells a story of how illtimed local elections turned into a COVID-19 superspreader event. The administration has only offered paltry assurances and pious advisories to the sick and vulnerable, while invisiblising the full impact of the pandemic.

The 2019 general election in India heralded the emergence of new party system, that of the BJP system. The Hindu supremacist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led coalition, the National Democratic Alliance, was re-elected with the enhanced presence of the BJP. The BJP system is characterized by the ‘politics of obedience,’ which consists of three elements: economic development, institutionalization of Hindu supremacism (Hindutva), and violent oppression of religious minorities, especially Muslims. How does this ‘politics of obedience’ work? What is the implication for the future of Indian democracy? This paper analyses the recent 2020 Bihar state assembly election to answer these questions.

Bihar has been known for secularism and ‘social justice’ since 1990. Consequently, the BJP was not able to dominate the ruling circle in Bihar until the 2020 election. This election, however, made it possible for the BJP to dominate the state government for the first time since independence. By analyzing voting behaviors based on a representative sample survey, this article argues that the ideology of Hindutva has reached acceptance by the majority of voters. The prevalence of Hindutva is enabled by the popularity of prime minister Narendra Modi, whose mismanagement of COVID-19 has not affected on his popularity. Sang Parivar, the whole body of Hindutva forces, will accelerate the process of institutionalizing Hindutva, preparing for the time ‘after Modi’. This is the reality that endangers the future of Indian democracy.
Nonetheless, we still have hope. The ongoing powerful farmers’ movement against the government is a novel form of the Civil Disobedience Movement for the 21st century. The hope of Indian democracy, as well as that of the rest of the world, lies in this movement.

The mainstream print and electronic media of India has become Modi/Godi media embedded to the cause of RSS/BJP rulers who are working overtime to destroy a democratic-secular Indian polity and replace it with a Hindu State where dehumanized MANUSMRITI would be law of the land.
Cobra Post  talks to Shamsul Islam  on the dangerous scenario.
Video link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnWwHwqVbMg

In a historic judgment the Supreme Court gave the verdict that instantaneous triple talaq (Talaq-e-Biddat) is invalid as per the law. (22nd August 2017) Giving this verdict Court invoked the ethos of equality of Indian Constitution. This judgment has been path breaking as it upholds the demands of many Muslim women's groups on the subject. Just to recall this verdict was in response the petition filed by Shayra Bano, a victim of triple talaq and many Muslim women groups who approached the Court in this matter. The Court asked the Government to file an affidavit on the matter. Government in its submission asked for abolition of triple Talaq, Nikah Halala and polygamy on the grounds that they inhibit gender equality. (1) Interestingly now many a BJP leaders and ministers are trying to take the credit for the same and projecting as if BJP is the one to come forward as a guardian of Muslim women's interests. They also make it appear as if the Muslim women's leadership aligned with the right-wing BJP government on this issue. Muslim women's groups dismiss the claim that they are allied with BJP on the matter and also state that it is due to their efforts that such judgment has come forth. They point out that statements like that of BJP leader Subramanian Swami saying that BJP won UP elections as Muslim women felt that it in only BJP which could save them from triple talaq, is totally contrary to facts. (2) In sum and substance, statements like this and the one by Prime Minister that his government is committed to upholding the rights of Muslim women, does not have much meaning. Such outpourings on part of BJP leadership are just for sayings sake, are opportunistic ones' meant for electoral purpose only. Muslim women have dissociated with the statements of BJP leaders, " Muslim women's rights activists have condemned the continuous attempts by the Bharatiya Janata Party to appropriate the movement against instant triple talaq practiced in the community and its efforts to make the recent Supreme Court judgment against it a political victory for the party. " (3) It is true that many of those belonging to RSS-BJP have been shedding big crocodile tears on the plight of Muslim women, the ill effects of Muslim personal laws on women in particular. As such in practice they have done precious little to ameliorate the condition of Muslim women at social level and have done nothing as far as legal provisions are concerned, on the contrary the implications of their politics is the big curse for Muslims as a whole including Muslim women. It is the initiative of the women like Shayra Bano and many Muslim women's groups who have braved the odds to reach the courts to quash this practice which is not only against the principles of Indian Constitution but also against the principles of Indian Constitution. Triple Talaq as a Practice: As a Part of Muslim Personal Law: While the Triple Talaq as a concept in Islamic practice has various limitations, the interval at which the word talaq can be pronounced is well defined; the process of mediation which must be brought in the interim period is the core part of Islamic practice. As it got distortions, courtesy the helpful Maulanas, many men used this provision to get rid of their wives by pronouncing three talaqs in a single go or even by using other means like SMS, whatsapp messages etc. This is a vulgarization of the practice which came to be part of Islamic practices at places. Enlightened Muslim men and large sections of women have been talking to throw away this practice by a process of social and legal reforms. In India Hamid Dalwai, the social reformer was among the first one to raise his voice against this. " Fifty years after radical Muslim reformer Hamid Dalwai led the first street protest against the practice of triple talaq in Bombay (now Mumbai) along with just seven women, " (4) Now his younger brother Husain Dalwai a Congress MP, has introduced a private member bill in Rajya Sabha titled the 'Dissolution of Muslim Marriage Bill, 2016', which is pending. Triple Talaq has validity as it is a part of Muslim personal law. At another level the personal laws, Hindu, Muslim Christian and Muslim are separate and have a legal sanctity.

Hatred for Gandhi is Fundamental to Hindutva’s Discourse
Amit Shah is no ordinary Indian politician. He is president of the BJP which rules Centre and a majority of the Indian States. Most importantly, he is the other half of our PM, Modi, they together rule as the most powerful duo ever to rule India after Independence. Additionally, he is also a senior RSS functionary. Blessed with this bio-data Amit Shah is naturally the ideological face of today’s Hindutva ruling elite and his words carry both weight and meaning beyond others. For the vast organisational creature that he represents and its followers.

Recently, he was in Chhattisgarh to speak to “eminent persons” with a view to strengthening the BJP in the state where assembly elections are due in 2018. While philosophising on the irrelevance of Congress, belittling its rule in the freedom struggle, he also went to discuss Gandhi. According to him Gandhi, to quote his original words of his in Hindi, “bahut chatur baniya tha woh”. Its English translation would be, “he was a very clever baniya (merchant or moneylender)”.

One thing was again made clear. For Shah --and all that he represents-- Gandhi is not a leader of the composite Indian nation on whose call, Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, Jains and others came out in millions to oppose foreign rule; thousands of them laying down their lives for the freedom of their country from economic exploitation and servitude. On the contrary, Gandhi was a ‘baniya’, a Caste/group among Hindus.

By this shrewd categorisation, Shah, in fact, borrowed the language of MA Jinnah who always referred to Gandhi as ‘Hindu baniya’ who represented only the Hindus. So in the vocabulary of this Hindutva icon, Shah, Gandhi was reduced to the status of a Hindu leader which Muslim League always propagated and propagates even today.

Shah conveniently disregarded the fact that Gandhi was murdered by  Hindutva zealots because he was not acting as a leader of the Hindus alone only but always stood for an all-inclusive India.

Shah’s denigration of Gandhi was not limited to his political identity. The Hindi idiom which he used for Gandhi; “bahut chatur baniya tha woh”, has a sinister hatred overflowing in the phrase which non-Hindi (or Urdu) speaking people will not be able to understand.

In Hindi, the “tha woh” (था वह) phrase is used for servants, persons of lower status, those who are considered not respectable or very intimate friends.

For elder persons, for respectable persons, we always use “the ve” (थे वे). It is shocking that Amit Shah, himself a baniya, uses such words for another baniya, a fellow Gujarati, that too an elderly person who is no more. It is in contravention of both Gujarati and baniya ethos. The baniyas are known for their cultured and refined use of words as they aim at winning hearts in order to reach to the pockets of customers. It seems Shah’s hatred for Gandhi grown out of Hindutva beliefs has made him oblivious to the more civilised behaviour practised by the baniyas.