India: Is BJP/RSS Strategically ‘Planting’ its People in Academia? A case of IIT Bombay

 Is BJP/RSS Strategically ‘Planting’ its People in Academia? A case of IIT Bombay

June 8, 2021

 Allegations of planting ideologically driven favored people, in the academic positions were regularly made by the combined forces of BJP/RSS while it was in opposition. However, after obtaining power the BJP/RSS combine has unscrupulously planted its ‘own’ people with even more brazenness. During previous regimes the academic positions in institutions of excellence, such as, IIT were, generally, not interfered with. Moreover, the favoured ones never unabashedly flaunted their party based affiliations publicly. In the BJP/RSS regime shameless exhibition of partisan affiliation has been observed. [ . . ]

https://www.transparencyhighereducation.org/2021/06/08/is-bjp-rss-strategically-planting-its-people-in-academia-a-case-of-iit-bombay/

India: Reactionary caste mahapanchayats provide a platform to Karni Sena and its campaign justifying hate crimes [also to a section of the farmers agitation, but that doesnt make it progressive]

 The Quint

Rajasthan to Haryana, Karni Sena Chief’s ‘Hate Campaign’ Continues

Suraj Pal Amu, who had announced a bounty on Deepika Padukone’s head for Padmaavat’s release, is back in the news. 

Saadhya Mohan

Published: 08 Jun 2021, 7:49 AM IST

“Our boys are not guilty. They (Muslims) distort the pictures of our sisters and daughters. Should we not even murder them?”

Shri Ram Karni Sena Chief Kunwar Suraj Pal Amu

These words of Shri Rajput Karni Sena Chief Kunwar Suraj Pal Amu in a video that has gone viral on social media have stoked controversy. Amu, who had previously come to the limelight for announcing a reward for beheading actor Deepika Padukone over the controversy surrounding the film ‘Padmaavat’ is back in the news – this time for openly resorting to hate speech against Muslims.

In the latest video, Amu can be heard making a speech before a large assembly of people in Haryana, asserting his endorsement of the lynching of a local Muslim man that took place a few weeks ago.

Asif Khan, who hailed from Mewat’s Khalilpur Kheda village, was lynched allegedly by a mob of Gujjar men on the night of 16 May when he was returning home after buying medicines.

Also Read

Asif Khan Lynched in Haryana’s Mewat, 6 Men Arrested by Police

Asif’s cousin Rashid, who was present at the spot at time of the lynching said, “Unhone bola ‘Mulleh, tum logo mein se ek ko bhi nahi chhodenge’ aur ye bhi bola ‘tum sab se hum Jai Shri Ram bulvayenge’ (They said they will not leave any of us alive and also said they will make us chant Jai Shri Ram).”

They pulled Asif out of the car, thrashed him and killed him, Rashid said.

The three prime suspects in the murder case – Rohit, Pradip and Amit – have now been arrested, as per a tweet by the Nuh Police on 6 June.

What Did Amu Say?

Amu, who had addressed a large assembly at a Mahapanchayat held in Indri district of Haryana, could be seen validating the violence by the perpetrators of the Asif Khan murder case.

Karni Sena Chief Amu addressing a mahapanchayat at Haryana's Indri.

(Photo: Twitter/ Kunwar Suraj Pal Amu)

"We will pound them. Whoever has the courage can try to stop us," he added.

Before beginning his speech, Amu can be seen asking “true and good Hindus” to raise their hands. After a show of hands from the crowd, he then enquires “if there was any child of Pakistan there, he should also raise his hand”. He further says, “Muslims are no one’s brothers. They’re all butchers.”

Amu, who posted the video on his Facebook page on 31 May, captioned it: “Thousands came for the Hindu Mahapanchayat at Indri (Nuh) today. One who submits to a crime is a greater criminal than the one who commits it. If anyone insults our Hindu religion, will you keep silent? Only true Indians comment.”

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The Haryana BJP Connection

Karni Sena Chief Suraj Pal Amu and Haryana BJP.

(Photo: Facebook/ Kunwar Suraj Pal Amu)

Born in an affluent Arya Samaj family in 1968 in Haryana's Sohna, Amu became an active member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) at the age of 10.

A law graduate, he was a member of the RSS’s student wing – ABVP – and served as its member from 1985 to 1988.

Amu has held several posts in the BJP over the years.

He has served as the State Secretary, State Vice-President, and National Executive Member of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), the youth wing of the party.

Significantly, he was made the spokesperson of Haryana BJP in 2013.

From 2014-2019, Amu served as the Chief Media Coordinator for BJP Haryana.

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Karni Sena Chief Suraj Pal Amu and Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar.

(Photo: Facebook/ Kunwar Suraj Pal Amu)

In 2019, he became the President of Shri Rajput Karni Sena, a Rajasthan-based interest group formed to protect and promote the concerns of the Rajput community. The interest group has been accused of incitement of a number of violent incidents in the past few years.

Most prominently, the Haryana BJP leader was arrested under IPC Section 506 (criminal intimidation) over his threats to the makers of the movie ‘Padmaavat’ in 2017.

In January 2018, after being granted bail in the case, Amu resigned from the primary membership of the party. On 8 October, almost eight months after this, Haryana BJP Chief Subhash Barala had reportedly refused to accept his resignation.

"For around 29-30 years I have held different posts in the party and its student wing. The last eight months were very tough for me to stay away from the party. However, I kept working with different social organisations. It is like a homecoming for me," Amu had said.

Also Read

BJP Rejects Resignation of Man Who Called for Deepika’s Beheading

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The ‘Padmaavat’ Controversy

In November 2017, Amu had announced a Rs 10-crore reward for anyone who would behead actor Deepika Padukone and filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali for making ‘Padmaavat’.

Amu had also lauded a Meerut man’s statement to award a Rs 5-crore reward for beheading Deepika Padukone and Sanjay Leela Bhansali. He said that the bounty would be doubled to Rs 10 crore.

His speech against the film had allegedly encouraged his followers to take up arms against Padmaavat’s makers. The Haryana BJP leader had then said that the families of those who committed to the deed would be taken care of, as he asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to strike down the film.

Alleging that the movie was disrespectful to the Rajput community, Amu also threatened to ‘break the legs’ of actor Ranveer Singh, who plays the role of Alauddin Khilji in the film.

Haryana’s BJP chief Subhash Barala had issued a show-cause notice to Amu for his incendiary comments.

Also Read

Protests over 'Padmaavat' bordered on fascism: Ranveer Singh

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Superintendent of Police Narendra Bijarniya, alluding to the viral video, told NDTV: "We have taken cognisance of this viral video and we will take action. None of the Mahapanchayats held in the district had prior permission of the administration."

The large assembly was held at a time when there is a widespread lockdown in the country in the aftermath of the devastating second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

(With inputs from NDTV.)

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Institutional Practices and the Making of the Hindu Other | Shelley Feldman (25 May 2021)

 in  Historical Sociology [25 May 2021]

https://doi.org/10.1111/johs.12328

In-Situ Displacement: Institutional Practices and the Making of the Hindu Other

by Shelley Feldman

*Professor Shelley Feldman Senior Scholar, Max Weber Kolleg for kultur- und sozialwissenschaftliche Studien, Universität Erfurt, Erfurt Germany.

Abstract

This paper introduces the concept of in-situ displacement-displacement without mobility-as an analytic for understanding the place of Hindus in Muslim majority East Bengal, East Pakistan, and Bangladesh, a national formation that is best defined as one of a changing identification with Pakistan and India, and, subsequently, as a sovereign country in South Asia. Elaborating the contributions of Corrigan and Sayer on state formation and law, the paper highlights the importance of the judiciary as constitutive of the meanings that attend to belonging in the body politic. Evidence for this argument comes from court cases in the Dacca Law Review.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/johs.12328

India: Yogi-Modi stand-off ? | Sarat Pradhan (Deccan Herald)

 The curious turn in UP politics with Yogi-Modi stand-off  | Sarat Pradhan (Deccan Herald, June 4, 2021)

https://www.deccanherald.com/opinion/the-curious-turn-in-up-politics-with-yogi-modi-stand-off-993631.html

The curious turn in UP politics with Yogi-Modi stand-off

Read more at: https://www.deccanherald.com/opinion/the-curious-turn-in-up-politics-with-yogi-modi-stand-off-993631.html

The curious turn in UP politics with Yogi-Modi stand-off

Read more at: https://www.deccanherald.com/opinion/the-curious-turn-in-up-politics-with-yogi-modi-stand-off-993631.html

India: Ramdev's rage suits BJP politically - Ramdev’s business empire benefitted from his proximity to the BJP govt | Bharat Bhushan (Deccan Herald)

Deccan Herald, June 4, 2021

Ramdev's rage suits BJP politically - Ramdev’s business empire benefitted from his proximity to the BJP govt

by Bharat Bhushan

However, no BJP government either at the Centre or in the states will act against Ramdev. Ramdev knows that there is some public receptivity for his statements, arising from people’s frustration with the pandemic’s devastation. But he misdirects and ...

Read more at: https://www.deccanherald.com/opinion/in-perspective/ramdevs-rage-suits-bjp-politically-993521.html

Read more at: https://www.deccanherald.com/opinion/in-perspective/ramdevs-rage-suits-bjp-politically-993521.html

Ramdev's rage suits BJP politically Ramdev’s business empire benefitted from his proximity to the BJP government PinterestLinkedinGmail Bharat Bhushan Bharat Bhushan, Jun 03 2021, 23:37 istupdated: Jun 04 2021, 01:27 ist Yoga guru baba Ra...

Read more at: https://www.deccanherald.com/opinion/in-perspective/ramdevs-rage-suits-bjp-politically-993521.html

Hindutva’s Big Lie - a poem by a secular Hindu

 

Hindutva’s Big Lie

Vasudaiva Kutumbakam,* they do proclaim.
But ‘foreign faiths’ are in the way they claim.

“I’m Muslim,” one dare declare.
“Go back to Pakistan,” they blare.
Vasudaiva Kutumbakam, they do proclaim…
Muslims excluded.

“I’m Christian,” one dare declare.
“Minister not to our poor,” they swear.
Vasudaiva Kutumbakam, they do proclaim…
Christians excluded.

“I’m Kharia, I’m Toda, I’m Khasi from the hills,” one dare declare.
“No, you’re Hindu who strayed away,” they say.
Vasudaiva Kutumbakam, they do proclaim…
Adivasis excluded.

“I’m Dalit and I won’t take it anymore,” one dare declare.
“No, you are Harijan, beware
of foreign faiths you must first forswear.”
Vasudaiva Kutumbakam, they do proclaim…
Dalits excluded.

“I’m Hindu and you don’t speak for me,” one dare declare.
‘Anti-India,’ ‘Hinduphobic,’ abuses with which they scare.
Vasudaiva Kutumbakam, they do proclaim…
Secular Hindus excluded.

Vasudaiva Kutumbakam, though they may proclaim,
the whole world knows their game, what a shame.
Hindutva Kutumbakam is all that they are,
the family that demeans and destroys in our name.

— The voice of a secular Hindu

* Vasudaiva Kutumbakam is a noble Upanishadic thought meaning, “The world is one family”

India State and Religion: Why Jawaharlal Nehru disapproved Rajendra Prasad’s presence at Somnath temple inauguration

 ‘Hindu revivalism?’: Why Jawaharlal Nehru disapproved Rajendra Prasad’s presence at Somnath temple inauguration

While the President disregarded the advice of the prime minister and went ahead with the inauguration ceremony, he was sure to emphasise on the Gandhian ideal of inter-faith harmony in his speech at Somnath

Written by Adrija Roychowdhury

https://indianexpress.com/article/research/hindu-revivalism-why-jawaharlal-nehru-disapproved-rajendra-prasads-presence-at-somnath-temple-inauguration-6539918/