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Meat, smoking, stealing and thought of committing suicide: How this Gujarat school got it horribly wrong about MK Gandhi

Nirwa Mehta
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Meat, smoking, stealing and thought of committing suicide: How this Gujarat school got it horribly wrong about MK Gandhi

A school in Gujarat, run by Sufalam Shala Vikas Sankul, asked what did Mahatma Gandhi do to commit suicide to class 9 students in their internal evaluation exams.

Class 9 students were asked ‘What did Gandhiji do to commit suicide?’ (Gandhiji e aapghat karwa maate shu karyu?). When the media reports came out of the above question being asked to school students, my first instinct was to distrust the reports because why would any school ask such a question. I also thought that perhaps this was misinterpreted as question might be translated into English from Gujarati.

Gujarat government had already sent a notice to the school and an inquiry has also been initiated against the teacher who set the paper. It became all the more important to verify whether the state government acted in haste based on media reports?

However, when I saw the question paper copy, I was taken aback.

What did Gandhiji do to commit suicide? Question asked to Gujarat school students (image: sandesh.com)

The school teacher really did ask this.

To begin with, Mahatma Gandhi never committed suicide. He was assassinated by Nathuram Godse on 30th January, 1948. The school trust convener, SP Patel, had justified the question by giving a bizarre explanation that the reference to the question on Mahatma Gandhi’s ‘thought’ on committing suicide is there in the Gujarat State School Textbook Board (GSSTB) curriculum textbook. He added that his autobiography ‘My Experiments With Truth’ (Satya Na Prayogo) also mentioned his ‘thoughts’ on committing suicide. Patel then added that he saw nothing wrong in the question.

Erm. The question they have asked is ‘how did Gandhiji commit suicide’ when they meant to ask ‘what did Gandhiji do when he thought of committing suicide’. So that question is not only factually incorrect (because Mahatma Gandhi didn’t commit suicide) but the fact that school convener does not think it is wrong is even more disturbing.

Read: ‘My dear friend’: Read the letters Mahatma Gandhi wrote to Adolf Hitler, the ‘ultimate monster’

Coming back to the reference SP Patel, the school convener, talks about in Mahatma Gandhi’s autobiography, the latter talks about how he wanted to commit suicide because he felt suffocated due to lack of independence when he was young, even before he got married. According to his autobiography [pdf], he talks about the time he and his friend felt like committing suicide for being unable to do anything without elders’ permission.

The relevant portion of his autobiography is produced her verbatim.

I have still to relate some of my failings during this meat eating period and also previous to it, which date from before my marriage or soon after. A relative and I became fond of smoking. Not that we saw any good in smoking, or were enamoured of the smell of a cigarette. We simply imagined a sort of pleasure in emitting clouds of smoke from our mouths. My uncle had the habit, and when we saw him smoking, we thought we should copy his example. But we had no money. So we began to pilfering stumps of cigarettes thrown away by my uncle.

The stumps, however, were not always available, and could not emit much smoke either. So we began to steal coppers from the servant’s pocket money in order to purchase Indian cigarettes. But the question was where to keep them. We could not of course smoke in the presence of elders. We managed somehow for a few weeks on these stolen coppers. In the meantime we heard that the stalks of a certain plant were porous and could be smoked like cigarettes. We got them and began this kind of smoking.

But we were far from being satisfied with such things as these. Our want of independence began to smart. It was unbearable that we should be unable to do anything without the elders’ permission. At last, in sheer disgust, we decided to commit suicide!

But how were we to do it? From where were we to get the poison? We heard that Dhatura seeds were an effective poison. Off we went to the jungle in search of these seeds, and got them. Evening was thought to be the auspicious hour. We went to Kedarji Mandir, put ghee in the temple lamp, had the darshan and then looked for a lonely corner. But our courage failed us.

Supposing we were not instantly killed? And what was the good of killing ourselves? Why not rather put up with the lack of independence? But we swallowed two or three seeds nevertheless. We dared not take more. Both of us fought shy of death, and decided to go to Ramji Mandir to compose ourselves, and to dismiss the thought of suicide.

I realized that it was not as easy to commit suicide as to contemplate it. And since then, whenever I have heard of someone threatening to commit suicide, it has had little or on effect on me.

So yes, Mahatma Gandhi did think of committing suicide because he did not like having to ask elders for their permission to do things, especially having to smoke cigarettes and eating meat, coming from a vegetarian family. He did ‘experiment’ with trying to commit suicide by consuming ‘dhatura’ seeds along with his friend who was also ‘tired’ of seeking elders’ permission. They even went to a temple at an auspicious time do kill themselves.

However, they both did not have the courage. They realised killing themselves may not do them any good and dismissed the thought of committing suicide.

Fortunately, good sense prevailed over both and MK Gandhi and his friend quit smoking thereafter.

Note: If you or someone you know is suicidal or in emotional distress, contact your nearest suicide prevention helpline. These centres provide crisis counselling and mental health referrals. 

‘Rayta’, ‘Trad’ and everything in between: A gentle introduction to the Indian non-Left

K Bhattacharjee
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‘Rayta’, ‘Trad’ and everything in between: A gentle introduction to the Indian non-Left

One of the greatest joys Twitter has to offer is the opportunity to watch random strangers be completely vicious to one another without provocation. Recently, I elaborated on the divisions within the Indian Rightwing and the great churn it finds itself in the middle of. As it so happens, people of these various groups constantly have arguments with one another which tend to be vicious at times. Certain words are thrown at each other during these volatile arguments, words that have become an integral part of the Indian non-Left lexicon. Two of them are ‘Trad’ and ‘Rayta’.

The popularity of these words, among many other things, is a contribution of the Reactionary Right to the non-left narrative on social media.

These words were invented sometime in 2016-17 by people on social media to be used as self-identifiers as well as insults for other people. However, with the passage of time, as they got more popular the meaning of these terms became muddled and it wasn’t entirely clear what any of this meant. Therefore, of late, it has become a necessity to explain these terms for the lay folk. Interestingly enough, most people do not care to be identified with such labels. It is other people who categorize an individual into these groups.

Read: ‘Reactionary Right’ versus the ‘Vikas Right’: The churn in the Indian Rightwing and what it represents

To put it succinctly, ‘Trad’ is short for Traditionalist and ‘Rayta’ is a pejorative for people who belong to the ‘Raytawing’. The latter, in turn, is a pejorative for the Vikas Right. ‘Raytawing’ is inspired by the popular Hindi phrase ‘Rayta failana’ which roughly translates to making a mess of things. As readers would be aware, ‘Rayta failana’ is something that Delhi CM Kejriwal is often accused of.

As I had mentioned in a previous article, the Vikas Right is the liberal section of the non-left that comprises of the Liberal Right and the Economic Right. Members of the Vikas Right believe in ‘true secularism’, ‘true liberalism’, ‘true feminism’ and other such ‘true’ versions of western ideologies. Staunch support for absolute freedom of expression is also advocated.

Their main grouse with the Left is that the Indian Left has perverted the meaning of such ideologies. The opposition to the Left from the Vikas Right comes from the ideological position that the Left has failed to adhere to the ideologies they claim to advocate. Thus, the Vikas Right’s criticism of the Left can be reduced to: “We are the real liberals. You are the real fascists.”

The Reactionary Right, on the other hand, is a huge umbrella of ideologies. There are the Blackpillers, people who consider secular democracy to be the root of all problems, the social conservatives, the Hindu Rashtra advocates, then there are the ‘Trads’ and people of numerous other bents. The Vikas Right lumps all these disparate groups, who are often in conflict with each other, into one category: Trads.

Extremely few people on the Reactionary Right identify themselves as ‘Trad’. Also, there is a certain degree of overlap between the groups. The social conservatives support a tradition-based society and are averse towards the idea of reforming Hindu society into a liberal one. In that, they have the support of the anti-secular Democracy camp. The Blackpillers consider the transformation of Hindu society into a liberal one not only as inevitable but something that has already come to pass. Thus, while these three groups agree that Hindu society should not transform into a liberal one, two of them do not think it has come to pass while the third believes Hindu society is doomed to perish because it has already transformed into one.

Just as Vikas Right has its own set of non-negotiables, the Reactionary Right has its set of ideological positions that are not up for negotiations. However, these are very few and can be considered the bare minimum. The first is the beef-eating. It is thoroughly condemned by the Reactionary Right and considered one of the gravest sins that a Hindu could commit. Thus, it puts them at odds with the Vikas Right who believe that an individual should be free to eat what they please and beef-eaters can be staunch Hindus as well; an ideological position that is completely unpalatable to the Reactionary Right.

The second is an opposition to all western ideologies, their ‘true’ versions and false. Secularism, Liberalism, Feminism and the assorted ones that form the complete western memeplex. The Reactionary Right considers even the ‘true’ versions of these ideologies as moral depravities that should have no place in India. Thus, their opposition towards the Left comes from an ideological position that completely rejects the Left’s ideological premise. Needless to say, it puts them in opposition to the Vikas Right as well.

Additionally, the Reactionary Right does not really believe in absolute freedom of expression. However, this does not cause much friction with the Vikas Right as it is considered too trivial a point.

The social conservatives have their own set of ideological inclinations. They believe that things such as premarital sex and alcohol should be avoided, people should get married at a suitable age and have children and they are of the opinion that a society based on Hindu conservative values is infinitely more preferable to one based on liberalism. These are completely mainstream Hindu positions that are endorsed by an overwhelming majority of Hindu society.

The self-identified ‘Trads’ and ‘Blackpillers’ agree with the social conservatives on these basic matters. However, an extremely small fringe section of the former and the latter take it to extremes and advocate positions and indulge in behaviour that is neither endorsed nor appreciated by the social conservatives or the other two camps, which often leads to conflict between these groups as well. It is important to mention here that self-identified Trads essentially represent a faction of people among social conservatives who bond better with each other.

The vicious arguments on social media between the Vikas Right and the Reactionary Right is primarily one that involves people from the former and a fringe section of ‘Trads’ and the Blackpillers. However, the Vikas Right is often inclined to attribute the behaviour of people on the fringes to the entire Reactionary Right because the positions of the latter are not palatable to the former. Meanwhile, social conservatives and ‘Trads’ alike are pilloried for being ‘Shastra thumpers’ by Blackpillers and they, in turn, are denounced by the others as well.

It is important to remember here that all these groups in the Reactionary Right who are denounced by the Vikas Right as ‘Trads’, despite their many differences, have valid points to make. The Blackpillers, for instance, who tend to be the most vicious at times, take after an individual on the fringes of social media discussion who happens to be one of the most brilliant minds in the Reactionary Right. However, due to his ‘Blackpill’ behaviour, his account tends to get suspended pretty quickly. But his threads on history and the unique insights into it he provides are certainly of great worth.

Thus, to sum it up, the Reactionary Right considers the Vikas Right to be ‘Raytawing’ and its members to be ‘Rayta’. The Vikas Right considers the entire Reactionary Right to be ‘Trad’ which is certainly not the case. Even self-identified ‘Trads’ will not fit the definition of ‘Trads’ that the Vikas Right has come up with.

The fundamental difference between the Reactionary Right and Vikas Right stems from the opinions they have of Hinduism. While the former considers Hinduism to have a strict moral code that involves dos and don’ts, the latter believes Hinduism to be a laissez-faire affair that is the embodiment of ‘true secularism’, ‘true feminism’, ‘true liberalism’ and everything else that comes along with it. The Reactionary Right considers this position ‘Rayta’.

It is pertinent to remember here that this is a very broad classification of the Indian Rightwing but one that is simple enough to explain the diversity of opinions within it. Despite the enormous diversity and the occasional volatile arguments between the various camps, it is a point to be noted that most people, regardless of the camp they can be categorized into, can and do have conversations with each other that do not degenerate into obscenities. It is also important to note that all these camps, by virtue of their very existence, have something meaningful to add to the discussion.

Most people, regardless of how they identify themselves or how they are identified as, do not indulge in obscenities and do not engage in these volatile arguments. Even the ones that do often have very salient insights to offer that make the larger discussions much more interesting and fascinating. Social media by its very nature tends to bring out the worst in people. Thus, the arguments are not really surprising. More importantly, even through arguments, some good things eventually are added into the larger narrative.

Despite all these differences and the volatile arguments, these groups have a lot of things in common. The entire Indian ‘rightwing’ agrees on certain basic things: Demography is Destiny, the Left is anti-Hindu, Temples shouldn’t be controlled by the State, RTE is evil, the Judiciary is crazy, Narendra Modi is the best thing to have happened to India since sliced bread, Rahul Gandhi is the epitome of human intelligence. Okay, maybe not the last one but the larger point stands. As long as the Indian rightwing continues to recognize the larger unity of thought, reasonable discussions will continue to occur and the churn in the Indian Rightwing will yield fruitful results.

China has to recognise India’s positions on Kashmir for its own economic interests in Pakistan

HARIDAS KVS
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China has to recognise India’s positions on Kashmir for its own economic interests in Pakistan

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to India is, for many, was an important one. While no major changes or announcements were expected and none were made during the visit, it will undoubtedly lead to deepening the co-operation between the two countries. The previous Xi -Modi meeting was held in Wuhan in April last year; It was also an informal summit, it was so decided by both heads of state to have such informal meetings. May be, Narendra Modi is thinking that such meetings provide some results. The President or China arrived in India as per the decision at Wuhan. Moreover, he flew to Chennai with the realization that India is no more a nation that was five or ten years ago. Beijing also recognizes the fact that they require India’s consent or co-operation for their most ambitious projects in Pakistan.

It was during the days of the Vajpayee government that the major shift in Indo-China relations took place. Till then, India was not even willing to talk to Beijing. But AB Vajpayee was of the view that there may be problems between the two countries but some method has to be found to sort out those issues, slowly but steadily. At the same time, as there are few issues, two nations shouldn’t keep off from finding ways to co-operate in the various sectors in whatever possible manner. Vajpayee also was of the opinion that no country shall be alienated or kept off.

India was saying the same thing to Pakistan too; That is why India took the initiative for good relations between the two countries; the Lahore bus journey and the Agra Summit were part of such moves. We all know that among the major issues with China, the border dispute is the most important. There is a committee for deliberation in this regard. It is headed by National Security Advisors of both the countries. The indications are that these two teams have gone ahead much than what was expected.

But, even when some attempts are made to sort out issues, China is creating unnecessary issues; the one relating to Arunachal Pradesh is an example, Beijing’s opposition to the Indian President’s visit to that part of the country, on the construction of roads and helipads on the border in Arunachal Pradesh are also not to be ignored. The Doklam controversy is another one, which was unnecessarily created by the Chinese army. But in all these cases, the Indian position is so clear. We saw what India did in Doklam and on Arunachal issues. Our stand here is crystal clear, “they have every right to bark, let them do it, but here we will do what seems right”. Now, China has learnt that Narendra Modi’s India is not a country that can be threatened as was in the past. They also must be understanding that it is necessary for them to compromise and co-operate with Delhi.

India, now, is not a country dependent on anyone. Russia, China and the United States all want good relations with India. But India never surrendered its identity or rights to anyone. Only a strong country with strong leadership can think like this. Don’t forget that Narendra Modi had visited the United States just before the Chinese President’s visit. The respect, all-round reception that he got there no longer needs to be repeated here. That is the acceptability of Narendra Modi in the world stage. It’s with that image, Modi was there at Mahabalipuram to take on Xi Jinping.

It is not to be forgotten that China has been quite successful in protecting their interests over India in our early decades, that is the history of the Nehru-Indira era. It was also during those days that China has shown the courage to attack us. Many of them have still doubts as to whether that war against India was part of such a ‘communist plan’. Don’t forget that VK Krishna Menon was the then Defence Minister, who was a protege of the communists and the Soviet Union. China thought that it was the best occasion to attack India. Don’t ignore that India had done practically nothing during the early days of that war, it was a huge blow to India. The land they occupied in that war is still being debated, ie for nearly six decades.

It is also important to note that there was only one Communist party in India at the time. So, there was no Soviet line of China line in that party then. The stand taken by the Communists in India during the Chinese invasion has to be read with all these in mind. It was EMS Namboothirippad who had shamelessly said, “the territory that India says as India’s and China claims as theirs” was the statement of that comrade when the nation was facing a crucial war. Whether VK Krishna Menon was aware of the Chinese move well in advance but kept silent? We don’t know as to whether one can accuse the then defence minister in that manner, such a critical appraisal has never been seen done before.

But when one looks back at the history of communists and Krishna Menon, some kind of circumstantial evidence can be found, that lead to this conclusion or that supports such doubts. The Mitrokhin documents, which have come out already, explains what the KGB did here during Pandit Nehru’s era for the Soviet Union. It is also clear that VK Krishna Menon was a product of KGB.

Now India’s position is that China must make some tangible efforts to solve the existing problems, they should show that they are doing something positive, which would naturally include border disputes. At the same time, we all know China has some problems with their big projects in Pakistan, two of their China’s dream projects, the economic corridor and the port at Gwadar, are really in trouble due to one reason or the other. In fact, the Gwadar port was launched but it’s economically a major failure. The freight is not reaching the port as expected. This port is in Baluchistan, where strong anti-Pak protests are creating problems for the Chinese. Had the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was completed, things would have been better, but that has not reached anywhere. This delay was mainly because of the strong stand taken by India. China made themselves ready for the ambitious projects in Pakistan in 2013 and it was formally announced in April, 2015.

They must have expected that they could handle India effectively. That did not happen. The Prime Minister of India has already made it clear to China that it is improper for them to get involved in the activities in Pakistan occupied Kashmir without its consent, he also warned that it would lead to serious new problems. This is what Indian PM raised at Wuhan, earlier when Xi visited Ahmedabad too, this issue cropped up for discussion.

Read More: China snubs Pakistan’s rhetoric on Kashmir, urges both countries to resolve issue bilaterally

It should be remembered here that with the repeal of Article 370, India has strengthened its position on the PoK. Rajnath Singh has even said that if Pakistan wants to hold talks, it should be about the PoK. China, according to reports, has spent $1.62 billion on the Gwadar project. The CPEC costs them around $62 billion. This figure will naturally change when it gets delayed. So, for them, it is essential now to set things on the right track.

With these in mind, we have to expect that Xi came here with some realistic goals. They must be knowing that merely abusing Narendra Modi won’t help. That is what the Chinese Foreign Affairs representative said in Beijing a few days ago. It is true that China has been critical of India’s position on Article 370, they said it publicly, then raised it in UN too. But in India Xi didn’t raise the Kashmir issue. It is no doubt a diplomatic victory for Modi. Islamabad realizes this is a major problem for them, don’t forget that China is the only major country in the world that stood with Islamabad after the abrogation of Art 370.

Perhaps Pakistan was aware of such possibility. This must be one of the reasons for the urgent visit of Imran Khan and the Pakistan Army to Beijing just before the Chinese President’s India visit. But seems their visit was not successful.

For Xi, the Pak-China economic corridor is the most important issue now. But even Beijing seems to be convinced that it is impossible for them to move forward, without taking India into confidence. This must be one of the issues that came up during the meeting. Will they be able to convince India for a project that passes through the PoK? It remains to be seen as to what is there in the minds of China. But they have little option, I do think that Narendra Modi has made it clear that China can’t do anything in India’s land without its consent.

In that case, China has to do three things. One, it will have to accept or recognize that the PoK belongs to India. Second, China will have to have a new India-China-Pakistan agreement for the CPEC. Then, naturally, Pakistan also will have to accept the Indian position on the PoK. There are also some indications that Imran was summoned to Beijing last week to discuss this issue.

Disgruntled Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam takes a jibe at Milind Deora, questions absence of ‘Nikamma’ from Rahul Gandhi’s Mumbai rally

OpIndia Staff
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Disgruntled Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam takes a jibe at Milind Deora, questions absence of ‘Nikamma’ from Rahul Gandhi’s Mumbai rally

With Maharashtra Assembly elections just days away, the internal rift within the Maharashtra Congress continues as rebel Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam took a swipe at former Mumbai Congress chief Milind Deora tweeting “Where was Nikamma” for his absence in the Mumbai rally of Rahul Gandhi yesterday.


Nirupam had taken to Twitter to allay rumours and suspicions regarding his own absence from Rahul Gandhi’s rally in Mumbai. Nirupam tweeted that he was engrossed in his family function late till the night and therefore couldn’t attend the public gathering addressed by former Congress president Rahul Gandhi. However, he did not hesitate from taking a jibe at Milind Deora, asking why ‘Nikamma’ was not there.

Milind Deora and Sanjay Nirupam are at loggerheads with each other, especially after the disastrous Lok Sabha rout for the Congress in Maharashtra. Nirupam expressed his discontent in public a few days ago saying that Milind Deora is a nikamma who conspired to remove him from the post of Mumbai Congress chief. Nirupam also added that the party was utterly destroyed by Deora in the last 5 months.

Read: No lessons learnt: Rahul Gandhi attacks Rafale deal and Chandrayaan mission in Maharashtra, admits no work done in 70 years

Sanjay Nirupam had earlier said that he won’t be campaigning for the Congress party for the Maharashtra assembly elections. This announcement was made after the party rejected one name Sanjay Nirupam had suggested for the Maharashtra assembly elections.

The former MP, sulking over the rejection of his sole recommendation said, “For Mumbai, I had recommended only one name of a potential winner Muslim candidate from Versova, but that has been rejected without assigning reasons. This means the party has no need for me. I shall sit at home during elections.”

Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam also hinted that quitting the party saying that if thinks like these continued, very soon he will have to say “good-bye” to the party.

Islam is much more than Quran: Rajeev Dhavan representing Muslim side in Ram Janmabhoomi case says in Supreme Court

OpIndia Staff
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Islam is much more than Quran: Rajeev Dhavan representing Muslim side in Ram Janmabhoomi case says in Supreme Court

While the Ayodhya case has entered in its final leg, the counsel representing the Muslim view, senior advocate Rajeev Dhavan who represents the Muslim side in the Ram Janmabhoomi case today made a controversial remark before the Supreme Court. While dismissing the arguments made on the Quran by the Hindu side in the Ram Janmabhoomi case, Dhavan threw open a can of worms saying that the interpretation of Islam is not just limited to the Quran alone.


This argument in the Ram Janmabhoomi case is in opposition to the popular belief held about Islam which is considered as a religion strongly bounded by the contours of the Quran. The Quran is considered as a central religious text of Islam, which Muslims believe to be a revelation from Allah.

Read: Ram Mandir case: SC reprimands Muslim parties for constantly repeating the same argument, Rajeev Dhavan apologises for interruptions

The Muslim parties are closing their arguments on Monday as the vexatious issue draws to an end, advocate Dhavan also questioned the apex court asking why all the questions were directed to the only party and not to the other (Hindus).

“I have noticed something very interesting during this hearing. All your questions have been directed towards me and not them. Perhaps your Lordships could have asked them some questions too,” said Rajeev Dhavan in the Supreme Court during the hearing of the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case on Monday.

Arguing against the Hindus’ contention of having a right to build a temple in Ayodhya, the Ram Janmabhoomi, Dhavan said that there is nothing on record to show that the plaintiff is in any sense the proprietor of the land in question. He further debated that Hindus, until 1989, did not press for the title.

Dhavan also rubbished the findings of the ASI saying that it did not reveal that the Masjid was built on the ruins of the temple. Responding to Justice Chandrachud question’s about the possession of outer courtyard by Hindus, Dhavan claimed that since Muslims kept entering from the eastern gate, Hindus only had the right to pray and they did not have the possession of the land.

West Bengal: Four policemen injured as mob sets police outpost on fire after Ainul Khan allegedly died in police custody

OpIndia Staff
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West Bengal: Four policemen injured as mob sets police outpost on fire after Ainul Khan allegedly died in police custody

An angry mob in Malda district attacked a police outpost and set it ablaze on  Sunday night after a man allegedly died in police custody. Four police constables were also injured in the attack on the Milki police outpost.

According to reports, Ainul Khan and seven others were picked up from a gambling den on Sunday by police. He was taken to a primary health centre after he felt unwell at the police outpost. The local doctors suspected that he has suffered a heart attack, and referred him to Malda Medical College and Hospital. But the locals insisted that he has already died, and didn’t allow to shift him, district Superintendent of Police Alok Rajoria said.

Later Ainul was sent to Malda Medical College and Hospital, but he died on the way. After the news of Ainul Khan’s death spread in the area, his family members and locals surrounded the police station. They alleged that Khan was already dead before sending to Malda. The mob attacked the police at around 11 PM, they damaged one police vehicle and assaulted the officers. They also set the persons arrested by police free, and set the police outpost on fire. Police sources have informed that important documents were lost to the fire.

Also Read- Kolkata: Mob violently attacks doctors at NRS Hospital after Mohammed Sayeed’s death, police mute spectators, allege students

Four policemen were injured in the mob attack, and all the policemen and civic volunteers present in the police outpost fled the place saving their lives from the mob.

Later a large contingent of police forces were sent from the Englishbazar police station and the situation was brought under control. According to police sources, 7 persons have been arrested in relation to the case, and an investigation into the incident has started. The situation in the area remains tense amid heavy police presence.

Bombay HC observes journalists have no special privilege or greater freedom than others to ruin the reputation of a citizen

OpIndia Staff
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Bombay HC observes journalists have no special privilege or greater freedom than others to ruin the reputation of a citizen

The Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court observed in a recent judgement that “journalists do not enjoy special privileges or greater freedom than others to make imputations or allegations that are sufficient to ruin the reputation of a citizen”.

“They (journalists) are in no better position than any other person. The truth of an allegation does not permit a justification under the First exception unless it is proved to be in public good. The question whether or not it was for public good is a question of fact which needs to be proved like any other relevant fact,” observed the Bench while dismissing a petition filed by the chairman, chief editor and two journalists of an Aurangabad-based newspaper, “Lokmat”, seeking to quash a defamation case pending against them in respect of a news item published by them.

A social worker named Vijay Bapu Patil had filed a defamation complaint before the Jalgaon CJM about a news report published on July 11, 2008, alleging that his reputation was lowered stating that he was taken to the police station after the publication linked him to an incident of attempted human sacrifice.

Read: Media has no right to pontificate about 26/11 after SC’s observations on their irresponsible coverage

The CJM then directed prosecution of four persons, including the newspaper chairman and chief editor.

A news report dated July 11, 2008, was published on the front page of the Lokmat under a Marathi caption, loosely translated to mean ‘Attempt at Human Sacrifice’. The subheading read ‘A child survives death scare due to the alertness of villagers.’ The report in question referred to Patil and ten of his associates being assaulted by villagers on suspicion that they were taking a child to conduct a human sacrifice. The report mentioned that the villagers had taken them to a police station on this suspicion on July 10, 2008.

The High Court was informed that the police later discovered that Patil and his associates were not guilty and that the accompanying child was actually the nephew of one among the group. The police, therefore, did not register any complaint upon being appraised of the misunderstanding. The report of July 11, 2008, however, did not mention the same.

The following day (July 12, 2008), the newspaper, however, carried another report based on the additional input from the police, divulging that no complaint had been registered against Patil and his associates.

Patil complained that many persons had started to spread rumours about the incident and questioned him about the contents of the news report. Aggrieved by all the misunderstanding created by the false report, he initiated defamation proceedings against the publication’s top management and journalists.

Meanwhile, the Bombay high court partly allowed the petition by quashing the proceedings against the newspaper chairman and the chief editor, observing that they could not have had any direct role and responsibility in publishing the news item. The bench, however, rejected the application to quash the case against the news reporter and his Editor.

NSA Ajit Doval reveals India’s current strategy to counter Pakistan sponsored terrorism in Kashmir: Read details

OpIndia Staff
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NSA Ajit Doval reveals India’s current strategy to counter Pakistan sponsored terrorism in Kashmir: Read details

India’s National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval, while speaking at a conference of anti-terror teams on Monday revealed India’s current strategy to counter Pakistan sponsored terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.

According to a report by Hindustan Times, the NSA said that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe into funding of terrorism in the Valley has ‘put the pressure at the right places’ on foreign agencies that are sponsoring terror in the valley.

Doval asserted that in order to effectively counter terrorism, special stress has to be placed on curbing its funding but also stresses that the objective can only be achieved after a meticulous investigation.

Read: Ajit Kumar Doval: The man, the legend and India’s security. A profile

Talking about the two aspects which have been able to exert pressure on the terrorist state, Doval said that it is firstly the NIA crackdown against terror funding in Kashmir and secondly, the global anti-terror financing group – Financial Action Task Force (FATF) action against Pakistan which has put a lot of pressure on Pakistan.

Hailing the NIA terror funding probe for making a tremendous contribution which has led to the arrest of dreaded separatists like Bitta Karate, Asiya Andrabi and Naeem Khan, Ajit Doval warned that Pakistan has mastered the art of supporting terrorism.

He stressed that the anti-terror strategy needs to encompass, “taking away their weapons, cutting their financing and degrading their capabilities”.

The NSA, who was addressing a meeting of the chiefs of the Anti-Terrorism Squads (ATS), advised NIA and other investigative agencies to collect information regarding Pakistan’s nefarious activities and bring it to FATF’s notice. He stated that while the world is already aware of Pakistan’s hand in terror funding, the information needs to be converted into evidence which can then be submitted to FATF.

“Even if we say that Pakistan is sponsoring terrorism terrorism, we need evidence. So, don’t destroy the evidence”, said Ajit Doval in his speech on Monday.

Come out with specific guidelines what you need, how you bring greater convergence in the fight against terrorism” he told officers at the event. Doval also told them to stop working in silos, adding that he would have ideally liked a single anti-terror body but since this hadn’t been possible, ATS officers had to play a lead role in the states.

Read: Exclusive story of Christian Michel’s extradition and how the grand plan was implemented by CBI and Ajit Doval

“Perception management is important. We must tell the media what action we are taking. If we don’t, they speculate,” said NSA Ajit Doval.

Doval has time and again reiterated that terror is the only instrument Pakistan has to create unrest in Jammu and Kashmir and that the Indian Army would do everything to protect the lives of Kashmiris from Pakistani terrorists.

Onion scarcity: A mostly man-made crisis that keeps affecting elections in the country

Guest Author
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Onion scarcity: A mostly man-made crisis that keeps affecting elections in the country

Have you ever heard of onion causing an elected Government to fall? Or salt doing the honours? One would be surprised to know that in the past, the prices of onions and salt has caused a lot of tension to the elected State Governments and Central Governments of this country. But if one has observed carefully, this phenomenon did not happen after Narendra Modi became the PM of our Country and Devendra Fadnavis, the CM of Maharashtra. But such incidents have happened several times in the past.

In 1980, rising Onion prices were used by Indira Gandhi to topple India’s first non-Congress Janata government. Then, in 1998 during state elections in Delhi and Rajasthan, onion prices touched Rs.40 per kg in the retail market and resulted in Sushma Swaraj, then chief minister of Delhi, losing the assembly elections. In 2010, the onion crisis caused political tension in the country and was described as “a grave concern” by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.  In November that year, unseasonal rainfall in onion-producing regions such as Nashik in Maharashtra delayed the arrival of onions in markets. Onion shipments were reduced to 700 to 800 tons a day from 2000 to 3000 tons a day in New Delhi markets, and the price of onion rose from Rs 35 to Rs 88 per kg in the period of one week. In August 2013, BJP and AAP opened grocery vans in the capital Delhi to sell heavily subsidised onions to embarrass the then government and highlight increased food inflation.

Maharashtra’s onion production accounts for almost 25% of the country’s output, impacting prices around the country. Nashik district alone accounts for 80% of Maharashtra’s production. The onion crisis gripping the governments again and again was usually man-made. In the past, the price manipulation was traced to the doorstep of traders controlling the release of onion stocks to Nashik’s major markets of Pimpalgaon and Lasalgaon, when rates breached the Rs 5,000 a quintal mark. But, ever since Devendra Fadnavis took over the reign of Maharashtra, onion and other vegetable traders and middlemen have not been able to manipulate prices the way they used to. The Fadnavis led state government has also taken the lead to frame a policy to encourage and grant the status of Markets of National Importance (MNI) to some of the Agriculture Produce Market Committees (APMCs) in the state. Maharashtra has 306 APMCs. If some of the APMCs become MNIs and do away with elected bodies they can grow beyond local markets and can also export the produce to countries overseas.

Also Read: Amidst price rise and shortage, government bans onion export

A government can be called a successful government in the area of employment, if it helps people be gainfully employed in their present location, instead of having to shift from their current location to big cities where comfort and income level may be compromised. Maharashtra Government under Devendra Fadnavis has had a perfect synchronization with the Central Government to implement the schemes for the welfare of all residents of Maharashtra, whether it is the interior regions of Vidarbha or the coastal regions of Ratnagiri or any other area.

The successful distribution of MUDRA loans meant that by 2018 end, more than 50 lakhs people had received loans under MUDRA scheme. In 2016- 17, Rs 16.9 thousand crore worth of loans were distributed and in 2017-18, this figure stood at Rs 8.8 thousand crores. Self-employment thanks to this meant that with just 4% share in the total loans Maharashtra generated the maximum additional jobs of 15% from all over India.

When Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg were added to the list of places to get new airports under the UDAN scheme, it was obvious that the Maharashtra Government is planning to increase business and employment opportunities in these areas. Coastal areas of Konkan region are currently not able to reap the full benefits of exports of their products because of lack of modernization. UDAN will help to integrate the land and air services, thus helping the produce be transported while it is fresh, to reap better benefits.

Lack of proper education facilities in this tribal-dominated district in Vidarbha region led many youths to join the Naxal movement. But, some of them realised its futility and surrendered to the police to join the national mainstream. As per an ORF Research paper, “Running alongside the security measures, the current state government has also taken various development initiatives particularly in the Gadchiroli district to address long-standing issues such as lack of irrigation, and poor healthcare and education.  The state is making the most of the different development schemes of the Centre.”

Many criticized the Fadnavis Government for giving in to the demand for further reservations to Marathas. But the fact is that by restricting riots, by increasing job opportunities in private sector, by helping in setting up self-run enterprises, by keeping the financial capital of the Country terrorist attack free, by keeping the Government steady with all partners in agreement, the Devendra Fadnavis Government has been instrumental in keeping Maharashtra on the path to progress. Lip service helps no one. Transforming promises into action, without tom-toming about it, is what efficiency is all about. And this Fadnavis Government has done that in the past 5 years. It comes as no surprise therefore that Devendra Fadnavis is the first CM since Vasantrao Naik in 1972 to complete the full five-year term. He was worth it and deserves fully to come to power once more.

(This article has been authored by Rati Hegde)

Abhijit Banerjee, economist who advised Congress on the ill-conceived NYAY just won the Nobel Prize for Economics in 2019

OpIndia Staff
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Abhijit Banerjee, economist who advised Congress on the ill-conceived NYAY just won the Nobel Prize for Economics in 2019

Economist Abhijit Banerjee, who advised Congress on the ambitious NYAY scheme ahead of 2019 general elections just won Nobel Economics Prize. During the run-up to 2019 elections, Banerjee had said that should Congress-led UPA come to power, the NYAY will have to funded by new taxes. He had said that at present India’s fiscal deficit is so large that the scheme is simply not sustainable without raising taxes.

Amusingly, then Congress President Rahul Gandhi while thumping his chest about the ‘free money’ scheme had been insisting that no new taxation would be levied to implement the welfare scheme. He had also said that should NYAY be implemented (if Congress-led UPA comes to power), a lot of current existing welfare programs would have to be scrapped.

Read: Rahul Gandhi says NYAY will be funded by amount recovered from bank loan defaulters, which actually belong to depositors

Abhijit Banerjee had said that many of the current schemes have no purpose, and nobody knows what their purposes are, and they will be replaced by Congress’ NYAY. He said that subsidies provided for fertilizer, power, water etc are distortionary subsidies, and they need to go. Banerjee said that these subsidies are not good for the economy, they are not good for efficiency.

In the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections 2019, then Congress had announced in its manifesto a “Minimum Income Guarantee Scheme”- formally called Nyuntam Aay Yojana (NYAY), to five crore ‘poorest families’ covering 25 crore people by assuring them a guaranteeing minimum income of ₹6,000 per month or ₹72,000 a year. However, the exact amount promised kept changing with every rally of Rahul Gandhi. Sometimes it became ₹ 72,000 annually, sometimes it was ₹ 72,000 monthly. At times it has been said that the government will “top up” the income of the poorest by paying the difference as “minimum income support”. At other times it has been called a flat transfer of a certain amount of money, which has again varied from ₹ 72000 a month to ₹ 72000 a year.

Read: Do not be selfish, prepare for more taxes to fund NYAY scheme: Rahul Gandhi’s aide Sam Pitroda’s advise to Indian middle class

Banerjee has just won a Nobel Economics Prize along with Esther Duflo and Michael Kremer for “their experimental approach to alleviating global poverty.”

Banerjee, who is currently the Ford Foundation International Professor of Economics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, had also said that India has been hurt by low inflation during the NDA government, and that the budgets of NDA government are not viable. He had said that stopping the “inflation tax” by the NDA government has hurt the economy badly.

The noted economist had also said that during UPA government, although the interests were high, due to the use of “inflation tax” by the government, the share of government debt in GDP was falling. According to Banerjee, now that the NDA government is not using the “inflation tax”, it has meant there are few sources of revenue for the government.

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