Home Blog Page 852

The vulgar display of naked Islamist hatred against a woman leader in Bangladesh: What awaited Sheikh Hasina had she stayed

Sanghamitra
-
0
The vulgar display of naked Islamist hatred against a woman leader in Bangladesh: What awaited Sheikh Hasina had she stayed

On the afternoon of Monday, August 5, Bangladesh’s 5-time Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina left the country, probably never to return again. News of her tendering resignation and preparing to leave Dhaka were just pouring in when a video surfaced on social media, the daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangladesh’s founding father, getting down from a vehicle and embarking on a helicopter.

After weeks of violent protests in Bangladesh that started as student protests against a court-ordered quota in government jobs for the descendants of freedom fighters, after hundreds of deaths, rampant violence, and murders of police personnel at the hands of violent protestors operated by Jamat-e-Islami, Hasina probably knew her time was up when the Army turned against her.

As violent protestors filled the streets of Dhaka, marching towards the PM’s residence and the Jatiya Sangshad Bhavan, the national parliament, cards were falling fast. Just after 2 pm, ahead of reports of an address by the military chief, news came in that Sheikh Hasina has left Dhaka.

Protestors storming into Bangladesh parliament, Image captured by Naimur Rahman of The Daily Star

Within minutes, hundreds of protestors swarmed into the Ganobhavan, the official residence of the Prime Minister in Bangladesh. Those people were not there to protest, they were there to loot, vandalise and display the state of anarchy that has finally won in Bangladesh.

The pictures soon turned into a macabre dance of human depravity. Men, unhinged, uncontrollable men, with a strange glee on their faces, leaping with joy as they stormed the residence of their Prime Minister, only to barge into her rooms, loot her wardrobe, vandalise her furniture, and show to the whole world how they defile and destroy the last symbols of a shattered democracy. Dhaka fell on August 5.

Among the visuals of looted furniture, stolen sarees, and men ransacking the PM’s residence, one video stood out. A man had stolen undergarments, bras from the PM’s residence, and a mad crowd was going berserk at the sight of the undergarments. They had hoisted the man on their shoulders, and hooting, cheering as he displayed the bras as trophies.

The mad crowd cheering for the stolen bras from a woman Prime Minister’s residence was not just the shameless display of anarchy that has befallen Bangladesh, it was a macabre announcement of what awaited the woman and her family had she stayed.

The crowd was not there to mark the triumph of the people’s revolution against the elected leader, they were there to loot, rape and lynch. Had they found Hasina or any of her family members at Ganobhavan, or anywhere in Dhaka, they would have dragged them out, and lynched them to death in all the revolutionary fury, and just as it happens everywhere when law and order fails, the women would have been raped first.

The men hooting and cheering, waving the bras as trophy were declaring their naked intention, that they didn’t just want Sheikh Hasina’s resignation, they wanted her humiliated and hurt. The Islamist ideology that has fanned and mobilised these protests hates democracy and equality, it prides itself in keeping women under its boots. Islamists loathe a strong democratic leader who prioritises growth and development over radical Islam, they hate it even more when that leader is a woman.

Homes burnt, shops looted, temples vandalised and more: Muslim mobs in Bangladesh wreak havoc on minority Hindus, over 54 instances of attacks

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Homes burnt, shops looted, temples vandalised and more: Muslim mobs in Bangladesh wreak havoc on minority Hindus, over 54 instances of attacks

On Monday (5th August), the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council released a list of attacks that took place on Hindu temples, houses and establishments that belonged to the Hindu community in the country.

The attacks happened amidst the political turmoil taking place in Bangladesh. According to X handle Voice of Bangladeshi Hindus, these attacks happened within five hours. Notably, the actual number of attacks could be much higher than reported in the list below. The document has listed 54 attacks.

According to the list, in Sherpur, the house of the president of the Sribardi Upazila Youth Unity Council was attacked, vandalised and looted.

In Khulna, the houses of Shyamal Kumar Das and Swajan Kumar Das in Highgate village of Rupsa Thana area, houses of Biman Bihari Amit, president of the Khulna District Unity Council and Animesh Sarkar Rinku, president of the Youth Unity Council in Tootpara of Khulna city, house of Jayanta Gain in Amtali Banisanta, Dacope, and houses of the minority community in Darpara, Koyra were attacked, vandalised and looted.

In Feni, the Durga Temple was attacked. In Dinajpur, the Fulthala cremation ground was forcefully occupied. Five temples including Kali Mandir in Parbatipur were vandalised. Minority community houses were attacked and looted in Setabganj Bochakganj and Dhalla village of Chirirbandar Thana area.

House and office of businessman Deepak Saha, leader of Puja Celebration Council in Lakshmipur was attacked, vandalised and looted. The houses of Nakul Kumar and Suhsanta in Agarupur village of Kuliarchar in Koshorganj were burnt. The House of Ujjal Chakraborty in Rauzan of Chattogram was attacked and looted.

In Jashore, three houses in Dhopaidi Palpara village of Abhayanagar were burnt. 22 shops including the warehouse of Babul Saha vandalised and looted in Narikel Bariya of Bagharpara, minority homes were attacked in Keshabpur, Bechpara and Barmanpara.

In Satkhaira, minority shops were looted in Kolaroa, the house of Biswajit Sadhu, president of the District Unity Council was attacked, looted and burnt and the house of Dr Subrata Ghosh, central assistant organizational secretary of the Unity Council, was attacked and burnt.

In Shayestaganj Bazaar, Habiganj, there was a violent attack, vandalism, and looting at the shop of Asit Baran Das, the president of the Upazila Unity Council. Minority homes in Lohagara, Narail, were subjected to an attack that included vandalism, looting, and harassment, causing significant distress and damage.

Bogra witnessed multiple incidents of violence. In Tilpatti, Bargola, 5-7 minority shops were attacked, vandalised, and looted. Similarly, the house of Dr Gautam Kumar Mondal in Sahapukur village, Dupchanchia Upazila, was attacked and looted.

In Patuakhali, the Radha Govinda Temple in Kuakata was attacked and vandalised. The house of Ananta Mukherjee was attacked, vandalised, and looted. Minority homes in wards 2 and 3 of the Sadar, Panchagarh, were attacked, vandalised, and looted.

The house of Sahadev Roy in Sonadia, Hatiya, Noakhali, was attacked and looted. In Thakurgaon, minority homes in the Sadar were attacked, vandalised, and looted. Additionally, in ward 2 of Pirganj, the cremation temple was attacked and burnt.

Jhenaidah saw extensive violence with ongoing attacks, vandalism, and looting at the homes of 10 minority families in Chaklapara municipality. Minority shops in Kotchandpur were also attacked and lotted.

In Hathuria, Bera Thana, and Pabna, minority homes were attacked, vandalised, and looted. In Nilphamari, minority homes in Bamunia Union, Domar Upazila, were attacked, vandalised, and looted. There was an attempted attack on minority homes in the Barakali Bari area.

Additionally, the house of journalist Dulal Saha in the Sadar was also attacked, vandalised, and looted. In Shariatpur, the Dhanuka Temple in the Sadar was vandalised. Nearby minority homes were attacked, vandalised, and looted.

The house of Amiya Prasad in Panchagram Union, Sadar, Lalmonirhat, was attacked, vandalised, and looted. In Mymensingh, a mob attacked the house of Shyamal Pal in Ward 32 of Shambhuganj.

In Netrokona the Ramakrishna Mission and ISKCON temple in the Sadar were attacked and vandalised. Minority homes were also attacked, vandalised, and looted by the mob. Minority homes in the Sadar, Munshiganj, were attacked, vandalised, and looted.

In Faridganj Upazila, Chandpur, the house of Haripada Das was attacked, vandalised, and looted. An attempted attack and vandalism were reported at the house of Ram Doctor in Araihazar, Narayanganj.

Visuals of attack on Hindus went viral on social media

Apart from the list, there have been several videos and images that went viral on social media of attacks on Hindus’ houses, businesses and temples in Bangladesh in guise of violence against the government. OpIndia could not verify the authenticity of all the videos.

X handle Raju Das (RajuDas777) shared several posts of such videos. In one of the videos, mob was seen attacking the house of Bamunia Palpara Hindus in Gabtali Upazila of Bogra District, Bangladesh.

In another post, a video of a Hindu girl in distress was shared by Raju Das in Mathbaria police station area in Pirojpur district of Bangladesh. The girl was seen pleading for help in the video in Bangla.

In yet another video, Shani Temple in Navgraha Bari in Chittagong was burnt by the mobsters.

A Hindu temple was attacked in Shibpur Upazila, Narsingdi District at around 5 PM.

A Spokesperson for ISKCON India, Yudhistir Govinda Das, said in a post, As per the info I have received, one of our ISKCON center (rented) in Meherpur (Khulna division) was burnt including with the deities of Lord Jagannath, Baladev and Subhadra Devi. 3 devotees who lived in the center some how managed to escape & survived.”

In a video shared by Visegrad 24, Islamists were seen surrounding houses of Hindus and threatening people inside.

According to Bangladeshi newspaper The Daily Star, houses and businesses belonging to the Hindu community were attacked in 27 districts. According to the report, the homes of Pradip Chandra Roy and Muhin Roy were vandalised and looted in Telipara village and Thana road, respectively in Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila.

In Kaliganj upazila, the homes of four Hindu families in Chandrapur village were attacked. 12 Hindu houses in Hatibandha upazila’s Purbo Sardubi village were burnt while several Hindu houses were vandalised and looted in Bandhavgarh’s Sadar upazila. Ten Hindu houses were attacked in Dinajpur and a Temple was attacked in Railbazarhat.

Khansama upazila witnessed attacks on three Hindu homes. In Khulna, the houses of Oikya Parishad leaders and others were ransacked. Barishal’s Gouranadi saw mobs attacking Aditri Adhikary’s house. At the same time, similar incidents were reported in Bogura, Patuakhali, Sherpur, Narsingdi, Kishoreganj, Chattogram, Jashore, Satkhira, Habiganj, and Narail, with incidents of looting, vandalism and arson of houses, shops and temples belonging to Hindu community.

While political landscape of Bangladesh is witnessing one of the toughest times in history, Hindus and other minority communities are the most vulnerable as Islamist mobsters are taking advantage of the situation to attack them. Amidst these attacked, left-liberals and Islamists have been seen either denying or justifying the attacks.

Pakistani ISI’s hand in Hasina out campaign in Bangladesh? Active players who orchestrated and fueled social unrest to topple democracy in India’s neighbourhood

Paurush Gupta
-
0
Pakistani ISI’s hand in Hasina out campaign in Bangladesh? Active players who orchestrated and fueled social unrest to topple democracy in India’s neighbourhood

As Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina tendered her resignation on Monday and fled the country to save her life, Pakistani social media flooded with celebrations over the fall of a democratic and pro-New Delhi government in India’s neighbourhood. The development comes after violent rioters created a social unrest all across Bangladesh in which over 300 people lost their lives. 

However, there is an uncanny nexus which reveals that the infamous Pakistani Intelligence Agency ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence) played a covert hand in orchestrating and fueling anti-government unrest in Bangladesh and furthered the Hasina out campaign. The ISI played an active role in fomenting and fueling violent protests to create political tensions and instability in Bangladesh. In addition to the ISI, the major opposition party, Bangladesh Nationalist party (BNP) and a few other key players also led the charge to topple democracy in their country.

Here is who the ISI executed the Hasina out campaign and how major players orchestrated this regime change operation in India’s neighbourhood –

Son of former president Ziaur Rahman and former PM Khaleda Zia, Tarique Rahman who serves as Chairman of BNP; a history sheeter who has served life sentences for masterminding grenade attacks on Sheikh Hasina

Businessman turned Politician, Tarique Rahman is the current acting chairman of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and has been at the helm of affairs of the party since February 2018. Rahman is the eldest son of former president Ziaur Rahman and former Prime minister Khaleda Zia. He has been active in politics for a long time and became active in party affairs in early 2000s when his Mother was serving as the country’s Prime Minister. 

He has a criminal record and was served life sentences earlier by the Bangladesh courts. In 2013, Rahman was acquitted in a money laundering case as a Dhaka court gave him relief. However, when the state appealed against the Dhaka court’s ruling, the High Court sentenced him to seven years in prison. 

In February 2018, Rahman was served a 10 years jail term and his mother, Khaleda Zia was awarded five years imprisonment in the Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case.

On 21st October 2018, a special tribunal sentenced him to life imprisonment charging him as the mastermind behind a dastardly grenade attack on a rally of the then-opposition leader Sheikh Hasina on 21st August 2004. He was awarded a life sentence three times and 20 years imprisonment for two cases of murder and under sections of the Explosives Act. 

On 4th February 2021, another Bangladeshi court sentenced him to two years imprisonment in a defamation case for making derogatory remarks against the Father of Bangladesh, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. 

In another case over default of payment, a court fined him Tk10,000, and awarded him six months in prison.  

Bangladeshi media reports had earlier pointed out his links with the Pakistani ISI. It is being alleged that he orchestrated plans with ISI from his base in London. As Rahman is the current BNP chief, these ISI plans were executed in Bangladesh to create social unrest and materialise Hasina out campaign. 

Bangladesh officials had earlier claimed they had evidence that he met ISI officials in Saudi Arabia, alluding to an active involvement of the ISI with the BNP leader.

Additionally, he actively posted through his social media handles to fuel the social unrest and instigate protesters even after the Supreme Court accepted the major demands put forth by the protesters initially. However, the orchestrated protests didn’t die down after their demands were fulfilled, alluding to a sinister ploy behind the protests which soon turned violent and started targeting the democratically elected government.

Another active player in this nexus that led the Hasina out campaign include Jamaat-e-Islami.

Jamaat-e-Islami

The Bangladesh government, through gazette notification, had banned ultra-Islamist and Pakistan-linked Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) and its student wing Chhatra Shibir as terrorist organisations under section 18/1 of Anti-Terrorism Act of 2009. 

Still, its student wing which is allegedly backed by Pakistan’s ISI incited violence in the name of student protest and provoked it to turn violent and direct it against the democratically elected government. It fuelled unrest by openly supporting anti-government protests and provoked the recent turmoil and challenged the authorities’ efforts to maintain stability.

It is an open secret that the Pakistan’s army and ISI had always wanted to destabilise Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government and ensure that opposition BNP comes back to power through protests and street violence.  

Jamaat-e-Islami was founded by Muslim Brotherhood leader Sayyid Abul A’la Maududi with the notorious agenda of Islamic conquest and “bringing the world under the flag of Islam”.

A few years ago, the International Crimes Tribunals in Bangladesh described JeI’s role during the war of independence in 1971 as an active cohort of Pakistani occupation forces.

Meanwhile several OSINT handles operating from Pakistan, initiated and amplified fake news on social media platforms actively used in Bangladesh to provoke Bangladeshi citizens and create an anarchic situation. Additionally, Pakistan-based OSINT handles supported prominent anti-Bangladesh social media handles like @Revot_71, one of the most prominent handles that fueled protest and instigated Bangladeshis to carry out Hasina out campaign. This handle alone posted more than 500 provocative posts against the Sheikh Hasina Govt in the garb of recent ‘student protest’.  This handle, @Revot_71, is withheld in India.

Incidentally, such Bangladeshi handles which led the charge to topple the democratic government, have linkages with Chinese followers (seemingly bot or deliberately created to fuel social unrest in Bangladesh) as well as suspicious followers from Middle East and other Islamic countries that have an adversarial view towards India. 

‘My family is done saving Bangladesh’: Sheikh Hasina’s son says the country can now handle its own problems and his mother will never return

OpIndia Staff
-
0
‘My family is done saving Bangladesh’: Sheikh Hasina’s son says the country can now handle its own problems and his mother will never return

Sajeeb Wazed Joy, son of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, said his mother would not make a political comeback as she is “deeply disappointed” by the uprising against her leadership despite her efforts for the betterment of Bangladesh, Dhaka Tribune reported.

Joy, who served as an official adviser to the former prime minister until Monday, said in an interview with a British public service broadcaster’s Newshour program that Sheikh Hasina had been contemplating resignation since Sunday and had left the country for her safety following pressure from her family.

“She has turned Bangladesh around. When she took over power it was considered a failing state. It was a poor country. Until today it was considered one of the rising tigers of Asia,” Joy said, defending his mother’s record in office, Dhaka Tribune reported.

While addressing allegations of excessive force against protesters, Joy said that the government’s response had been justified given the violence faced by law enforcement.

“You’ve had policemen beaten to death – 13 just yesterday. So what do you expect the police to do when mobs are beating people to death?” he said.

Bangladesh is facing a fluid political situation with the country’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigning from her post in the wake of mounting protests. The protests, majorly by students demanding an end to a quota system for government jobs, took the shape of anti-government protests.

At least 95 people, including at least 14 police officers, died and hundreds of people were injured in clashes in Dhaka on Sunday, local media outlet Prothom Alo reported.

Joy also said that his family has survived three coups and they are tired of saving Bangladesh.

“My family has been through this three times, 3 coups, after this, we are done. We are tired of saving Bangladesh. Bangladesh can handle its own problem now. It’s all our problem,” Joy said.

Bangladesh PM Hasina arrived in India on Monday evening after tendering her resignation in the wake of mounting protests in Dhaka. It is not clear if the Bangladeshi Prime Minister will stay in Delhi or move to another location. Reports in media outlets in Bangladesh have speculated that Sheikh Hasina may proceed to London.

The Cabinet Committee on Security met on Monday at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence at Lok Kalyan Marg. In the meeting, PM Modi was briefed about the situation in Bangladesh.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman were present in the meeting. Moreover, senior officials were also present.

After landing at the Hindon Air Base, Sheikh Hasina held discussions with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval at the Hindon Air Base in Ghaziabad on the present situation in Bangladesh and her future course of action, sources said.

Indian Air Force and security agencies are providing security to her and she is being moved to a safe location, the sources said.

Earlier in the day, Jaishankar briefed PM Modi about the current political situation.

Moreover, celebrations and protests were reported from across Dhaka and Bangladesh after Sheikh Hasina left the country accompanied by her sister.

After Hasina left the country, many people entered the Ganabhaban, the residence of the Prime Minister. Prothom Alo reported that people were seen decamping with various items from public buildings.

A crowd was also noticed inside the Parliament building and people were seen taking things from inside the Parliament building as well.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh newspaper Prothom Alo reported that Awami League’s Dhaka district office was set on fire by the agitators. The agitators started the fire around 4 pm on Monday.

The agitators also set on fire Awami League president Sheikh Hasina’s office at 3/A Dhanmondi in Dhaka. Protesters were seen chanting slogans and celebrating the news of Sheikh Hasina’s resignation.

Amid the intensified protest in Bangladesh, Shahjalal International Airport also closed its operations for six hours, reported Bangladesh local media ProthomAlo.

Prothom Alo also reported that Army Chief General Waqar-uz-Zaman will soon hold direct talks with student-teacher representatives in the country.

Army Chief General Waqar-uz-Zaman, in a televised address today, also said that this is a period of political transition and an interim government will be formed.

Nahid Islam, a coordinator of the anti-discrimination student movement, said that the outline of the interim national government will be formulated within the next 24 hours.

Moreover, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chief Khaleda Zia called on people from all walks of life across Bangladesh to remain calm amid unrest, following Sheikh Hasina’s resignation, Dhaka Tribune reported.

This was communicated in a press release issued on Monday by Shamsuddin Didar, an official from the BNP chairperson’s press wing.

I swear on Quran that I’ll kill you: Mohammad Ayan stabbed to death inside Madrasa days after verbal argument with a fellow student; Police arrest 12-year-old accused

राहुल पाण्डेय
-
0
I swear on Quran that I’ll kill you: Mohammad Ayan stabbed to death inside Madrasa days after verbal argument with a fellow student; Police arrest 12-year-old accused

On the intervening night of 1-2 August, minor Mohammad Ayan was stabbed to death inside a madrasa in Balrampur district of Uttar Pradesh. On Sunday (4th August), the Police arrested another minor who was also studying in the same madrasa. During the investigation, Police found out that a few days earlier, verbal arguments broke out between Mohammad Ayan and the accused minor. The earlier heated argument is said to be the reason behind the murder. 

The incident took place in the Tulsipur police station area of Balrampur district. There is a madrasa named Jamiya Naimiya Arbi College on the Etawah Road just a few kilometers away from the Nepal border. The 12-year-old Mohammad Ayan was studying in Class 2nd and taking religious education from this madrasa. On the intervening night of 1st and 2nd August, he was brutally stabbed to death. Subsequently, his father lodged a Police complaint in this matter. Based on his complaint, the Police registered a case under section 103 (3) of Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) and initiated an investigation.

The deceased madrasa student was a resident of Jarwa police station area of Balrampur district. During the investigation, it was found that another 12-year-old student, who is a resident of Balrampur district, also takes religious education in the same madrasa. Around 5-6 days back, Mohammad Ayan had an altercation with the accused and he hurled abuses at him. 

It is being said that after the Isha Namaz, Mohammad Ayan swore on the Quran that before the night of Jumma (Friday), he would kill the accused. The accused took this threat seriously as the victim swore on the Quran inside the Mosque. He thought why he should not go ahead first and kill the victim. With this intention, he bought a knife and hid it in his suitcase. 

On the night of 1st August, he went to room number 15 inside the madrasa with a knife. There, the victim was sleeping with other madrasa students.

During police interrogation, the accused said that when he was sure that everyone was asleep, he put a pillow on the victim’s face and neck to silence his screams. Meanwhile, the accused stabbed the victim multiple times in the stomach with the knife he had brought along with him. Sensing that there was no motion in victim’s body for a long time, the accused minor student quietly left from there. While leaving, he covered the body of the deceased with a bedsheet.

The accused then came to his room and removed his blood stained clothes and hid them in a suitcase. After changing his clothes, he started roaming around in the campus. 

During initial interrogation, the accused student tried to mislead the police but later he revealed everything. The accused madrasa student has been arrested. Based on the information he gave, the police also recovered his blood stained clothes. 

Further investigation and other necessary legal action is underway. 

Bangladesh: As Sheikh Hasina flees amid deadly protests, read about possible foreign interference behind the political turmoil

Anurag
-
0
Bangladesh: As Sheikh Hasina flees amid deadly protests, read about possible foreign interference behind the political turmoil

On 5th August, Sheikh Hasina resigned from the post of Prime Minister of Bangladesh and fled to London with the help of the Bangladesh Army. The Army has taken over the country and promised that elections will happen soon in the country. Hasina-led Bangladeshi government fell following weeks of unrest caused by student protests demanding the end of the quota for generations of freedom fighters.

Despite the quota being abolished by the Supreme Court of Bangladesh, the protests did not end as the students who were protesting laid more demands. The protests turned violent with the government deploying forces to curb the protests. Hundreds of protesters died leading to more violence and dissent towards the government. As the government has fallen in the neighbouring country, the role of foreign forces in toppling Hasina’s government has become a topic of discussion as well as concern. One of the organisations whose name has popped up repeatedly is the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

What is USAID?

The US Agency for International Development (USAID) is the principal U.S. agency. According to the USAID website, “The President’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Budget Request for the State Department and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is $63.1 billion for foreign assistance and diplomatic engagement, which includes $32 billion in foreign assistance for USAID fully- and partially-managed accounts, $3 billion (10 per cent) above the FY 2023 Adjusted Enacted level… The FY 2024 President’s Budget also requests both mandatory and discretionary resources to out-compete China, strengthen the U.S. role in the Indo-Pacific, and advance American prosperity globally through new investments to respond to these unprecedented and extraordinary times”.

The main objective of USAID is clearly, to further US interests abroad and regime change has been one of the interests of the US. The USAID website says about their mission, “On behalf of the American people, we promote and demonstrate democratic values abroad, and advance a free, peaceful, and prosperous world. In support of America’s foreign policy, the U.S. Agency for International Development leads the U.S. Government’s international development and disaster assistance through partnerships and investments that save lives, reduce poverty, strengthen democratic governance, and help people emerge from humanitarian crises and progress beyond assistance”.

One knows what it truly means when a US agency says that they want to promote “democracy” in foreign countries. In fact, on its website, USAID also says, “We aspire to lead international and US Government efforts to advance the economic, political, social, and environmental well-being of the world’s most vulnerable people”.

Known examples of USAID’s interference in foreign countries and attempts to regime change

The regime changes in Nicaragua

According to a research report published by the Council of Hemispheric Affairs, USAID interference led to the 2018 uprising in Nicaragua. An extraordinary leaked document revealed the US government’s plan to interfere with the internal affairs in Nicaragua before and after the 2021 presidential election.

The 14-page extract of a much longer document outlined a contract of USAID to create “the environment for Nicaragua’s transition to democracy.” William Grigsby from Radio La Primerisima revealed the plan in the document that described how USAID worked with various NGOs, think tanks, media organisations and human rights bodies to support opposition to the Ortega government.

To support and justify the interference by the US body, the document misrepresented historical events such as claims that the Sandinista party manipulated the elections even though the Organization of American States (OAS) acknowledged there were only minor irregularities. Furthermore, it also rewrote the 2018 uprising narrative ignoring the fact that the opposition indulged in violence and economic disruption.

The US has a long history of interventions in Nicaragua dating back to 1856. The existence of such documents that revealed the plan of the US’s intervention was not surprising. Notably, Ben Waddell’s article in Global Americans points out that “US support has helped play a role in nurturing the current uprisings,” highlighting the role of US-funded groups in fostering opposition.

The regime change efforts blended with humanitarian aid in Venezuela

USAID has a long history of meddling with Venezuela’s internal affairs as well. According to a 2019 report in People’s World, USAID aligned closely with the National Endowment of Democracy in “Transition Initiatives” to promote the foreign policy goals of the US. The organisation has been an integral part of US efforts to organise humanitarian aid convoys to Venezuela which aligned with the political agenda of the US administration and then-interim president Guaido.

USAID’s Venezuela program supports civil society and democratic governance, echoing the principles of the UN Human Rights Convention. Wikileaks revealed a five-point strategy by the U.S. embassy in Caracas to undermine Chávez. USAID and NED funded opposition groups extensively and the former’s operations often blended humanitarian aid with political motives. The State Department’s Bureau of Energy Resources also works to reduce Latin American reliance on Venezuelan energy.

Bangladesh, BRAC, USAID and Gates Foundation – How everything is interwoven and worrisome

It has to be noted that Building Resources Across Communities (BRAC), an international development organisation founded by Sir Fasle Hasan Abed in Bangladesh is heavily funded by USAID and the Gates Foundation. Interestingly, BRAC University, which stemmed from BRAC (the organisation), has been the centre point of the protests in Bangladesh.

BRAC has received funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and USAID that tuned into millions. For example, BRAC received USD 1.5 million from the Gates Foundation to build preparedness and emergency response capacity​. Furthermore, BRAC has teamed up with USAID in projects like the Bangladesh America Maitree Project, which aims to enhance the capacity of local NGOs through funding and training.

Not to forget, there are allegations that USAID is in front of the CIA, the foreign intelligence organisation of the US government. Especially during the Cold War and in more recent geopolitical conflicts, USAID’s name has popped up. To support this link, the Cuban Twitter Program can be cited as one of the examples. USAID has been implicated in covert operations aimed at regime change such as the secret Twitter network in Cuba. The program involved creating a social media platform to foster dissent among the people of Cuba with covert funding and operations resembling classic CIA tactics. Though the design of the network looked benign in the beginning, it eventually disseminated politically charged messages to mobilise opposition. In case of Bangladesh, similar tactics that resemble CIA operations could have been used to mobilise students and opposition parties in the protests but to reveal exact links, it will take time as the country is still under distress.

Now coming to the US’s involvement in Bangladeshi politics, it is to be noted that just before the recent General Elections in Bangladesh, Washington sanctioned members of Sheikh Hasina’s party and promoted a government involving BNP and Jamaat. It aligned with broader discussions about US foreign policy strategies aimed at fostering governments favourable to its interests.

Hasina hinted at foreign interference

In June this year, Sheikh Hasina made a shocking claim that a plot is being hatched to carve out “a Christian state like East Timor,” from parts of Bangladesh and Myanmar and that she will not let it happen. She claimed that a “white man” who visited with her before the Bangladesh elections in January of this year assured her that there would be “no problems” if she permitted them to establish an airbase on Bangladeshi soil.

Last year, the US also extended support to the Islamist Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its Jihadist ally Jamaat-e-Islami during its protests against the PM Hasina-led government. The US and other Western countries expected the Awami League government to step down and hand over power to a caretaker regime, and release all jailed BNP and Jamaat leaders to ensure ‘free and fair’ elections. However, India and China, despite their disputes, backed Sheikh Hasina in dealing with US pressure resulting in her return to power for the fifth time.

Since there have been reports of the United States attempting to meddle in the elections in Bangladesh by imposing sanctions on Bangladesh’s Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and some officials alongside placing visa restrictions on Bangladeshi officials, it is being speculated that the airbase offer was made by the US.

In November 2023, OpIndia reported that there were clear signs of foreign interference in Bangladesh’s internal affairs. With just two months away from the elections, the United States government, its agencies and the embedded media were called out for orchestrating a ‘regime change operation’ in Bangladesh.

Attempts were made to distort the public perception of incumbent Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and present her as an ‘autocratic leader.’ The Joe Biden-led-US government was accused of election interference under the pretext of ‘saving democracy’ and conducting ‘free and fair elections’ in the Islamic Republic.

Liberals and ‘journalists’ instigate violence in India, using Bangladesh as an excuse: How the ‘rigged election’ lie is being used to foment trouble

Amit Kelkar
-
0
Liberals and ‘journalists’ instigate violence in India, using Bangladesh as an excuse: How the ‘rigged election’ lie is being used to foment trouble

On Monday, August 5, 2024, Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled as ongoing nationwide protests took a violent turn. Hundreds of protesters stormed her official residence, waving flags and raising slogans against her, shortly after she fled.

After resigning as Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina left Bangladesh and arrived at the Hindon Air Base near Delhi. She is expected to fly to London, reports said.

Due to the unrest in Bangladesh, the BSF has issued a high alert along the India-Bangladesh border. As a result, both passenger and freight train services heading towards the border areas have been suspended.

General Waker-Uz-Zaman, the army chief of Bangladesh, announced that an interim government would assume control. He assured that the military would step back and commit to initiating an investigation into the fatal crackdown on student protesters.

“We will investigate all the killings and punish the responsible,” he said at a press conference. “I have ordered that no army and police will indulge in any kind of firing… Now, the students must stay calm and help us.”

‘Liberals’ and ‘journalists’ use Bangladesh chaos to instigate similar kind of deadly protests in India

However, soon after the ouster of Hasina, a democratically elected head of state in India’s immediate neighbourhood, the left-leaning ‘liberals’ and propagandists who identify themselves as ‘journalists’ fell over themselves to spread canards of ‘rigged election’ in Bangladesh—a shameless attempt to instigate violence in India and rationalise the violent protests led by Islamists in Bangladesh. 

“Sheikh Hasina reportedly rigged an election and hence this tragic unravelling in #Bangladesh is happening. There’s a message in here for all democracies and institutions meant to guard people’s mandate. Jai Hind,” Saba Naqvi, the self-proclaimed flagbearer of democracy and secularism who had once mocked Shivling, tweeted following the turn of events that transpired in Bangladesh earlier today.

Naqvi suggested that democratic institutions in India might have been compromised, a popular leftwing trope used to discredit the democratic mandate received by the Modi government.

Source: X

The founder of the far-left leftwing portal The Wire, Siddharth Varadarajan, also appeared to peddle a similar propaganda trope that ‘rigged elections’ in Bangladesh are the cause of the events we are witnessing today.

Source: X

Another left-leaning ‘liberal’, Vinod Kapri, also furthered the same narrative that Sheikh Hasina undermined the democratic principles.

Rana Ayyub claimed “hubris” has been the undoing of Sheikh Hasina, a democratically elected leader in Bangladesh.

Source: X

“The End of a Dictator,” tweeted RJ Sayema, infamous for peddling fake news, lying, and endorsing Hinduphobia among other things.

How liberals are pushing ‘rigged elections’ lie to rationalise deadly protests in Bangladesh and seek a similar predicament in India

Earlier this year, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina won the re-election for a fifth term in the national election that was conducted on Sunday amidst the boycott by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) led by former PM Khaleda Zia.

Sheikh Hasina’s party Awami League won a fourth consecutive term in the 12th parliamentary election that took place in January 2024, marking the second lowest voter turnout since the reinstatement of democracy in 1991.

Sheikh Hasina was elected as the Bangladesh PM for the fifth term after the principal opposition BNP, linked to the terror outfit Al Qaeda, decided to boycott the elections as the Prime Minister cracked the whip on jihadis and extremist elements threatened to destabilise the country, a glimpse of which the world saw today as scores of protesters, reportedly instigated by BNP leaders, rampaged through the PM’s official residence, ransacked the palace and stole sarees, utensils and other belongings. Hours later, hundreds of hoodlums scaled the Bangladeshi parliament as shocking visuals of protesters smoking in the building and vandalising it.

In fact, foreign observers from the US, Canada, Russia, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and the Arab Parliament had described the general elections in Bangladesh as free, fair, and peaceful. They commended the election process, with one observer noting that the caretaker government system, which led to the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) boycotting the polls, was undemocratic.

The government had invited numerous foreign observers from India and other countries, as well as multilateral organisations, to monitor the elections amid the opposition boycott.

Shaoquett Moselmane, an Australian observer, remarked, “It’s been a very fair and free process for people walking in. There’s a lot of good security and a very transparent process.” Jim Bates, a former US Congressman, was quoted by the state-run BSS news agency as saying, “I found the election to be very peaceful, free, and fair.”

Despite validation from foreign observers, the Indian ‘liberals’ and ‘journalists’ continue to push the false bogey of a ‘rigged election’ and rationalise the protests sweeping Bangladesh as a fallout of Hasina’s “authoritarian grip” on the country as a means to pursue domestic objectives, which include among other things fomenting trouble in India and instigating public to come out on streets and oppose the democratically elected government at the Centre.

The left ecosystem has already offered itself as an ally for the opposition to push its divisive ideas like the caste census, which has the potential to spark further divisions and create new faultlines. Several so-called journalists and opinion-makers, who ridiculed those who asked uncomfortable questions of the opposition parties as ‘Bhakts’ and ‘Godi media’, have no qualms in deifying opposition leaders and hailing them, even for their irrational behaviour.

This clique of leftists and ‘journalists’ seems to be hoping for a situation similar to Bangladesh to arise in India, aiming to remove their long-time adversary, Modi, from the office of Prime Minister, a goal they’ve pursued ever since he rosed to power in 2014. If it involves inciting the masses to engage in violence, vandalism, looting, and arson, so be it. The foremost motive of removing PM Modi should be achieved, even if it means throwing the country into chaos.

Bangladesh Crisis: Violent mob storms inside Parliament, indulges in vandalism hours after violent ouster of PM Sheikh Hasina

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Bangladesh Crisis: Violent mob storms inside Parliament, indulges in vandalism hours after violent ouster of PM Sheikh Hasina

On Monday (5th August), chaotic scenes from Bangladesh inundated social media as thousands of violent protesters stormed the country’s Parliament building.

Earlier, mobs rampaged Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s official residence, Ganabhaban, in Dhaka, moments after they forcibly ousted elected PM Sheikh Hasina (76) and forced her to flee the country for her safety. 

Following Sheikh Hasina’s departure from the country, the celebrating protesters violated the military curfew and gathered in large numbers near the streets leading towards the country’s Parliament building which is seen as a prominent symbol of democracy. As per visuals in several viral videos coming from Bangladesh, large mobs of protesters targeted the Parliament building and indulged in vandalism.

As per the footage, the rioters stormed the Parliament premises and started vandalising the property. In some of the videos and photos circulating on social media, some of the rioters could be seen smoking and lounging on Parliament chairs with their feets resting on the tables. Hundreds of protesters could also be seen standing over the furniture meant for Parliamentary proceedings and chairs and desks meant for Members of Parliaments. A majority of the rioters could also be seen recording the act with their phone. Plumes of smoke inside the Parliament building can also be seen in some of the videos. In some of the videos, papers, seemingly official paperwork of regular Parliamentary proceedings or legislations, could also be seen lying on the Parliament floor.

The pandemonium started on Monday, August 5, after Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina resigned from her position in the wake of widespread violent protests against her government. The protests initially began with the demand to end the quota system in government jobs, however, it quickly transcended in a broader anti-government violent protest.

Bangladesh: As PM Sheikh Hasina resigns and leaves the country, here is a chronology of the unrest in the country

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Bangladesh: As PM Sheikh Hasina resigns and leaves the country, here is a chronology of the unrest in the country

On Monday, 5th of August, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and left the nation after 15 years in power. Her resignation followed weeks of anti-government unrest that resulted in deaths of more than 300 people.

Thousands of Bangladeshi demonstrators invaded Sheikh Hasina’s official residence, Ganabhaban, in Dhaka, when reports surfaced that Hasina and her sister, Sheikh Rehana, had left for a “safe shelter”. General Waker-Uz-Zaman, Bangladesh’s army chief, announced the formation of an interim government. He promised to withdraw the troops and investigate the crackdown on student protesters.

A raft of violent protesters, carrying flags and celebrating in jubilation, with some even dancing atop tanks, breached the gates of Sheikh Hasina’s official residence after she left the country amid ongoing protests.

As Bangladesh is witnessing a massive political upheaval, let’s take a look at the chronology of the events, the many phases of ‘student protests’ that were about political games and led to Sheikh Hasina’s resignation.

The turmoil in Bangladesh started in early 2024, and centered on a contentious quota system for government posts. The Court’s decision to keep a sizable proportion of jobs for specific groups, notably descendants of freedom fighters and women, prompted great outrage among university students.

It all started over decision of the High Court to reinstate 30% reservation in government jobs to the descendants of the freedom fighters of the 1971 Liberation War. What started as peaceful protests soon took a violent turn.

The first phase of protests in Bangladesh

In the first phase of the protests, it was reported that over 32 people died while nearly 1000 were injured as the country was grappling with high inflation, dwindling foreign reserves, and rising unemployment. On the 18th of July, the anti-quota protesters set fire to the headquarters of the state broadcaster Bangladesh Television (BTV) in Dhaka. The police had to fire rubber bullets and use other non-lethal weapons to quell the protests by the students, causing more deaths and injuries.

Notably, until 2018, 56% of government posts in Bangladesh were reserved for certain groups. These groups included people with disabilities (1%), indigenous communities (5%), women (10%), people from underdeveloped districts (10%), and families of freedom fighters from the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War (30%).

With this arrangement in force, there were only 44% of seats open to merit-based selection. In 2018, student groups staged large-scale protests, forcing the Sheikh Hasina-led government to scrap the entire quota system.

In June of this year, the High Court of Bangladesh overruled the government’s decision, this triggered further demonstrations by student groups.

The Supreme Court’s Appellate Division upheld the High Court’s decision on the 4th of July triggering widespread protests. After Sheikh Hasina’s appeal, the Bangladeshi apex court directed all petitioners to maintain the status quo till the 7th of August 2024.

The second phase of protests

During the second phase of the nationwide protests, it was reported that over 150 people were injured and two people had died. This came just two weeks after the country’s Supreme Court reduced the percentage of reserved government jobs from 56% to 7%. Initially, the anti-quota protestors sought revocation of reservation for families of freedom fighters, however, they then renewed their demands and sought “justice” for the 200 odd-people who were killed during the initial phase of violent protests and immediate release of detained protestors.

In Dhaka, Khulna, Sylhet, Narsingdi, Chattogram and Noakhali after Jumma Namaz, numerous incidents of violence were reported. The protestors set a police box on fire at the Wasa intersection in Chattogram after Jumma Namaz. The protestors resorted to pelting stones and hurling brickbats. The law enforcement authorities responded with lathi-charge, rubber bullets, firearms, stun grenades and teargas. Several protestors who sustained rubber bullet injuries were admitted to hospitals.

On 18th July, PM Hasina called in the army to manage the escalating protests and violence.

In an attempt to quell the protest, the authorities suspended all internet services, including broadband, banned all Meta platforms, including Facebook, WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram, and announced a three-day vacation.

The third phase of protests in Bangladesh

Amidst the violence and anarchy, the protestors demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. By 4th August, over 100 people had died in the clashes between the Awami League supporters and the protestors. The deceased included 14 police personnel. In the wake of the violence in Bangladesh, the Interior Ministry declared a nationwide curfew to try and control the law and order. The government also declared a holiday between 5th and 7th August to pacify the situation.

As Asif Mahmud, heading the ‘Student Movements Against Discrimination’ appealed to protestors to march in Dhaka on the 5th of August, a massive number of people arrived in Dhaka. The protesters started their “Long March to Dhaka” with one sole aim to oust Sheikh Hasina from power.

Jamat-e-Islami, BNP and the escalation of violent protests

While protests turned violent as conflicts between protestors and police became frequent, the violence worsened when the Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) started to magnify the protests, using them to undermine the ruling Awami League government. The inclusion of these opposition parties intensified the severity of the protests, as their supporters joined the fray.

The impact of JeI and BNP on the uprising is not hidden. Both parties saw the protests as an unmissable strategic opportunity to undermine Hasina’s government. They allegedly offered logistical support and mobilised their bases, resulting in larger and more organised protests. Their involvement transformed a student-led demonstration into a larger anti-government campaign. Notably, the BNP has been at the forefront of a vicious anti-India “India Out” campaign calling for the boycott of Indian goods. As PM, Sheikh Hasina had strongly opposed the BNP’s anti-India propaganda.

In an attempt to placate the fury, Bangladesh’s Supreme Court delivered a crucial decision, annulling the quota ruling. However, the judicial intervention proved insufficient to solve this issue. The protestors, now supported by the JeI and BNP, continued their rallies, seeking larger reforms and accusing the Hasina government of corruption and ‘dictatorship’.

Sheikh Hasina’s resignation and the end of an era

On Monday, August 5, Sheikh Hasina resigned from the post of Prime Minister ending her 15 years in power. She left for New Delhi in a military chopper after resigning. Ironically, Sheikh Hasina who once saved Bangladesh from military rule was compelled to resign after the country’s army gave her just 45 minutes to resign and leave.

Soon after, countless violent protesters, carrying flags and celebrating in jubilation, with some even dancing atop tanks, breached the gates of Hasina’s official residence after she fled the country amid ongoing protests.

Back in 1975, rebel military troops assassinated Sheikh Hasina’s father, Prime Minister Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, along with her mother and three brothers. Six years after living in exile, Hasina returned to take over her father’s Awami League party, kicking off a decade-long struggle that witnessed her forced into extended periods of house arrests.

In 1990, Hasina allied with Khaleda Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) to overthrow military dictator Hussain Muhammad Ershad. However, the two parties soon had differences and the resulting antagonism has shaped Bangladeshi politics ever since. So much so, that even in the current anti-quota unrest the opposing BNP played a crucial role in bringing Hasina down.

Hasina was elected prime minister for the first time in 1996, but she was defeated five years later by Zia. In 2007, the two were imprisoned on corruption accusations. However, a year later, they were allowed to contest elections as the corruption charges against them were dropped. Sheikh Hasina won a landslide mandate triumphing in 263 seats out of 300. Since then, Hasina has been in power, however, her rule ended on the 5th of August 2024.

Amidst the political chaos, Bangladesh’s Army Chief Waker-uz-Zaman announced that he would help in the formation of the ‘interim government.’ In a televised address, he said that Sheikh Hasina has left Bangladesh and that the army was taking charge. He added that leaders from various political denominations including the Awami League and the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) would be consulted during the formation of the interim government.

Notably, Sheikh Hasina has for the last few months been alleging that the United States is attempting regime change in Bangladesh via the opposing BNP and Jamat-e-Islami. Last year, the US had also extended support to the Islamist Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its ally Jamaat-e-Islami during its protests against the PM Hasina-led government. As OpIndia reported earlier, Hasina had also hinted at the US attempt to carve out a separate Christian nation comprising large parts of Sagaing Division and the Chin state of Myanmar, the Indian state of Mizoram, and Kuki-inhabited areas of Manipur, and the Bandarban district and adjoining areas of Bangladesh’s Chittagong division.

While carving out a Christian nation remains a distant dream (if there is some truth to these claims), the US dream of ousting Sheikh Hasina from power has become a reality with or without its ‘intervention’.

Violence, politics of polarisation and weaponising caste census data in the name of Casteless society: Read why Yogendra ‘Salim’ Yadav’s defence of caste census is flawed

अनुपम कुमार सिंह
-
0
Violence, politics of polarisation and weaponising caste census data in the name of Casteless society: Read why Yogendra ‘Salim’ Yadav’s defence of caste census is flawed

Of late, the Congress party has been claiming that it has found the panacea for all issues, problems and challenges posed against India – conducting a nationwide caste census. However, it is falling short on elucidating the advantages of undertaking such an exercise or highlighting the disadvantages for the country in the absence of caste census data. In a country with more than 3000 castes and over 25,000 sub-castes, an individual’s identity is being reduced to their caste identity. Casteist politics is being revived like never before and with it, caste discrimination, strife, and frictions are getting more pronounced. 

Now, the Congress party has deputed one of their most vocal political voice, Yogendra ‘Salim’ Yadav to defend its agenda of caste census. Previously, he had served as one of the strategists of Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’. The reason being, the cabal had been projecting him as some sort of suave and intellectual who is also a self-proclaimed ‘Psephologist’ and expert in every field under the sun. He has written an article in ‘Indian Express’ explaining why caste census is necessary.

Yogendra Yadav ji, X-Ray machine does not ask caste identity 

Yogendra Yadav begins the article by asking an ‘X-ray’ question. He argues that the feasibility of the idea and the risks associated with it play a major role in determining its favourability. He notes that a person is in favour of an idea if it is “required and possible” and against it, if it is “risky and unaffordable”. He then raises 5 pointers to make a value judgement for or against the idea of caste census and based on the pointers he has raised, it becomes evident that caste census is not a necessity.  

At the outset, let’s underscore the obvious fact that X-ray machines don’t reveal the caste identity of any person by scanning their body nor it asks for their caste before taking the scan. 

Nonetheless, in the Indian Express article, Yadav argues that the need to find a solution arises only after determining whether a disease or problem actually exists. Undoubtedly, there has been caste discrimination in India, but discrimination is also pervasive within the caste groups included in OBC or SC/ST communities. This was recently highlighted by the future-Chief Justice of India, Justice BR Gavai in his written judgement on the sub-categorization in SC/ST reservations.

For example, Brahmins often face smear campaigns that allege that they don’t drink water from the house of a person from Dom community but the usual suspects never ask whether Yadav, Nishad and Kurmi in the OBC groups or Jatav, Meena or Pasi among the SC/STs, drink water from the house of any Musahar or Dom community? Leave alone inter-caste marriage, can the aforementioned be treated as a form of caste-based discrimination? 

So yes, caste discrimination exists and it took place in history as well. But can caste census solve the issue of caste discrimination? If Yogendra Yadav says that by counting the number of heads among each caste group, the problem of caste discrimination will be eradicated, then either he is trying to hide some conspiracy under the guise of ‘intellectual’ cover or he is getting overpowered by ‘Salim’ within him. Secondly, he said that caste census does not mean just counting heads among each caste group, but it is a storehouse for a big building.

Very good! But has he forgotten that all such figures, till date, have been used more for politicking rather than upliftment of the poor. Take ‘Mandal Commission’ as an example. It recommended giving 52% reservation to OBCs, but the Supreme Court capped the reservation limit to 50% and any law that breaches it is struck down as “unconstitutional”. When VP Singh was the Prime Minister, he allocated 27% reservation for the OBC community.

During that time, there were protests all over the country and hundreds of students committed suicide. Leaders like Lalu Yadav and Mulayam Singh Yadav used it to their advantage and VP Singh faded in history. If it was a revolutionary decision, then why does the OBC community not revere Vishwanath Pratap Singh in the same way as Dalits worship Bhimrao Ambedkar. 

Later, the Supreme Court made the provision of ‘creamy layer’ among the OBCs, that is, those who became rich had to give up reservation benefits. 

Only politics was done in the name of OBC, did society get any benefit out of it?

All in the name of championing the cause of OBC community and taking their leadership, Lalu Yadav’s name figured in scams worth crores of rupees and Mulayam Singh Yadav was accused of acquiring property worth hundreds of crores. Furthermore, caste groups in the General category were targeted and slogans like ‘Bhura Bal Saaf karo’ (Initials for several upper castes – Bhumihar, Rajput, Brahmin, Lala (Kayastha) – Bhu-Ra-Ba-L) were raised during the same time period. 

What happened to the OBC reservation? Rohini Commission found that 97% of the seats in jobs/admissions reserved for OBCs went to only one-fourth of the caste groups. Additionally, the Commission also found that 24.95% seats were distributed to only 10 OBC castes. 

Similarly, in Uttar Pradesh, a panel led by retired judge Raghavendra Kumar also recommended sub-categorization among the OBC reservation. 

The problem is that once such decisions are taken, there is no chance of looking back, re-reviewing or changing the circumstances even after 100 years. Despite the recommendations, the advice of sub-categorization in OBC category is lying in abeyance. Even when such a decision would be taken, then people like Yogendra Yadav will come out and write articles to inflame the situation. 

In the article, Yogendra Yadav argues that apart from asking about caste, the census will also seek details like availability of basic amenities like electricity, water, cooking gas, housing conditions etc. So, if it is about conducting a socio-economic survey and the objective is to uplift the people standing at the last rung, then there is no need to ask about people’s caste identity. By conducting a socio-economic survey without asking caste, the benefits of government schemes can be extended to the last person standing in the queue. 

Did Patna transform into New York after the caste census was carried out in Bihar?

Now coming to his third point, Yogendra Yadav says that it depends on the real life circumstances and one should be practical according to the availability of time. He cites the model of caste census in Bihar. What happened after investing Rs 500 crore? Some castes alleged that their numbers were downplayed and there were heated arguments on social media and self-proclaimed representatives of every caste weighed in for their share in leadership. 

Patna didn’t transform into New York after a caste census was conducted in the state. On the contrary, there was a change in power, Nitish Kumar once again broke the alliance with RJD and joined BJP. If caste census was such a practical and bold decision, then why did the alliance fall apart? The objective of the caste census was that every leader should know the population of his own caste, that’s it. Those who spread hatred in the name of caste started abusing other castes, that’s all it achieved. 

In the fourth point, Yogendra Yadav said that the expense of caste census should not be impossible. It is pertinent to highlight that teachers and government employees are employed to undertake such an exercise. This leads to incurring losses in education, efficiency of governance and adversely impacts all castes as education in government schools is absolutely free for children up to 14 years of age or up to 8th class without the need for reservation.  

For Yadav, teachers should always be engaged in activities like census and election duty, and people like him should fulfil their agenda by talking about caste census. 

In the fifth point, Yogendra Yadav said that the procedure should not be risky and its disadvantages should be less than its benefits, then the answer for caste census is ‘yes’. But the obvious fact is that this is risky. India, a country which seeks to eradicate casteism, has witnessed fierce caste-based struggles. Reducing a person’s identity to caste markers, is this right? This will adversely impact nationalism and social fabric. 

Under this, they will pit so-called upper castes and backward classes against each other. Later, the truth that only a few OBC communities are taking away the lion’s share will be revealed, and then it will be revealed that some groups among the SC/STs are still marginalised despite all the reservations.

This will further increase internal conflict, caste-based identity will rise and other things will go down and then the country will be moving on the brink of a civil war. So yes, it is dangerous. Politicians will also use this struggle to win elections, politics has never regretted spillage of blood.

Why does Rahul Gandhi get angry when asked about his caste?

Yogendra Yadav argues that in villages and hamlets everyone knows each other’s caste, that is why asking caste is not a big deal. Then why did Rahul Gandhi get upset when he was asked about his caste in Parliament? Why was Akhilesh Yadav upset? This means that a leader has the privilege not to reveal his caste, but the same leader wants the people of the country to prioritise their caste over everything else. This is the politics that demands internecine conflicts, it demands bloodshed, it demands civil war.

What other purpose could there be behind promoting polarisation by further strengthening ‘Caste Identity’? The real intention is to divide the Hindus who were united in the wake of the Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha and the opening of the temple. 

‘Divide and rule’ – perhaps Congress might have learned this during the British era itself. Our policies should be about education, health and economic upliftment, because without these, representation is not possible. Representation cannot be forced, because it is first necessary to empower them through education and other means. If this does not happen then there will be loss in efficiency of governance.

To avoid vote bank politics, a socio-economic survey of every family should be done without asking their caste. The root cause of discrimination is the gap between rich and poor around the world. Yogendra Yadav talks about ‘quiet implementation’ of decisions based on caste census, is this not against democracy? How can everything be done ‘silently’, sneakily in a country of 150 crore people and with a vibrant media representing the fourth pillar of democracy?

And yes, working clandestinely is the act of the devil. If you are being advised to do something secretly, then understand that there is some fraud. Yogendra Yadav says that without X-Ray it cannot be decided whether the operation should be done or not. But here, they are talking about direct organ donation without X-Ray, whereas the patient has only a fever. Eradication of caste based discrimination should be done by running awareness campaigns, providing benefits of government schemes to backward communities and speeding up the pace of development work in their areas – the aim should be this, not to do politics by counting the number of heads among each caste group.

On one hand, Yogendra Yadav talks about eradicating caste while talking about ‘Babasaheb’s dreams’, on the other hand he also wants that everyone should put forward their caste identity. How can two contradictory things be achieved simultaneously.  

Yogendra Yadav has been the strategist of Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’. Rahul Gandhi gets angry when asked about his caste but they want to know the caste of the entire country. How can both things happen together? And yes, Yogendra Yadav has a tainted history.

We should remember how he spread lies against CAA. He is an ‘Ichhadhari’ protester and an andolanjeevi. He was a ‘farmer leader’ during the ‘farmer movement’. He spread falsehoods against NRC, alleging that under it the birthplace of the parents would be asked, whereas there were no such provisions. He spread the lie that Muslims would not be considered citizens of India.

1...851852853...7,609Page 852 of 7,609