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ED likely to summon Priyanka Gandhi Vadra for questioning over sale of painting to Yes Bank founder, may attach her cottage near Shimla

OpIndia Staff
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ED likely to summon Priyanka Gandhi Vadra for questioning over sale of painting to Yes Bank founder, may attach her cottage near Shimla

At the time when Congress was trying to corner the ruling BJP for the Yes Bank crisis, it has itself landed into an unsavoury controversy over the sale of a painting by its general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to former Yes Bank chief Rana Kapoor, which was given by acclaimed painter MF Hussian to the then Prime Minister late Rajiv Gandhi during the centenary celebration of Congress in 1985.

According to a report by Times of India, the Enforcement Directorate, which is investigating the case, based on the statements recorded by Yes Bank founder Rana Kapoor, might summon Priyanka Gandhi Vadra for questioning and is also likely to attach her cottage near Shimla.

As per officials known to the case, senior Congress leader Milind Deora is also likely to be quizzed in connection with the murky transaction which he allegedly coerced Yes Bank chief Rana Kapoor into.

In his statement recorded at the ED office in Mumbai on Sunday, Rana Kapoor claimed that Congress’s former South Mumbai MP Milind Deora pressured him to buy a portrait of ex-PM Rajiv Gandhi from Priyanka for Rs 2 crores.

Under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, the money taken from Kapoor, an accused, which Priyanka spent on her cottage near Shimla, qualifies to be treated as “proceeds of crime”, and this renders the property vulnerable to the prospect of being attached by ED.

ED sources cited text messages recovered from Kapoor’s mobile phone and his statement to claim that the tainted banker, Rana Kapoor who had siphoned off Rs 4,000 crore from Yes Bank, may not have bought the painting on his own will. He was actually forced by Milind Deora, whom Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had authorised to negotiate the deal on her behalf.

Sources have revealed that a letter dated 1st May 2010 has emerged written by senior Congress leader Milind Deora, the then Member of Parliament, to Yes Bank chief Rana Kapoor, suggesting he buys the Rajiv Gandhi painting in Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s possession.

In the letter, he mentions that the painting which Kapoor is desirous of purchasing and for the same he should get in touch with Priyanka Gandhi as she and her family members would be willing to sell the painting ‘if buyer will keep it safely with the respect it deserves’.

Following this, on 8th May, Deora again wrote to Kapoor urgently seeking time to speak to him. A copy of his email is with OpIndia. This is followed by a series of text messages sent between 8th May 2010 to 12th May 2010, Deora kept following up with Kapoor. The senior Congress leader allegedly kept hounding Kapoor to strike the deal.

Finally, the deal was struck. On 4th June 2010, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra wrote a letter to Rana Kapoor, at Bungalow No 1, Grand Paradi address in Mumbai. (Note, it is home address from 2010, not addressed to Yes Bank CEO) wherein she mentions she is selling the M F Hussain painting of her father gifted to him by the painter in 1985 on the centenary celebrations of the Congress.

The BJP on Tuesday attacked Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra for her alleged role in the controversy. Addressing a press conference at the BJP office, party spokesperson Sambit Patra said wherever there is corruption, there has to be the Congress party.

“What MF Hussain was to the world of painting, the Congress is to the corruption. If corruption is an art, Congress is its artist,” said Patra.

Patra said the BJP demands the entire episode involving the sale of the painting by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra should be investigated as “she got money from Kapoor’s account which had the money from criminal proceeds.

Following the revelation, Gandhi is now accused of expropriating a souvenir granted to the Congress party and accruing financial dividends from unilaterally presiding over the sale of the artwork officially belonging to the Congress party. It is still unclear under what capacity did Priyanka Gandhi Vadra sell this painting to Rana Kapoor.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Yes Bank founder Rana Kapoor under money laundering charges in the wee hours of Sunday. The banker was held under the provision of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) around 3 AM after he did not cooperate with the officials.

Rana was questioned by the ED sleuths for over 30 hours after the central agency raided his residence on Friday night. He will be produced before a local court during the day to obtain custody, the officials said.

Yes Bank is in the midst of a crisis as it accumulated a torrent of bad loans in 2018 by lending to corporate defaulters such as DHFL, Jet Airways and Cafe Coffee day and others. The bank was put on a moratorium by RBI for a period of 30 days, capping its withdrawals at Rs 50,000. The Reserve Bank of India has also announced ‘Yes Bank Ltd. Reconstruction Scheme, 2020’, changing the authorised capital to Rs 5000 crores and 2400 crore equity shares standing at Rs 10 each. In addition, SBI which leads the consortium of banks investing in the ‘reconstructed bank’ will not reduce its holding below 26% before the completion of three years.

Stefano Maino: Sonia Gandhi’s father once served in the Italian fascist Benito Mussolini’s army

OpIndia Staff
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Stefano Maino: Sonia Gandhi’s father once served in the Italian fascist Benito Mussolini’s army

Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury today shot himself in the foot when he alleged that the RSS founder K. B. Hegdewar drew his inspiration from the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini. Chowdhury’s allegations were swiftly and promptly responded back as the erudite BJP leader Meenakshi Lekhi launched a scathing and unsparing attack against the Congress party by jogging their memories on Sonia Gandhi’s father’s support for the Italian dictator. Lekhi evoked the shady past of Sonia Gandhi’s father, Stefano Maino and his association with the fascist dictator Mussolini.

“If you are going to allege that Mussolini was Hedgewar’s inspiration then let me remind you, the maternal grandfather of the person(Rahul Gandhi) sitting behind you worked in Mussolini’s army,” Lekhi exclaimed.

Stefano Maino, Rahul Gandhi’s maternal grandfather served as a foot soldier in Italian dictator Benito Mussolini’s army. While the mainstream media was successful in effectively obscuring the details of the maternal side of Rahul Gandhi’s family, however, in a rare interview with the Outlook Magazine in 1998, Sonia Gandhi’s father, Stefano Maino, candidly confessed his “unwavering loyalty to Mussolini and Italy’s ‘admirable’ fascist past”. Maino was not only unapologetic about his support for the fascist leader but he was immensely proud of fighting against the Russian Reds alongside Hitler’s Wehrmacht on the Eastern Front in World War II. He was later captured as Prisoner of War and was kept in a Soviet Prison where Sonia Gandhi regularly visited him in Russian cities of Vladimir and Suzdal.

The interviewer also observed that Stefano Maino’s house was festooned with leather-bound speeches and writings of Benito Mussolini, indicating that he was profoundly inspired by the fascist Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, who teamed up with Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler and presided over the unprecedented massacre of innocent people, mostly Jews. Maino also held dim view of the then Italian politicians, saying that “the current Italian government was composed of a bunch of traitors who had betrayed Mussolini and the Fatherland”. Wistfully longing Mussolini rule in Italy, Maino had said that the current crop of Italian politicians was all hopeless except the neo-fascist front. He also advocated authoritarian measures such as forced sterilisation.

UK Health Minister tested positive for coronavirus, had attended a reception with British PM and several ministers

OpIndia Staff
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UK Health Minister tested positive for coronavirus, had attended a reception with British PM and several ministers

British Health Minister Nadine Dorries has been tested positive for coronavirus, she herself confirmed in a statement on Tuesday, raising concerns about whether senior government figures have been infected.

The Conservative party MP said, ” I can confirm I have tested positive for coronavirus and have been self-isolating at home.” The health officials are trying to trace the origin of her infection, she added.

Dorries is the first British MP to be diagnosed with COVID-19, was also crafting the legislation to fight the epidemic. Reports suggest that she was in touch with hundreds of people, including Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

As per the reports, she fell sick while signing the document on Friday that was for declaring coronavirus a notifiable disease, so that companies can obtain insurance cover for it.

The UK is already suffering a blow from coronavirus as Six people have lost their lives and more than 370 confirmed cases are being treated.

Dorries had attended a reception at the British PM’s residence at 10, Downing Street on the occasion of International Women’s Day. British PM Boris Johnson, his fiancee Carrie Symmonds, and several cabinet ministers were present there too.

Some people have a history of setting things ablaze, 1984 riots accused are sitting as CM: Meenakshi Lekhi roars in Lok Sabha

OpIndia Staff
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Some people have a history of setting things ablaze, 1984 riots accused are sitting as CM: Meenakshi Lekhi roars in Lok Sabha

On Wednesday, BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi put up an attack in the Lok Sabha against the opposition parties for spreading false propaganda against the BJP during anti-Hindu Delhi riots that engulfed the national capital in February.

New Delhi MP Meenakshi Lekhi began her speech by paying tributes to all those who lost their lives in the Anti-Hindu Delhi riots. “According to me, all the deceased are Indians. I am not sure if any of them were Bangladeshis,” said Lekhi amidst objection from the opposition parties.

Blaming the notorious radical Islamic organisation Popular Front of India (PFI) for the Delhi riots, Lekhi said that the anti-Hindu Delhi riots were ‘organised’ violence. She also accused Muslim mobs of throwing acid and petrol bombs at the innocent civilians of the national capital.

Interestingly, in her speech, Meenakshi Lekhi cited the link between controversial foreign-funded Congress-era ‘activist’ Harsh Mander and his links with foreign powers who are allegedly responsible for the stoking anti-Hindu riots in the country.

“People who have links with ISIS are instigating riots in the national capital. An American national named George Soros has promised to defeat Indian nationalism by pledging $1 billion and his organisation. Harsh Mander is a board member of the controversial organisation, who was also the member of UPA-era extra-constitutional body National Advisory Council,” said Lekhi.

Read: How Harsh Mander is member of an organisation connected to Italian Govt and Italian Secret Service, helping West achieve foreign policy goals

Responding to Adhir Ranjan Choudhury’s attack on RSS and its alleged connections with Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, Meenakshi Lekhi brought up reference of Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi’s family’s involvement in Mussolini’s army during the Second world war.

“If you are going to allege that Mussolini was Hedgewar’s inspiration then let me remind you, the maternal grandfather of the person sitting behind you worked in Mussolini’s army,” said Lekhi in an attack against Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi over their family links with Italian dictator Benito Mussolini’s fascist army during Second World War.

In response to Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury’s allegations on Home Minister Amit Shah, Meenakshi Lekhi said, “Opposition is defending minority vote bank politics and has forgotten about Sharjeel Imam and AAP MLA Amanatullah.”

Attacking the opposition parties over targetting BJP leaders Anurag Thakur and Parvesh Verma for Delhi violence, Lekhi said, “Anurag Thakur and Parvesh Verma made comments on January 20 and January 28 respectively, while the violence started on February 23. Kapil Mishra was held responsible for acts of Amanatullah Khan, Sharjeel Imam and Tahir Hussain.”

BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi also said in the Lok Sabha that Kapil Mishra was blamed for the incidents in Delhi when Congress leaders Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Rahul Gandhi and Umar Khalid and Waris Pathan made statements to incite people.

Countering the Congress accusations about the inaction of the police she said, “Some judges think police should not act until protests turn violent”. Under the circumstances, it is difficult to gauge when a peaceful protest will turn violent, she said.

Shooting on the opposition parties for raising the matter of Justice Muralidhar’s transfer, BJP leader Meenakshi Lekhi said, “Intelligence Bureau reports against some people should be made public, so that people know who has been transferred and why.”

Attacking the Congress party over its past record of stoking communal riots in the past, Lekhi said that some people have a history of setting things ablaze. “I have data which shows who was responsible whenever violence incidents took place in the country,” said Meenakshi Lekhi while listing out the number of riots that had occurred in the country during the Congress rule.

BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi attacked the Congress party in Lok Sabha and said that 73 per cent of the riots thave have taken place post-independence has been under Congress or its allies’regime. She added that there have been no riots in Gujarat since 2002 and also said that the top 10 riot incidents in the country have been under Congress.

“The Congress talks of 1984 riots, I would like to tell them that they have forgotten that some accused are today on the position of CM,” said Lekhi in a veiled attack on Kamal Nath. BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi said Delhi Violence was brought under control within the first 36 hours. “The Delhi violence was brought under control within 36 hours which, if you look at in hindsight, was in the making for months,” she added.

Responding to Chowdhury’s Nero reference, Lekhi compared Rajiv Gandhi’s “Big Tree falls” comments during anti-Sikh riots.

Satyatva or the Absolute Truth: Resonances across Religions and Rejection of Exclusivism

Dr. Mrittunjoy Guha Majumdar
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Satyatva or the Absolute Truth: Resonances across Religions and Rejection of Exclusivism

The Absolute Truth, both, exists and exists-not!

Paradoxical as this statement is, this is the underlying contradiction that truly defines the Absolute Truth. This is because the Absolute Truth transcends the relative, the subjective, the worldly, to the extent of transcending polarities and dualities. Existence is defined as per attributes, be it in expansion in aspects such as volume or mass, or nature such as being electrically charged or self-interacting. This existence is not only constrained by binaries, such heavy or not-heavy, long or not-long et al, but is rather defined in terms of a fundamental binary: existence and non-existence. However, the latter is defined in terms of absence of existing elements rather than reality itself. Modern Physics has shown us that even vacuum is not truly ’empty’ (such as the quantum vacuum, which is a frothing field of creation and annihilation of particles and anti-particles). What spiritual traditions and religion have regarded as the Absolute Truth transcends this definition, this scaffolding in binaries. They do so in dialectics and a final rejection of the material, the subjective, the relative, in attaining a final resolution, a final realisation of what this Absolute Truth truly is.

In this article, I would like to use spiritual, scriptural and experiential elements and ideas to reflect on the Absolute Truth, particularly focusing on the question of its accessibility. I shall be looking at the ideas of permissivism, extensivism, salvific efficacy of the Truth and doctrinal puritanism. In doing so, I shall try to establish how exclusivism is in opposition to the nature and idea of the Absolute Truth.

The Conception of Satya, the Absolute Truth

Before moving to the analysis of the question of accessibility of the Absolute Truth, one must look into the conception of the same [1]. Satya (Truth, in Sanskrit) is what is said to be truly eternal about Sanatan Dharma (the eternal way of life), which we regard as Hinduism today [2-7]. Although Satya, transliterated, means ‘Truth’, the Dharmic traditions do not talk about just any Truth. This is the truth as Vedic seers saw it of life, Universe and everything within [8].  I have been interested in looking at the conflict between propositional truth, which relies on the absence of spoken or enacted falsities, and ontological truth, which encapsulates the idea of ‘reality’, and to highlight how the two can operate on different levels [9-11]. While most religions may diverge on the former and on certain doctrinal elements, I will argue that it is the latter on which they unite and converge. Whether the conception of the Absolute Truth relates to a personal, loving ‘God’ [12] or a formless and uncaring universal principle and presence [13], there are resonances in the greater conceptions of divinity and God-head that are fundamental [14-26].

As per the scriptures, across religions, this Truth is knowable and yet mysterious [27, 28], transcendent and yet immanent [29, 30], unchanging and yet dynamic [31-36]. This Truth manifests as the impersonal and yet personal, the uncaring and yet loving. In fact, it manifests as neither being nor non-being, and yet both and beyond [37, 38]. It is in this paradox, like in the beginning of this article, that the key to the idea of the Absolute Truth lies. This is the Truth sages and seers, monks and maulvis and priests, have discussed for millenia. With regards to the conception of this Truth, this can be manifested or conceived in various ways: as a personal God (as in Sikhism, the Abrahamic religions and the theistic traditions of Hinduism), as an impersonal transcendent being (as in Brahman in some Hindu traditions, Tao in Chinese traditions, the Christian image of God as the Unmoved Mover, the Sikh One without Attributes and the Mahayana concept of Tathata), as being immanent in each person (as in the Hindu Atman, the Mahayana Bodhi or Tathagatagarbha and the Christian concept of the indwelling spirit), as the ultimate goal or the ‘blessed state’ (as in the Buddhist concept of Nirvana and the Jain ideal of Paramatman), as the common solidarity of many spiritual being which work with a single purpose (as in the Sioux Wakan, the Shinto Kami and Taoist deities), and as the eternal law and order (as in the Hindu Dharma and Rta, Buddhist Dhamma, Taoism’s Tao, Christianity’s Logos and Jewish Torah).

The conception of this Absolute Truth in One, in Unity, is seen in Hinduism (Rig Veda Mandala 1 Hymn 164 Verse 46, Atharva Veda Book 13 Hymn IV Verse 16-21, Svetasvatara Upanishad Adhyaya 6 Verse 11 and Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Chapter III Section IX Verse 1), Judaism (Shema Yisrael – Deuteronomy 6.4, Isaiah Chapter 45 Verse 5 and Yesode Ha-Torah 1:7), Islam (Qu’ran Surah 112, Qu’ran Al Muminun Verses 91 and 92, and Qu’ran Al Anbiya Verses 19 – 22), Taoism (Tao Te Ching 22), Confucianism (Doctrine of the Mean 26), Buddhism (Lankavatara Sutra 83 and Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā – Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines – Dharmodgata Verse 1), Christianity (Epistle to the Corinthians Chapter 12 Verses 4-6, Epistle to the Corinthians Chapter 8 Verses 4-6 and Gospel of Mark Chapter 12 Verses 29-30), Sikhism (Guru Granth Sahib Mool Mantra) and Zoroastrianism (Ohrmazd Yasht Verses 5-7).

The transcendence and immanence of the Absolute Truth is seen in Hinduism (Isha Upanishad Chapter 1 Verses 4-8, Chandogya Upanishad Chapter 7 Section 24-25, Rig Veda Mandala 10 Hymn 90 Verses 1-4, Srimad Bhagavad Gita Chapter 7 Sloka 4-7 and Srimad Bhagavad Gita Chapter 11 Sloka 5-25), Christianity (Isaiah Chapter 55 Verses 8-9, John Chapter 1 Verse 14, Philippians Chapter 2 Verse 6, Deuteronomy Chapter 4 Verse 39, Isaiah Chapter 57 Verse 15, Jeremiah Chapter 23 Verses 23-24 and Acts Chapter 17 Verses 24-28), Islam (Qu’ran Al-Baqarah Verse 255), Sikhism (Adi Granth Japji Pauri 3), Buddhism (Avataṃsaka Sūtra) and Judaism (Talmud Sanhedrin 39a, Book of Isaiah Chapter 6 Verses 1-5 and Genesis Chapter 28 Verses 10-17).

The traces of the Absolute Truth and thereby the ways to access it are discussed in Hinduism (Rig Veda Mandala 3 Hymn 54 Verse 5, Mundaka Upanishad Mundaka III Khanda I Verse 8, Isha Upanishad Verses 15 and 16 and Rig Veda Mandala 6 Hymn 47 Verse 18), Christianity (Epistle to the Romans Chapter 1 Verses 19 and 20, John Chapter 1 Verse 18 and Psalm 19 Verses 1-4), Islam (Qu’ran Fussilat Verse 53, Qu’ran Al-Anʻām Verses 95-99, Qu’ran Ar Rum Verses 20-25 and Qu’ran Al Anam Verses 75-79), Taoism (Tao Te Ching 21), Confucianism (Doctrine of the Mean 16), Buddhism (Udana 80 – Nibbāna Sutta: Parinibbana) and Judaism (Zohar Genesis 86a).

This Absolute Truth has had an element of omnipresence and omniscience in all these religious traditions, with it being referred to in Hinduism (Lakshmi Tantra and Yajur Veda Chapter 40 Verse 8), Judaism (Exodus Chapter 15 Verse 18, Book of Isaiah Chapter 46 Verses 9-11 and Psalm Chapter 139 Verses 2 and 3), Christianity (Book of Deuteronomy Chapter 32 Verse 39, Gospel of Mark Chapter 10 Verse 27, Hebrews Chapter 4 Verses 12-13, Psalms Chapter 138 Verses 1-4, Proverbs Chapter 15 Verse 3, Chronicles Chapter 28 Verse 9 and Peter Chapter 1 Verse 20), Islam (Qu’ran Al Maida Verse 120, Qu’ran Al Hadid Verses 1-6, Qu’ran Ibrahim Verses 19-20, Qu’ran Al Baqara Verse 117, Qu’ran Ibrahim Verse 38, Qu’ran Al Baqara Verse 115, Qu’ran Luqman Verse 34 and Qu’ran Al Mujadila Verse 7).

The formlessness and incomprehensibility (in terms of relative constructs) of the Absolute Truth is seen in Hinduism (Kena Upanishad Chapter 2 Verses 1-3, Mundaka Upanishad Mundaka 1 Khanda 1 Verse 6 and Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Chapter 4 Brahmana 5 Verse 15), Islam (Qu’ran An Nahl Verse 74, Qu’ran Al Anam Verse 103, Qu’ran Yusuf Verse 76 and Qu’ran Ash Shura Verse 11), Judaism (Book of Isaiah Chapter 45 Verse 15, Exodus Chapter 33 Verses 18-23 and Book of Isaiah Chapter 55 Verses 8 and 9), Christianity (Job Chapter 11 Verses 7-9, John Chapter 4 Verse 12, John Chapter 1 Verse 18, Timothy Chapter 6 Verse 16, Deuteronomy Chapter 4 Verse 12 and Mark Chapter 4 Verse 11), Sikhism (Adi Granth Gauri Sukhmani M.5, pp. 290) and Buddhism (Prajñāpāramitāhṛdaya and Mulamadhyamaka Karika Chapter 25).

Read: Rediscovering ‘Sunyata’: Unifying Buddhism and Vedanta

The attribution of an unchanging nature and/or transience to the Absolute Truth is seen in all these traditions, with these aspects explored in Hinduism (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Chapter 4 Khanda 4 Verse 25, Svetasvatara Upanishad Chapter 4 Verse 1, Srimad Bhagavad Gita Chapter 8 Verses 17-21 and Srimad Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2 Verses 16-17), Christianity (Book of Revelation Chapter 4 Verse 8, Book of Revelation Chapter 22 Verse 13 and 2 Peter Chapter 3 Verse 8), Judaism (Psalms Chapter 102 Verses 26-28 and Book of Isaiah Chapter 40 Verses 6-8), Islam (Qu’ran Ar Rahman Verses 26-27 and Qu’ran Yunus Verse 64), Buddhism (Lankavatara Sutra Chapter 61, Vajracchedikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra Chapter 29 and Dhammapada Verse 151).

As much as there may be doctrinal resonances across religions, one may argue that there are fundamental doctrinal divergences. So, for instance, Christianity says that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and sacrificed himself for the salvation of humanity, while other religions may actively deny this. Islam says that Prophet Muhammad PBUH is the last messenger of God, while other faiths may actively oppose this. How does one reconcile these if the Absolute Truth being described by all religious traditions is the same? I would like to highlight the idea of the Absolute Truth by John Hick [39]. Hick opted for believing that there were a limited number of incarnations of the Truth with different messages for different people of different races, cultures and languages, and thereby supported

a theology of religions which stresses the infinite nature of the Godhead, exceeding the scope of all our concepts, and the salvific efficacy of the variety of ways formed around the different incarnations that have occurred throughout human history

According to John Hick, the ultimate transcendent reality of the Absolute Truth is beyond the scope of human constructs, concepts or forms. Due to this, this Truth cannot be directly experienced by human beings, as per Hick,

as it is in itself but only as it appears in terms of the various human thought-forms

In this way, Hick likens God to the Kantian noumenon, in having a reality that cannot be completely explained, described or understood. According to him, the religions are but different and distinct expressions of an ever-encompassing Absolute Truth. I would go one step further in asserting that all religious conceptions about this Absolute Truth are not absolute in themselves but are complementary to one another, both due to the mystery surrounding this Truth and its incomprehensibility in relative terms, and also the limited understanding and perception of man with respect to this Ultimate Reality, which thereby makes people perceive the image of God received either in terms of words of spiritual leaders, socio-cultural and historical contexts, or politics.

The question of any one faith’s description of the Absolute Truth and its prescribed mode of accessibility of this Truth being absolute is redundant and unnecessary since there is no one way or form or construct or conception by which to describe that which transcends all that is relative and the worldly.  No religious tradition can and should claim sole salvific efficacy of its beliefs and tradition.

The Absolute Truth is personal and impersonal, immanent and transcendent, one and many, existing and non-existing.

Neither and yet both, for each attribute, and beyond.

The Absolute Truth is beyond all manner of comprehension, conception or description, in the relative world.

No one religion, even if begun by the Absolute Truth itself (personified), can claim to help humanity of all races and times and cultures, if it is fixated on doctrinal elements of the faith. This is simply because of the lack of divine immanence in the receptors a similar to the ideal founder of the faith and the lack thereof also of those who compose and interpret the doctrinal elements of the faith. At the end of the day, faith and religion are based on spiritual experiences and elements, more than just socio-cultural or intellectual constructs, which is why a truly enlightened being can only know who is enlightened and what is the Absolute Truth. For the rest of humanity, I believe all faiths must
come together, given their overwhelming fundamental resonances to help humanity from self-centredness, blind consumerism and immorality. The journey put forth in every religion and faith is one of seeking the grace of realising the Absolute Truth and one of inner transformation, wherein the individual goes from being centred around oneself to being placed in a more universal, transcendent Truth.

Going Beyond, Kindly: Permissivism and Supererogation

One of the major contradictions of our society is that experiences and stories that underlie major religions are known to people of other faiths, possibly at times in closer contact, but denied or outright rejected as expressions of the Absolute Truth. For instance, in the times of Jesus Christ, there were many Judaistic schools that were in close physical proximity to him and yet theologically and soteriologically distant to him [40]. The same goes for Lord Buddha and various Shrauta ritualistic traditions in India [41] or Prophet Muhammad PBUH and various Arabic tribes [42].

Why does this happen?

It is due to the principle of permissivism [43, 44], which posits that multiple people having the same corpus of evidence can form different doxastic attitudes based on it. While there have been people who have argued that this is based on the idea that most permissivists deny personal uniqueness (the idea that given any body of evidence and proposition, there is at most one doxastic attitude that any agent with that total evidence is rationally permitted to take toward the proposition) although they do not necessarily deny propositional uniqueness (the idea that given any body of evidence and proposition, the evidence all-things-considered justifies either the proposition, its negation, or neither) or attitudinal uniqueness (the idea that given any body of evidence and proposition, the evidence all-things considered justifies at most one of the following attitudes toward the proposition: belief, disbelief, or suspension) [45-47], I will take the extreme permissivist view when it comes to the Absolute Truth that denies all three: personal, propositional and attitudinal uniqueness! The reason for this is that while the premise of the logical permissiveness lies in the binary of truth and false, the premise of spiritual permissiveness lies in a paradigm-shift: there is truth and only truth. The deviation from a truth is also a truth, and part of the Absolute Truth.

You may ask whether taking a spiritual permissivist view centers around strong negation of one truth and acceptance of another. No! Just like negating one color of a chameleon and strongly aligning with another makes little sense, one must suspend judgement on that which one is unsure of or personally at slight variance with instead of negation, and align with the path that one seeks to align with. To go one step further, permissivism is the natural outcome and mode of true spirituality simply because the extraction of meaning from a ‘corpus of evidence’ (spiritual experiences) has an experiential and subjective element inherent in it. The final state of realisation of the Absolute Truth is beyond words, constructs and ideas, and can never be described. If one seeks to describe it, it shall have some aspect still beyond that description. This can be further heightened by the idea that one can also have intrapersonal permissivism [48], whereby a single person can adopt more than one belief-attitude toward an idea or conception of the Absolute Truth. This can arise in the case of those who may have a degree of doubt or skepticism. They may want to believe and yet not believe a certain conception of the Absolute Truth.

The other major reason could be epistemic supererogation [49, 50], the idea that in one’s search for knowledge one goes beyond some reasonable measure of epistemic responsibility. Some say this is because of diligence or curiosity to go beyond a certain epistemic threshhold to firmly establish one’s belief. I would say that this is more because the moment one seeks to establish an aspect of the Absolute Truth, another emerges, and then does still another, as non-dual Judaism [50] and Advaita Vedanta [51] would posit. This is because

All that there is, is a part of the Absolute Truth that yet transcends all, including the negation of every element, every idea and every construct, as well.

There can be no epistemic thresh-hold for realising this Truth since knowledge and existence themselves are a part of it.

Therefore, naturally, in the process of seeking to access the Absolute Truth, one can have interpersonal and intrapersonal permissivism, atleast when it comes to doctrinal elements of one’s belief and faith.

In the conception of a spiritual supererogation – doing more than what may be required to form belief in the Absolute Truth, lies the idea that one must seek to know the essence and various aspects and dimensions of the Absolute Truth, through reflection, spirituality and experience, beyond what one may be endowed with or have developed in one’s life. In doing so, those aspects which have little epistemic basis for belief or negation must be put under suspension of judgement, in a respectful manner, and not met with denial or opposition. If what one feels closest to is atheism or agnosticism, till one can base any belief above that on experience and even with intrapersonal permissivism, so be it! This is the Dharmic way, with even atheistic schools of philosophy such as the Carvakas being preeminent in ancient India [52].

A natural question to ask is: where does one stop? Does one ever reach a firm realisation of the Absolute Truth?

There is only one overarching symptom of such a state of attainment, which has been spoken of in terms of Moksha [53-55], Nirvana [56, 57] or salvation in Abrahamic religions [58-61], which is

Realisation of, and dissolution in, the Absolute Truth.

This comes from true detachment: Detachment not only from worldly elements and possessions but also from any and every element, idea and construct in the material world. This is detachment from binaries: good or evil, hot or cold, this or that, here or there. This is detachment from dualities, form and thought. This is detachment from every conception of existence and even void!

The best way to begin seeing whether one has reached there is only be self-assessment regarding ego-consciousness: whether one identifies with oneself or worldly, relative elements of one’s life.

True realisation of the Absolute Truth is accompanied with unconditioned existence, pure consciousness and unfiltered bliss.

Salvific Efficacy, not Doctrinal Puritanism

There can only be one true assessor of the spiritual dimension for you: you, yourself. Dharmic as well as Abrahamic traditions speak about assessing one’s spiritual resources, determining a good path for progression and implementing the same, often with the help of a spiritual teacher or tradition [62-70]. Grace of God is held to be key [71-73], in this regard, as is a yearning to realise the Absolute Truth, in all these traditions. One is born in a certain society and community, with certain beliefs and entrenched ideas of existence and the Absolute Truth. This is the endowed spiritual and social heritage of every individual. Few are those who are completely devoid of this, even among the destitute and the orphaned. One develops this and evolves with time. Spiritual teachers and traditions can add to this journey, positively or negatively, but the sum total of these elements inform and influence one’s own spiritual progression, which is the fundamental element in all this.

However, what one must always remember, given the previous discussion on the conception of Truth and permissivism,

it is the salvific efficacy and spiritual effectiveness of a spiritual path and tradition more than doctrinal and dogmatic puritanism to it that is important.

One must try to learn actively from all religions and traditions, unless some lead to discomfort or non-alignment to one’s inner spiritual state and nature, which are best realised intuitively and spiritually.

Even if there are prophets and messengers who can speak on and/or transfer spiritual power and resources to others, and one does become a beneficiary of this, one must still realise that there is more to the Absolute Truth than just that. Those who are one with the Absolute Truth will naturally evade and avoid exclusivism, for that shall be irreconcilable with the limitless being and nature of the Truth, while who are not one with the Absolute Truth must actively dissociate from exclusivism and rather focus on one’s own spiritual progression than concern oneself with the spiritual trajectory of others. Only those in line and one with the Absolute Truth must lead others, not by directives, but by facilitating the inner quest and seeking of the Truth by others.

Read: Is Hindu Spirituality a Super Science?

One must actively try to break free from -isms (apologies for using some such terms in this article, for ease of communication) and dogma completely, even with a positive connotation, such as pluralism and cosmopolitanism. The creation of any such conceptual platform of ideas is always, by definition and nature, restrictive in some respect, and hence cannot reflect the reality of the limitless Absolute Truth. That which is limitless can only be perceived with limited faculties when one realises the essence of the limitless in the limited, much like a drop losing its individuality and identity by merging with the oceans. It is sincere humility and complete destruction of identity and ego that accompanies true realisation of the Absolute Truth due to the aforementioned dissolution of the self into the higher, Absolute Self. It is in the dissociation with conceptual scaffolding for this Truth that the path to the true realisation of the Absolute Truth lies. It is in the emanation, sustenance and destruction but also, and more importantly, the transcendence of physical phenomena that the path of the true realisation of the Absolute Truth lies [74]. It is in Lord Buddha’s silence [75], Sri Krishna’s dialectics [76], Jesus Christ’s proclamations [77], in Guru Nanak’s teachings [78], Jain Agamas [79], in Prophet Muhammad PBUH’s words [80] and in the Torah’s wisdom [81] that the path of true realisation of the Absolute Truth lies. But more importantly, it is within, in each of us, that the seed of true realisation and divinity lies [82-100].

We are limited and yet limitless. We are one and yet many. We are conditioned and yet unconditioned. We are temporal and yet eternal. 

We are, in essence, the pregnant silence, beyond all causation and temporality, instilled with the creative principle.

When the Vedantin of the times of yore said: अहम् ब्रह्मास्मि, which means ‘I am the Absolute Truth’ they were making more than a clever rejoinder. They were highlighting the Absolute-ness of our existence, which is, in essence, untainted by conditioning or change. In essence,

We are.

This is Satyatva, the essence of the Absolute Truth.

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BJP declares Jyotiraditya Scindia as Rajya Sabha candidate from Madhya Pradesh

OpIndia Staff
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BJP declares Jyotiraditya Scindia as Rajya Sabha candidate from Madhya Pradesh

The BJP today declared its list of candidates for upcoming Rajya Sabha elections today. Newly inducted ex-Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia will be BJP’s candidate from Madhya Pradesh.

The biennial Rajya Sabha elections are scheduled to take place on March 26 and the last date to file the nominations is this Friday. Three seats are to be filled from Madhya Pradesh and the recent developments in the state is expected to have a profound impact on the elections to send the candidates to the upper house of the parliament.

Other than Scindia, Bhuvaneshwar Kalita from Assam, Vivek Thakur from Bihar, Abhay Bharadwaj and Ramilaben Bara from Gujarat, Deepak Prakash from Jharkhand, Leishemba Sanajaoba from Manipur, Udayrana Raje Bhonsle from Maharashtra, Rajendra Gehlot and Ramdas Athawale from Rajasthan and Buswajit Daimary from Assam.

Congress strongman Jyotiraditya Scindia tendered his resignation on Tuesday following his meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Prime Minister Modi. His departure prompted another 22 Congress MLAs in the state to submit their resignation to the Madhya Pradesh Assembly Speaker.

On Wednesday, Jyotiraditya Scindia joined the BJP party in presence of the party president JP Nadda and expressed his gratitude to PM Modi and Amit Shah for giving him a place in their family. He also stated that Congress has ceased to be the party what it used to be earlier.

“There have been two life-changing events for me. The first one was on September 30, 2001, when I lost my father. It changed my life. The second one was yesterday March 10, 2020, which was his 75th birth anniversary when I took an informed decision to choose a new path for my life,” said Scindia.

Delhi riots not genocide or a pogrom, planned conspiracy by left-jihadi network: Fact-finding report

OpIndia Staff
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Delhi riots not genocide or a pogrom, planned conspiracy by left-jihadi network: Fact-finding report

The Group of Intellectuals and Academicians have reportedly submitted a report to the Ministry of Home Affairs on the recent anti-Hindu riots in national capital. As per reports, the 51-pages long report titled ‘The Shaheen Bagh Model in Northeast Delhi: From Dharna to Danga’, the riots were a preplanned conspiracy.

The report suggests that the riots were a planned conspiracy and that they were preplanned. “There are pieces of evidence of a ‘left-jihadi model of revolution’ which has been executed in Delhi and is sought to be replicated at other places… the Delhi riots are not genocide or a pogrom targeted at any community. They are a tragic outcome of a planned and systematic radicalization of minorities by far left-Urban Naxal network operating in universities in Delhi,” the report states.

The report further states that the riots took place because of radicalisation of Muslims over time. Members of both the communities have suffered greatly in the riots as per the report. It also mentions presence of radical Islamist outfit like PFI at the anti-CAA protest sites which eventually led to violence. In its report, the team observed that the women were used as a shield and that the dharnas were established in areas with concentrated Muslim population. Constant streaming of high-decibel sloganeering led to fear-mongering and anxiety amongst the Muslim population.

The report further states how the riots spread in Bhajanpura, Shiv Vihar, Gokulpuri, Brijpuri, Brahmapuri and surrounding areas where men and women attacked the Delhi Police. Important public places like petrol pumps and high value properties belonging to Hindus were also damaged. The report mentions that the over time the weapons were stockpiled and high-rise buildings were used as launchpad for petrol bombs.

Read: Delhi riots: Petrol Bombs, crates of stones found stored on AAP councillor Tahir Hussain’s rooftop

The report further states that the links from across the border and ISIS type brutality in murders points towards planned conspiracy in the riots. The team further recommends handing over the investigation to NIA (National Investigation Agency) and that all incidents from 15th December 2019 onward should be investigated.

The Group of Intellectuals and Academicians (GIA) was formed in 2015 and includes Advocate Monika Arora, Delhi University Assistant Professors Prerna Malhotra (Ram Lal Anand College), Sonali Chitalkar (Miranda House), Shruti Mishra (PG DAV College –Evening) and Divyansha Sharma (Institute of Home Economics) as its members.

Future of India is safe in the hands of PM Modi, Congress failed to fulfil key promises: newly-inducted BJP leader Jyotiraditya Scindia

OpIndia Staff
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Future of India is safe in the hands of PM Modi, Congress failed to fulfil key promises: newly-inducted BJP leader Jyotiraditya Scindia

Four-time MP and former Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, who has resigned from Congress, joined the BJP in presence of party chief JP Nadda on Wednesday.

After joining the BJP in the presence of BJP President JP Nadda and other senior leaders, Scindia speaking to the media said, “In my life, only two dates have always been important. The first is 30th September 2001 when I lost my father. That was a day when my life changed, and with that, the second date is 10th March 2020.”

Jyotiraditya Scindia further added that he had always believed that social service should be our objective. Politics should be a means to fulfil that, nothing more than that, he added.

“I am saddened with the situation in Congress. Congress is no longer the party that it used to be. It rejects reality. In Madhya Pradesh, we had a dream when we formed the government there in 2018. But in 18 months, those dreams have been destroyed,” said the four-time MP Jyotiraditya Scindia.  

Attacking the Congress party and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath, Jyotiraditya Scindia said that the Congress government failed to follow through on key promises it made during the 2018 assembly election such as the farm loan waiver, providing unemployment allowance.

He added, “Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi has got not once, but twice a mandate like no other. The way PM Modi has worked, I feel that the future of India is safe in the hands of PM Modi. He has worked with a vision. I would like to thank Nadda ji for presenting me with this platform. I am hopeful that I will get an opportunity to serve the people. I am excited to work on the path shown by PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.”

Speaking on the induction of Jyotiraditya Scindia to the party, BJP President JP Nadda welcomed the former Congress minister and said it was a matter of happiness for the BJP. Remembering Rajmata Vijaya Raje Scindia, Nadda said, “I am remembering Rajmata Scindia ji who played a key role in Jana Sangh and BJP’s foundation. It is a matter of pride that her grandson Jyotiraditya Scindia is joining the BJP. I welcome him to the party.”

“Today is a day of happiness for us that her grandson, Jyotiraditya has joined the BJP. BJP is a very democratic party where every individual has a say and has got his own contribution to developing the party. I am sure he will get the opportunity to participate in the development of the party,” BJP President JP Nadda added.

Jyotiraditya Scindia walked out of Congress along with 22 state legislators, pushing the Congress-led government in Madhya Pradesh on the brink of collapse. Scindia had posted his resignation letter on Twitter minutes after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday morning.

‘Swagat hai Maharaj, Saath hai Shivraj’, former MP chief minister welcomes Jyotiraditya Scindia to BJP

OpIndia Staff
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‘Swagat hai Maharaj, Saath hai Shivraj’, former MP chief minister welcomes Jyotiraditya Scindia to BJP

After the formal induction of Jyotiraditya Scindia into the BJP, former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan took to Twitter to welcome the former Congress leader into the party.

The veteran BJP leader Shivraj Singh Chouhan took to Twitter to welcome the ‘Maharaj’ (Jyotiraditya Scindia) and to let him know that he is with him. He assured Scindia his continual support. “Swagat hain Maharaj, saath hain Shivraj” (Welcome Maharaj (Scindia), Shivraj is with you), read the BJP leader’s latest Tweet in Hindi.

Moreover, while talking to reporters here after Scindia joined the BJP in presence of party president J P Nadda in Delhi, Chouhan also defended Scindia’s decision to leave the Congress. “The disgruntlement of Maharaj (Scindia) with the Congress is justified,” the BJP leader said.

Read: Mamaji Returns? Main gaya hi kahan tha? Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s cryptic tweet amidst MP crisis

“This is a joyous day for BJP and me personally. Today, I remember Rajmata Scindia. Jyotiraditya Scindia has become a member of the BJP family. The entire family is with BJP. They have a tradition where politics is a medium to serve people,” Chouhan was quoted as saying by PTI.

Once seen as one of Rahul Gandhi’s closest aides, Jyotiraditya Scindia, ditched the Congress party, leaving its government in Madhya Pradesh in chaos on Tuesday afternoon. His resignation, along with that of 21 MLAs, has left the Kamal Nath government in the state on the brink of collapse. It is currently five MLAs short of the new majority mark of 104.

BJP will be operated upon by surgeons like us if they dare MP-like ‘operation’ in Maharashtra: Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut

OpIndia Staff
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BJP will be operated upon by surgeons like us if they dare MP-like ‘operation’ in Maharashtra: Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut

Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Monday dismissed the possibility of a Madhya Pradesh-like overturn in Maharashtra, saying they are prepared to thwart any attempts made by the BJP to topple the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra.


“BJP tried to form govt in Maharashtra too but failed. No such operation will be successful here. Surgeons like us are sitting here in the operation theatre. If anyone comes to do it, he himself will be operated upon,” Sanjay Raut said to ANI while responding about the current political scenario in Madhya Pradesh.

Building on to his statement to the ANI, Raut posted a tweet in Marathi saying that the MP virus will enter Maharashtra. “Maharashtra’s power is different. One operation flopped 100 days ago. The Maha Vikas Aghadi did a bypass surgery and saved Maharashtra,” the Sena leader said in a tweet in Marathi.

The Congress government in Madhya Pradesh remains in limbo as 23 of its elected MLAs, including strongman Jyotiraditya Scindia, tendered their resignation to the Governor yesterday. The Kamal Nath led Congress government in Madhya Pradesh brought together the different factions within Madhya Pradesh Congress, somehow holding on to the government with a slender majority. However, Scindia’s resignation acted as a catalyst for a raft of other disgruntled MLAs who threw a curve at the Congress party by submitting their resignation.

On the other hand, the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra is surviving on a tenuous alliance between ideologically disparate political parties of Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress. The unholy alliance between the three political parties was hatched after the erstwhile BJP-Shiv Sena alliance crumbled following Sena’s unyielding demand of having a rotational chief-ministerial position. Sensing the opportunity to keep the BJP at bay in Maharashtra, Congress and NCP stitched an alliance with Sena and retained key cabinet portfolios while agreeing to install Uddhav Thackeray as the figurehead chief minister of the state. In the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly, the MVA government enjoys the support of over 165 MLAs.

While the alliance had put a curb on Sena’s overt manifestation of Hindutva, it had also cast a dent on Sena’s traditional vote-bank by ‘secularisation’ and transmogrification of the Balasaheb Thackeray’s hardcore Hindutva party into a meek Congress ally. Perhaps, in order to allay this growing concern, CM Uddhav Thackeray recently announced a donation of Rs 1 Crore for the construction of the Ram Temple, along with a ‘Maharashtra Bhawan’ in Ayodhya.

Notwithstanding the glaring fragility of the alliance in Maharashtra, Shiv Sena motormouth Sanjay Raut on Wednesday went on to assert that the Maha Vikas Aghadi is unshakable and any attempts made by the BJP to pull off a Madhya Pradesh-kind of ‘operation’ may instead result in BJP’s own downfall.

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