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US Government Should Stop Supporting Likes of Compassion International, For True Partnership With Bharat

By
HinduPost Desk
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0
Compassion International

Many urban Hindus are big fans of the United States of America. If this 2015 Pew Survey is to be believed, seven-in-ten citizens of Bharat have a favorable opinion of the U.S, with college educated Bharatiyas (83%) much more likely than those with only a primary school education or less (61%) to have a positive view of America.

Like many things about the present day Hindu, ignorance has a large part to play in this unqualified love for USA.

The case of Compassion International, a US-based international NGO which ostensibly works for Child ‘Welfare’, and which has been denied FCRA (Foreign Contribution Regulatory Act) license by Bharat’s Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), offers an interesting case study.

The entire case has been summarized by twitter user @zeneraalstuff in a series of tweets. To paraphrase the same –

  • The House Foreign Affairs Committee of US Congress (the bicameral legislature of the US federal government) recently held a hearing on why Compassion International was denied FCRA approval in Bharat. Compassion International (CI) was denied approval because it routes money through registered entities – Caruna Bal Vikas, Chennai and Compassion East International, Kolkata, to more than 500 non-registered entities across Bharat. Most of these entities are evangelical Christian in nature. This is in contravention of rules laid out in FCRA Act, 2010.
  • In March 2016, CI, was placed in the ‘Prior Permission’ category – which means every single remittance had first to be approved by MHA, GoI, before the recipient could receive it. In spite of this restriction, CI continued remitting money, blatantly flouting the law, through August 2016.
  • In September 2016, The Hindu newspaper put out a report claiming that US Secretary of State John Kerry bore upon GoI to take CI off ‘Prior Permission’. The report is a white lie simply because CI flouted Indian law and did not wait for intervention by US Secretary of State.
  • So, who are the witnesses summoned to testify in the US Congressional Hearing? A representative of CI itself, Human Rights Watch (an instrument of US State policy), and a certain Prof Irfan Nooruddin, who is ostensibly ‘neutral’. Who is Irfan Nooruddin? He is a Professor at Georgetown University, a Jesuit (Society of Jesus, a Roman Catholic order of religious men founded by St. Ignatius of Loyola which spreads Christianity in 112 nations) institution and occupies a chair funded by the Emir of Qatar, for studying Bharatiya politics. That’s right, a Professor at a Jesuit University, funded by a Sharia State, will get to weigh in on whether Bharat is correct to place certain restrictions on funding evangelism and conversions.

If this isn’t an attack on Bharat’s sovereignity, what is?

How can we be say that Compassion International is a Missionary Org?

Firstly, the majority of entities that CI was routing money to in Bharat were evangelical organizations carrying out conversions in the guise of welfare work. Time and again, we have seen how some Christian child ‘welfare’ orgs are engaged in downright criminality such as sexual abuse and exploitation of poor children – HinduPost has reported on few such cases from Andhra Pradesh, Western UP and Rajasthan.

Moreover, even though the CEO of Compassion International has denied any missionary agenda, their official twitter handle clearly states that CI is an ‘openly evangelical organisation.’

The 2012 US tax return filed by CI, again assiduously dug out by @zeneraalstuff, lets the cat out of the bag completely. In a section of the form titled ‘Part III Statement of Program Service Accomplishments’, the form asks some questions, and CI answers are as below –

  1. Briefly describe the organization’s mission:

In response to the Great Commission, Compassion International exists as an advocate for children, to release them from their spiritual, economic, social, and physical poverty and to enable them to become responsible and fulfilled Christian adults.

In Christianity, the Great Commission is the instruction of the resurrected Jesus Christ to his disciples to spread his teachings to all the nations of the world. Also, CI aims to release Hindu children from ‘spiritual poverty’ and ‘enable’ them to become Christian adults.

4. Describe the organization’s program service accomplishments for each of its three largest program services, as measured by expenses

Compassion Core Programs – Compassion’s Child Sponsorship Program (CDSP) connects impoverished children in the developing world with individual sponsors in developed nations who fund and participate in a holistic process of child nurture and care. Implemented through church-based child development centers, sponsored children are ushered into a systematic program of discipleship where they experience the benefits of being known, loved and protected. Child development outcomes are monitored in the areas of health practices and physical health; economic skill building and motivation; abilities in social interaction; and demonstrated commitment to the Lordship of Christ. Each outcome category has an attendant set of growth indicators. CDSP beneficiaries total 1,474,370 in 26 countries….

Compassion International exists as an advocate for children in poverty. It strategically raises the awareness of the needs, neglect, nurture, and potential of children in poverty and inspires and enables the Church to a greater involvement and effectiveness on their behalf. In developing nations where Compassion does not implement its holistic child development programs, Advocacy initiatives provide curriculum and training to churches and universities as well as convenes theological conferences on child development, and maintains a holistic child development website. In the developed world Compassion Advocacy mounts cause-based communications and provides resources to the Church to spur involvement on behalf of children.

Can any rational person still hold any doubts as to the true nature and intent of Compassion International? And let there be no doubts about the size of the challenge facing Hindus – CI is a global behemoth with a budget of ~ $700 million (as of 2012) – and Bharat is one of their focus areas for the soul harvesting business.

Why is the US Government so Worried about Compassion International Operations in Bharat?

This is the million dollar question, which all Hindus should be asking. Simply put, evangelical organizations and the Generic Church are instruments of US State Policy. As @zeneraalstuff explains –

US Foreign Affairs Committees and Federal Departments define policy towards nations based on data and analysis carried out over the years. One of the aspects is the status of Human Rights (HR) in each country. An aspect of HR is the vibrancy of civil society, aka NGOs and media. The Congressional Hearing for Compassion International is part of that assessment. In truth, organizations like Compassion International and the Generic Church are instruments of US State Policy.

This video ‘Secret Wars of the CIA John Stockwell’ explains how the US deep state works to destabilize developing nations.

Conclusion

The US itself is extremely cautious about allowing the use of foreign money in their country’s socio-political sphere. In the US, the FARA act requires all foreign agents, i.e., anyone receiving monies from outside the US, to disclose periodically who they receive money from, if they are to be allowed to participate in American public life –

Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) was enacted in 1938 and requires “persons acting as agents of foreign principals in a political or quasi-political capacity to make periodic public disclosure of their relationship with the foreign principal, as well as activities, receipts and disbursements in support of those activities.” The Act is a tool used by the U.S. government to evaluate potential propaganda and be aware of the lobbyists’ relationships.

Prosecutions under FARA are common – in 2012, an American citizen of Kashmiri origin Syed Ghulam Nabi Fai was sentenced to two years of imprisonment by a US court for concealing transfer of funding from Pakistan’s ISI in violation of FARA. Incidentally, Fai had been very active in organizing Bharat-bashing seminars in US where people like Dileep Padgaonkar, Rajinder Sachar, Angana Chaterjee, Kamal Mitra etc enjoyed his hospitality.

So why does the US expect Bharat to bend over and allow its own laws like FCRA Act 2010 to be broken? If US claims that Bharat is a trusted partner, then it needs to back up those words with action and stop supporting organizations like Compassion International which are carrying out cultural genocide of our civilization. Until US state policy keeps promoting evangelical Christian organizations cloaked as welfare orgs, Bharat and US can never be friends. We can only have a transactional relationship.

Hindus need to awaken and realize where our national and civilizational interests lie. The next time you see someone singing praises of USA or taking pride in being a ‘global citizen’, do remind him/her of these facts. There are no permanent friends or enemies in international relations – and there is no reason for Bharat to bow down to US tantrums.

The Modi Government has done well to tighten the screws on organizations like CI who were merrily abusing our laws all these years. But the fact is that so many of our institutions have been weakened over the years, that we remain susceptible to pressure from within and without.

All Hindus need to lend their voice and oppose restoration of FCRA license for Compassion International. We cannot afford to ignore the evil of predatory evangelism.

(We thank @zeneraalstuff and @by2kaafi for their analysis and peerless work in illuminating us all on this issue)

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‘Love Jihad Is Not A Simple Crime, Targets Our Daughters Specifically’ – Advocate Chetna Sharma

By
Garima Aggarwal
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8
Love Jihad

Advocate Chetna Sharma is a practicing lawyer who fights ‘Love Jihad‘, & founder of organization ‘Hindu Swabhimaan‘ under Akhara parampara . She has worked with Durga Vahini too. She is passionate about saving the youth from the concept of Love Jihad, which is a term casually dismissed by upper social strata of the urban society in Bharat today, specially the leftist liberals. She has met victims of Love Jihad and even rehabilitated few girls. Her organization is mainly focused on western UP currently but she hopes to expand gradually. The main aim of this organization is to make both young girls & boys capable of understanding and fighting (physically, mentally & emotionally) the menace of Love Jihad and related issues. She has been in news several times. I discuss the whole concept with her, her interview :

 

Below is the summarized transcript of the interview, every question and the key points of her each answer are being mentioned :

-Namaste Chetna ji, thank you for giving us time. Beginning from basics, please tell us what is ‘Love Jihad’.

Chetna ji –

  • This issue needs to reach more & more people, urban society.
  • Love Jihad is a small word, it is actually ‘Jihad Against Women’. It has various aspects – Rape Jihad, Kidnapping etc, many things which expose the cruelty against women in Islam.
  • Love Jihad is basically targeting, grabbing a young girl who doesn’t yet understand the concept of marriage /nikah and then exploiting her, making her reproduce many kids and increase population, and then if she tries to run away from all this – torture her, that is beyond imagination and happens nowhere in civilized society.
  • Love is usually only till the time the girl doesn’t give a statement against her family and society under section 164. When a girl elopes, parents will obviously file a police complaint / FIR. Generally, girls are not found. But if she is found, she records a statement with police under section 161. Statement under 164 is a confidential statement with magistrate, everything depends on it. On the basis of that statement, the girl is sent with the boy as most of them have turned 18 years of age by then.
  • Life remains fine for many of them for next 4 to 5 years. They keep reproducing kids. Jihad begins post this, then they realize they don’t have any legal rights. In our dharma, there is only one marriage. Our daughters are used to this kind of family. When they begin getting more wives, our girls object. Then the torture begins. Because they are not used to seeing this. And then our girls are not able to sustain objection, because they have handed over themselves fully to them!
  • We must understand that it is in their culture to have more women. It is their custom. This is Jihad.
  • Do you think a love relationship is possible between a 41 year old man and a 15 year old girl? That would be her father’s age. Impossible.
  • What category of a love relationship would you call it when a 21 yr old girl goes to a man whose first Muslim wife is giving birth to a 3rd child at that time?

-People say Gauri Khan, Kiran Rao (wives of Shahrukh and Aamir Khan) are also married to Muslims. These women didn’t convert to Islam. So, these examples can’t be called Love Jihad…

Chetna ji –

  • These are ‘example-setters‘, for the society.
  • Our youth gets inspired from movies and celebrities, these stars are role models. Youth wishes to follow the acts of these stars.
  • Like there are many serials, movie on Jodha Akbar. But people don’t know our real history. There was no Jodha, there was a queen called Phoolrani or so. She went to Akbar under a peace accord when her brothers were locked up by Akbar. So how can it be called a love relationship? Love is a very pious relationship.
  • Love Jihad is a very old concept. Thousands of our daughters, when 16,000 queens sacrificed themselves by doing Jauhar to save themselves from the harem of Alauddin Khilji.
  • Akbar changed that strategy and decided to go for marital relationship with kafir women. So this depiction of Jodha Akbar as a love relationship actually strengthens Islamic Jihad / Love Jihad.
  • Our children don’t know our true history. It is not written from our point of view, truthfully.
  • Hence, these are ‘example- setters’.
  • In fact, ‘no conversion’ is even worse for the woman when it comes to legal rights. She neither belongs to Hindu society nor Muslim. We keep seeing such things in court. If you are not converted, you anyway cannot claim any right in the court without a ‘nikahnama’, because marriage is a contract as per Islamic law. It is not a sanskar like in Hindu culture. Rarely, a negligible percentage gets married under Special Marriage Act. For the rest, nikah doesn’t happen. Post the elopement, the boy gets an affidavit made, girl thinks she is married. Only much later, after years, she gets to know she has no legal standing. Young girls have no legal knowledge and nobody is even telling them.

– You are founder and president of ‘Hindu Swabhimaan’ . Please tell us about the work of this organization.

Chetna ji –

  • We take spirituality, principles of Geeta as base, and then we train our youth (both girls and boys) like Hindus have been doing in traditional Akharas, like lathi chalana etc.
  • This boosts the morale of the youth, especially girls.
  • Earlier our culture was like, daughter of one family was the daughter and sister of everyone in that village. We are trying to bring that culture back.
  • Hindu Swabhimaan aims at strengthening our basic culture. It aims at making girls and boys capable of fighting Love Jihad in  all the ways.
  • It is mainly active in western UP, now expanding in Haryana and Rajasthan too.

–You keep posting inspirational posts on Facebook. Please tell about about some cases of Love Jihad. 

Chetna ji –

  • The case that hurt me most was of a 15 year old girl who expired. A 41 year old Muslim man came in contact with her through telephonic conversation. He used to call her very regularly. He influenced her so much that she went from Hathras to Muzaffarnagar to meet him. There she was gang raped for 2.5 months, she was a month pregnant when I met her. She was transferred to Meerut for fear of riots. I got a call for giving her some clothes. When I went to meet her, I mean.. how can you deny Love Jihad, how can the urban society deny Love Jihad… when i saw her, she was bathed with acid. She gestured me to come close, she couldn’t speak. She wrote on a piece of paper the name of the man ‘Tarneem’. She wrote that she wouldn’t survive, nails were drubbed into her head. She wrote if her hair would be ringed, blood would drip from the hair. Her jaws were broken because of frequent kicking and that’s why she couldn’t speak. She was transferred to Safdarjung hospital where she expired. The man was caught and news came on TV in the episode of Sansani. The girl’s father got threats from Pakistan. How can this ever be termed as a love relationship?
  • The other case is the infamous Sarava kand or the Meerut Love Jihad case. I won’t go into the details of the main case as that case got manipulated and the girl ultimately went back to that Muslim boy. But another girl of the same family, who was attached to this same boy (yes, same boy! and nowhere in the news), I have tried to rehabilitate that younger girl, worked on her for 10 months. People used to challenge me that she would also go to the same Muslim family. This girl was so talented, inter pass out with 88% and a great artist (sketching). She was saved from going there but she is totally broken from inside. Jihadis kill all the talent, beauty-wise, education-wise..
  • Now look at Tina Dhabi, IAS topper, this is an example-setter again. When our girls get influenced and go into Madrasas, they are given target of getting 5 more girls. I can say this because I am in contact with these girls, but these girls will not come out in public. A single girl goes, and her entire circle gets influenced. Minute observations are required. This cannot be called love.
  • Islam is not at fault here, we are at fault. We don’t teach our children, we haven’t told them our history, culture. We don’t tell them that our religion is the best. How many young know about Jauhar? Now these young don’t mind converting to Islam.
  • And this is not a simple crime. It is a crime that targets our girls specifically. Today our daughters are targeted. This cannot be put in the category of simple crime. 
  • These girls fall prey to human trafficking. UP High Court has clearly stated that girls lost in last 10 years need to be found. There is a place called Dasna in UP, a girl eloped with a boy there, that boy still lives there but nobody dares to ask him where that girl has gone.
  • Jihad comes to the whole family. Hindus have only two kids. Demography is changing fast. Son gets killed, daughter comes back to ask property share. So, this is also Land Jihad… this has various associated angles. We are not observing those. We are not communicating enough.

-Now these girls go and the entire blame falls on these girls only. You may call it feminism, but these girls are at a loss on both sides, ignored on both sides. How far is it correct to blame these girls?

Chetna ji –

  • You can blame them 10 to 20%, that too only the girls above 20 years of age. There is a lot of difference between our and Islamic culture. They live in small houses, everything is open there inside the house. So young girls get attracted to them.  Its our own fault that we are blaming these girls.
  • The terror created by Muslims for their own girls, we have never created it. We never corrected our children at the first fault.
  • We never instill pride in our daughters for our heritage. We don’t teach them our dharma, religion.

–I get surprised how these Hindu girls agree to wear Burqa/ Hijab and live that kind of life. I can’t figure out what attracts these girls to them…

Chetna ji –

  • We are not dominating. Basic female nature needs protection. Today, our male society is not in a position to protect our women.
  • Today girls see their mothers as either suffering or commanding. Both are bad situations. A man must stay in a a man’s role to save the culture.
  • Nuclear families – girls are not mentally / intellectually satisfied. They go outside, outside they see glamour, passion, power.
  • We need to tell our girls about their religion – where a father rapes his daughter, and a fatwa declares that daughter as the ‘wife’ of that father… we need to explain the battle logically to our children. 
  • We need to tell our children that there is no relationship of a brother and a sister in Islam, except between the children from the same mother. Cousins marry on both sides. 
  • We need to tell our children that marriage is a contract in Islam by law. Children don’t know the word ‘Meher’. It is very different from dowry, it is the payment of the marriage contract. 
  • We need to begin telling the difference in culture right from young age. Don’t preach hate, simply tell the truths.
  • Everybody knows what is taught in Madrasas. There is a ‘daan patra’ for Jihad kept there. Every Muslim visiting a madrasa donates a part of his earning in that for Jihad. So, Jihad is a very powerful concept in there, very difficult to fight it.
  • We need to teach dignity to our daughters, teach sense of judgement. Feminist thoughts need to be for Hindu society, not for families.
  • We are 4 siblings. My mother was a physics professor, wrote competition books. We don’t want to produce more children today. A single child will talk to whom? He/ she will go outside only. Instead of blaming the kids, we need to see where we stand today.
  • We have become liberal not to produce even 2 kids, and by doing that, we have misdirected the destiny of our children/ daughters. We are responsible for this, not our children.
  • There’ll be Rape Jihad in future. Today, daughters of Yazidis are being sold. How can we forget our past? In Mirpur, Kashmir, 5000 Hindu women were sold in the market. In Kabul, there’s a still a gate that mentions ‘ dukhtare hind neelame do dinariyan‘ that Hindu girls sold in 2 Dinars.. What we went through, we are again preparing our children for the same! Entire Europe is fighting Islam. We have been through Rape Jihad, Love Jihad, Jauhar…
  • Daughters of Hindu leaders have married Muslims in past, and we know what happened to the most. Shiela Dikshit’s daughter married a Muslim, now she is facing domestic violence. When daughters of powerfuls are not happy, you can imagine the fate of middle class families.

-The issue of casteism…

Chetna ji –

  • Inter-caste marriages should be opened/ encouraged. The coordination among Hindu families will improve.
  • Our girls will get more opportunities / options among Hindus to get married.
  • We had Swayamvars, girls could choose their husbands based on certain conditions, the kshatriya bhav and economic status of the boy.
  • We are working on this, we do Ajgar panchayats for this issue in rural areas, especially focused on Kshatriya families.

–You don’t feel scared?

Chetna ji –

  • I don’t feel scared because I believe in Geeta. Aatma is deathless.
  • This is the reason why we keep spirituality as our base.
  • Jihadis have no fear of death. Hindus need to learn to be fearless, if they become fearless, the problem of Jihad will die.
  • ‘Nirbhay swagat karo mrityu ka, mrityu hai vishram sthal; Jeev jahan se phir chalta hai, dharan kar navjeevan sambal’
  • Death is like changing clothes, I’ll get a new body and fight with more zeal!
  • When there is question of survival, there is no option but to fight.
  • We must stand up for our daughters.

-Your suggestions for Hindu family, the men of the families….

Chetna ji –

  • Male dominated society should prevail, there are reasons for it.
  • This doesn’t mean that men should beat women, or keep them locked or torture them. I am saying it in a different sense.
  • Men should lead, take strong decisions. Women should not lead. Women are gifted with power of communication, which is lacking in men. Women need to coordinate more in society. Men are responsible for keeping family members satisfied.
  • Men have reduced their role in families. They are busy with their gadgets and TV. They need to socialize more.

–Thank you Chetna ji for speaking to us. 

 

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Rajarshi of Cochin – A Misunderstood Dharmika

By
Paanchajanya
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2
Rajarshi of Cochin

Rama Varma XV, fondly known as Rajarshi, was the Maharaja of Cochin from 1895-1914. He was an efficient administrator and an excellent scholar. Recently when a controversy came up regarding the Nettipattam (golden caprison) of Sree Poornatrayeesha Temple at Tripunithura which was the capital of the kingdom of Cochin, various government authorities and their supporters in social media compared their act of lobbying with this great Dharmika and called him ruthless and torturer of people. Let us have a detailed look at the life of Rajarshi which will clearly show us why he was not only an excellent scholar but also a great administrator who was ill-treated and tortured by the British on trying to work for the betterment of his kingdom and people.

Rajarshi was born on 26 December 1852, to Amma Thampuratti and Bhaskaran Anujan Nambhuthiripad of Kutalaapuratthu Illam. After his upanayana in 1867, he studied under Seshacharya from Kumbhakonam who was one of the great scholars in the Court of Cochin Royal Family at that time. He lost his sister in 1876 and was attacked by dyspepsia in 1877 from which he got little relief for some years. He lost his father in 1881 to whom we was very much attached. Thus by continuous calamities in life, he went into depression and sought the company of books in order to overcome it which resulted in him becoming one of the greatest scholars produced by the Royal family of Cochin. He was praised by Bala Gangadhar Tilak after his speech in All India Ayurvedic Conference at Pune in 1917 by the words, “I had heard that his highness was a scholar among princes, it is only now that I have come to know that he is a prince among scholars.”

In 1888, he became the crown prince and after this he began to take a serious part in the activities of the government. He toured throughout the kingdom of Cochin and acquired the knowledge of its needs. In August 1895, the then Maharaja, Kerala Varma V became seriously ill and on the order of British administration he took charge of the government temporarily. And in September 1895 he was coronated as the Maharaja of Cochin after the demise of Kerala Varma V.

After becoming the Maharaja, Rajarshi worked hard for the betterment of his kingdom. When he ascended the throne, Cochin was a third rate medieval principality. Under his rule the secretariat was empowered, rules of taxations were made strict and the law and order system was freed from corruption. He promoted education in all possible ways. He allocated funds for the better functioning of Kottunnallur Gurukulam which provided basic education free of cost to all including lower caste people with food and accommodation. He also opened a Sanskrit pathashala at Tripunithura which is now known as Sree Ramavarma Government Sanskrit College for higher studies.

The main achievement of Rajarshi during his tenure was the completion of Shoranur- Cochin Harbour railway line. When the funds were not found enough for the completion of the railway line, the Maharaja made a plea for the delayed payment of taxes to the British empire which was rejected. The request of the amount required as loan to the British empire was also rejected and in return the British suggested the collection of the required amount as tax from the people of Cochin.

Rajarshi, unwilling to burden his subjects with a separate tax along with the high rates which they were already paying decided to sell 14 out of 15 Nettipattams used for adorning the elephants during the temple festivals at the Sri Poornatrayeesha Temple of Tripunithura, which was the family deity temple of the Cochin royal family. Earlier this request by the Maharaja was rejected by the temple authorities and other family members but after a discussion with the concerned authorities, the Maharaja got the permission required for this move and with heavy heart sanctioned the selling of the Nettipattams and making new ones temporarily with gold plated silver. It is said that Rajarshi was an ardent devotee of Poornatrayeesha and before taking out the Nettipattams from the temple treasury he bowed to the lord 72 times and also signed a deal which allowed a percentage of the railway income to be given to the temple which will allow the making of new Nettipattams after getting sufficient funds.

This deal was cancelled after independence by the democractic government and the temple administration was also taken over by the government after the accession of the kingdom with Republic of Bharat. The railway line was opened on 16 July 1902 by Rajarshi with a traditional ceremony and he is said to have performed the opening by breaking a coconut with tearful eyes and uttering the words, “Oh Poornatrayeesha! I have done this with good intention for the welfare of my people. Punish me if I have done anything wrong but make this a success.”

The Maharaja in 1905 proposed to retire within a year to private life due to ill health, only to be rejected by the British government. The British government even rejected his request to visit the holy city of Kashi stating unwanted expenditure as the reason. Finally, in 1914 after further worsening of his health condition, Rajarshi abdicated his office. Though being the Maharaja, he is said to have led a very simple life which gave him the name Rajarshi among his subjects. By the time he abdicated his office, Cochin had become a progressive and honoured state in the map of Bharat and hence he is called as the “Father of Modern Cochin”.

Recently, when the government authorities of the temple sold the only old Nettipattam used for temple festivals at Tripunithura in order to make a new one citing improper reasons many people went against them and laid charges of corruption on the authorities. This was tackled by comparing the activity of Rajarshi a century earlier stating that government worked for betterment of temple ornaments unlike the royals who used it for their life of luxury.

While the condition of the temples under government is known to many people across the country, it must be noted that one of the reason which they stated for the replacement was insufficient size of present Nettipattam. But throughout the centuries the Nettipattam has adorned various elephants which are considered taller than any present elephants carrying the murthy of Poornatrayeesha giving rise to contradictions in theory. And even if that’s the case it gives rise to the questions of whether the melting of the old Nettipattam was necessary to make a new one as it was a sign of our heritage? And why didn’t the authorities not discuss with the people concerned with the temple like the Maharaja did?

Thus people in social media and government authorities have to understand the situation and contributions of Rajarshi who developed the Cochin region of Kerala, and the way he gave the Nettipattams away for the development and betterment of his Kingdom unlike the current government authorities which are destroying the antique for no reason, before making an unfair comparison or accusation.

(Disclaimer: This article represents the opinions of the Author, and the Author is responsible for ensuring the factual veracity of the content. HinduPost will not be responsible for the accuracy, completeness, suitability, or validity of any information, contained herein.)

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Hindu Economics

By
Makarand R Paranjape
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0
Acharya Chanakya - Hindu Economics

Much ink, thankfully little blood, has been spent on the travails of demonetization. No doubt some of the shock, especially suffered by daily-wage earners and those without bank accounts or the digitally deprived, not to speak of countless ordinary citizens without access to their own money, cannot be denied or diminished. But much of the campaign by the opposition is merely drama.

What is more, the real victims of demonetization aren’t complaining. It is the apparatchiks, outwitted and outmanoeuvred, who are showing themselves up as bad losers by stalling proceeding in both houses of the parliament, bringing the business of running the nation to a standstill. The hypocrisy of our political class is stupendous. Imagine what would happen if we should demand that all political donations above, say, Rs 1,000, become cashless, with the names and Aadhar numbers of donors posted on the websites of political parties? The cleansing process then would really reach the very root of what makes this country corrupt. For everyone knows that it is politics more than anything else, business, commerce, and industry included, that is the origin of Bharat’s corruption.

Which brings us to an aspect of demonetization that no one has talked about—is it dharmic? Dharma has at least two senses. The more common one these days is as a mistranslation of religion. The more accurate, foundational sense is of righteousness. Before we try to answer the question of whether demonetization is dharmic, we might pose it in even broader terms. What is the connection between Dharma and economics?

This question is not by any means either new-fangled or unfounded. Much of economic thinking is underwritten by religious ideologies. For instance, Max Weber’s famous formulation of The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, published in German as Die protestantische Ethik und der Geist des Kapitalismus (1905) and translated into English by Talcott Parsons in 1930. Weber argues that the rise of capitalism in Western and Northern Europe was because of the influence of Protestantism, especially Calvinism. That is what drove people to success and prosperity in the real world as opposed to hoping for rewards in the hereafter.

Capitalism’s Other, communism, was also based on an Abrahamic salvational creed, with the apocalyptic force of revolution redeeming the working classes from centuries of bondage. Primitive communism was akin to pre-lapserian Christianity, Edenic and idyllic, the unfallen state of primitive, classless man. Then comes the fall, the terrible interregnum of toiling and suffering masses, struggling through feudalism and capitalism. And relentless class struggle, the engine of History, before the promised heaven-on-earth of universal socialism. In some pockets, this religion continues to be preached, if not believed, with dogmatic zeal.

Much, similarly, has been made of Islamic economics, with a proposal that even Bharat’s banks open up a window to allow sharia-compliant interest-free banking to mop off petrodollar inflows. Yet, current economic thinking all over the world seems to be motivated by the opposite religion of consumerism. According to this creed, a human being is born to consume. Endless products flood the global market to fulfil not only our every need, but also our every greed. Consumerism flourishes by turning us into insatiable desiring machines.

With so much economic unrest and inequality all over the world, several leaders of advanced capitalist countries are resorting either to populism or jingoist neo-conservatism. The best example of the former is Brexit, which is going to harm both Britain and the European Union, and of the latter, the election of Donald Trump, who may actually end up being good for the US economy. After the economic collapse of 2008, what we are currently facing is perhaps the biggest challenge to the world economic order.

Interestingly, the downturn of 2008 was predicted some time before by RSS ideologue and founder of Swadeshi Jagran Manch, Dattopant Thengadi (1920-2004). Thengadi argued that the failure of both socialism and communism meant that India should work out a “Third Way.” He advocated the development of an economic model based on Sanatana Dharma. More recently, Swami Vigyananand, an IIT-Kharagpur alumnus, started the World Hindu Economic Forum to take such efforts forward.

Now to the crux of the issue: what is Hindu economics? Is it like the pejorative “Hindu rate of growth,” the elephantine 1.3 per cent average per capita income growth and GDP growth of about 3.5 per cent during the pre-liberalisation, Congress-ruled decades of 1950-1990? If we look at Angus Maddison’s data sheets, however, a totally different picture emerges. From about 1 CE to the eve of the British conquest of Bharat in 1757, Bharat accounted for between one third and one-fourth of world GDP. It was only in the 18th century that China overtook us, after which both Asian giants declined rapidly, thanks to the new imperial world order.

Surely, we must have been doing something right for two thousand years to be the world’s greatest economy. Perhaps, it is our dharmic principles that helped us. The oft quoted opening verses of the Chanakya Niti Sutras are illustrative: sukhasya moolam dharmah; dharmasya moolam arthah; arthasya moolam rajyam. The basis of happiness is Dharma (righteousness); the basis of righteousness is wealth; and the basis of wealth is good governance. There are hundreds of such verses that support the idea that good conduct, good governance, and righteousness lead to production and distribution of wealth, which in turn leads to human happiness and well-being.

If this is the foundation of Hindu economics, then adharmik or corrupt means of producing, hoarding, and using wealth can only cause sorrow and distress to the populace. This the ordinary people of Bharat have understood only too well. That is why they have welcomed the demonetization drive, even though they have suffered the most on its account. They know that some sacrifice on their part will result in huge future gains.

This Dharmic turn in Bharatiya economics must however be true and sincerely motivated. It cannot subsist on hypocrisy, duplicity, pretense, and falsehood. The ethical turn of Bharatiya economics must not be compromised either by vested interests or the compromised political or business classes. Only then can it contribute to making us a great and prosperous nation again.

By Makarand R Paranjape – The author is a poet, and Professor of English, JNU.

(This article first appeared on DNA – http://www.dnaindia.com/analysis/column-dharmic-economics-2279127 – and is being reproduced with the consent of the author)

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Servants, Bungalows and Perks – Basic Needs of the Judiciary

By
HinduPost Desk
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Judiciary

Servants and sprawling Lutyens’ bungalows at Government expense for life, vacations for relatives in Government accommodation – these are just some entitlements which the higher judiciary claims as its right. And then the same judiciary regularly hands out sermons to all and sundry on transparency, accountability and probity in public life.

The Supreme Court recently passed a decision to appoint one domestic help for life for retired judges of the Court, and then to absorb the help in the Court’s regular staff after a period of ten years – this was widely criticised by commentators on social media.

In another development, it is reported that several top-level positions in nearly two dozen law commissions and tribunals have few takers among retired judges due to unavailability of ‘entitled accommodation’ – Type 7 or Type 8 bungalows in Lutyens’ Delhi comprising four or five bedrooms, servant quarters, lawns and garage.

Unsurprisingly, Chief Justice TS Thakur has thrown his weight with the retired judges, saying that they “are not being provided with a dignified place to live.”

The CJI argued if a retired judge of the Supreme Court is asked to take up an assignment after retirement for half the salary he was earlier getting, “and you don’t give him a decent place to live in, why should he bother?” adding that a judge can as well go to a “flat of his choice and do some arbitration and consultation work which is more lucrative“.

Union Law Ministry says it is not possible to provide every retired judge with bungalows of the same size as that of sitting judges, due to severe shortage. 76 out of 625 top category bungalows in Lutyens’ Delhi are allocated to the ‘serving judges pool’, while tribunal/commission heads get around 18 bungalows from the ‘general pool’. But there are about six dozen tribunals and commissions and they require about 220-222 houses! 

The malaise of grabbing a bungalow in Lutyens’ Delhi and hanging on for as long as possible is widespread, and it cuts across all arms of Government – politicians, ministers, bureaucrats and judiciary. As HinduPost has reported earlier, the number of houses vacated in Lutyens Bungalow Zone (LBZ) has increased three times under the Modi government. Shockingly,  1,207 houses are still under unauthorized occupation in Delhi – of which 27 are with journalists. The Lutyens’ Zone needs to be fully redeveloped and housing should be made available in the form of apartments in modern high-rises.

Judiciary is equally susceptible to the other disease which affects public life in Bharat – the abuse and misuse of official machinery for personal enjoyment. A twitter user has revealed this letter from a court official in Punjab ordering that an entire PWD (Public Works Department) Rest House in Hoshiarpur, Punjab be reserved for the personal visit of relatives of Justice Surya Kant of Punjab & Haryana High Court.

https://twitter.com/ivivekbansal/status/805457680684892160

It is high time that the judiciary looks at itself in the mirror – the very ills that it routinely finds in others, afflict it as well. Our judiciary may view itself as the last line of defense of the republic, but the truth is that they are part of the problem. And unlike bureaucrats who are accountable to politicians, and politicians who are accountable to citizens, the judiciary is accountable to none.

Judicial reform is the need of the hour, and an open & transparent judicial appointment process is the first step in that direction.

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The Fight for a Sri Ram Temple in Ayodhya Goes On

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HinduPost Desk
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Ayodhya Kothari Brothers - कार सेवकों का बलिदान और रक्तरंजित संघर्ष

On Dec 6, 1992, thousands of kar sevaks who had gathered at Ayodhya, the birthplace of Bhagwan Ram, brought down the dilapidated Babri Masjid which was built by Mir Baqi in 1528-29 CE on orders of the Mughal emperor Babur after destroying a pre-existing Hindu temple.

However, the Hindu struggle to re-acquire one of their holiest spots continues to this day. In 2010 the Allahabad High Court awarded 2/3 of the disputed site to Hindus and 1/3 to Muslims, after excavations by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) showed that the predating structure was a massive Hindu religious building. Both the Akhil Bhartiya Hindu Mahasabha and Sunni Waqf Board moved the Supreme Court challenging the HC verdict – the matter languishes in courts to this day.

The fraud of our eminent historians who ganged up to falsify history and deny the existence of a Hindu temple which was destroyed by the Mughals, has now been proven beyond doubt.

As Indologist Koenraad Elst states in this article, “until the 1980s, the forcible replacement of the temple by the mosque had been a matter of consensus. Yet, in a statement of 1989, Jawaharlal Nehru University’s ‘eminent historians’ turned an unchallenged consensus into a mere ‘Hindutva claim’. The eminences asked to witness in court had to confess their incompetence one after another (as documented by Meenakshi Jain in Rama and Ayodhya, 2013): One had never been to the site, the next one had never studied any archaeology, a third had only fallen in line with some hearsay, etc.“

Earlier this year, Dr. KK Muhammed, former Regional Director (North) of Archaeological Survey of India and a member of the excavation team that found remains of a Hindu temple underneath Babri Masjid, claimed that Left historians like Irfan Habib and Romila Thapar had thwarted an amicable settlement to the Babri Masjid issue.

Yet, despite these indisputable facts of history, Hindus are still waiting for closure in one of the most grievous wounds that our civilization has suffered. Apart from Ayodhya, the mosques built after destroying temples in Mathura (birth place of Sri Krishna) and the holy city of Varanasi are two more festering wounds in the Hindu psyche.

Worse, many urban Hindus are oblivious to what Ayodhya and the Ram Janmabhoomi movement mean to Hindu masses and to the Hindu civilization. Deracinated Hindus have drunk the kool-aid of secularism peddled by colonizing European nations who till date proudly proclaim their Christian identity and have actually created a city state called Vatican City in the heart of Europe and given the Christian Pope an influential voice on the global stage.

But there are millions of Hindus who continue to nurture their heritage and roots. They will not forget the long line of Hindus who have sacrificed their all in defense of our way of life and unique worldview. The Kothari brothers – Sharad and Ram – are two such names from recent times to which Hindus will remain forever indebted.  They were among thousands of Hindus killed in 1990 when the then UP CM Mulayam Yadav ordered firing upon kar sevaks.

https://twitter.com/purnimaforbjp/status/805986809247399936

To this day, secularist and Islamists claim that the demolition of the Babri Masjid was a ‘blot on India’s constitution’, but they go quiet when the destruction of hundreds of Hindu temples in Kashmir PRE-DATING the Babri Masjid demolition comes up. This vandalism and destruction of Hindu temples by Islamists in Kashmir valley continues to this day…

https://twitter.com/TrueIndology/status/805980649987260416

https://twitter.com/TrueIndology/status/805987605451927552

And while Babri Masjid demolition rued and remembered by Muslims across the sub-continent and the rest of the Islamic world, Hindus are largely unaware of the religious persecution faced by Hindus & frequent attacks on Hindu temples in Muslim dominated regions like Kashmir, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Malaysia etc. Even other parts of Bharat like West Bengal and West UP are fast deteriorating to a Kashmir like situation as the recent Kairana exodus demonstrate.

https://twitter.com/TrueIndology/status/805999052827422720

https://twitter.com/TrueIndology/status/805997288468320257

https://twitter.com/kcsnegi/status/806168449223274496

The obstacles might seem huge, but the struggle for a Sri Ram mandir at the Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya will continue unabated.

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टाइम्स ग्रुप  विमुद्रीकरण संबंधित मौतों की झूठी अफवाहें फैला रही है

By
HinduPost Desk
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TOI spreading false rumors

मीडिया 500 और 1000 रुपये के  विमुद्रीकरण  के कारण जनता को हो रहे असुविधा की कहानियाँ को उन्मादित तरीके से देश के सामने प्रस्तुस्त कर रही है|  हम चिंताजनक सबूत देख रहे है कि कई मीडिया समूह और पत्रकार इस स्थिति का उपयोग अपने  संपादकीय / राजनीतिक एजेंडा के लिए कर रहें हैं।

टाइम्स ग्रुप ने हाल के दिनों में दो रिपोर्ट चलाई हैं जिनमें वास्तविक तथ्यों को तोड़ा मरोड़ा गया है| राष्ट्र के लिए इस महत्वपूर्ण क्षण में जो सय्यमित तथा संवेदनशील मीडीया रिपोर्टिंग की अपेक्षा थी, उसका भारी अभाव दिख रहा है।

टाइम्स ऑफ इंडिया मुंबई संस्करण १२ नोवेंबेर  के मुख्य पन्ने की रिपोर्ट जिसका शीर्षक है ‘सर्वर क्रैश, और ग्राहक भी’, पेपर ने 2 खबरो मैं दावा किया है की  500 और 1000 के विमुद्रीकरण  की वजह से हुई कठिनाइयों के कारण लोगों की मृत्यु हो गई है|

“मुंबई के उपनगर मुलुंड में, विश्वनाथ वर्तक, 73, का एचएसबीसी बैंक के बाहर दिल का दौरा पड़ने से मौत हो गई, जबकि एक गृहिणी ने
एक एटीएम से खाली हाथ लौटने के बाद हावड़ा में कूद कर आत्महत्या कर ली|”

नकली कहानी # 1 – वरिष्ठ नागरिक बैंक के बाहर कतार में इंतजार करते हुए मर गया

१३ नवेंबर को , टाइम्स ऑफ इंडिया ने  एचएसबीसी मुलुंड बैंक के बाहर एक वरिष्ठ नागरिक की मरने की झूठी खबर छापने के लिए क्षमा संदेश  7 वें पेज पर प्रकाशित किया है| एचएसबीसी बैंक ने बताया की उनकी कोई शाखा या एटीएम मुलुंड में नहीं है।

ट्विटर पर छवि देखें

और वास्तव में क्या हुआ एक मीडिया रिपोर्ट से पता चलता है –

“यह घटना करीब 11:30 सुबह ,हरी ओम नगर मुलुंद(पूर्व)  एस.बी.ई शाखा के बाहर हुई | नवघर पोलीस स्टेशन के .वरिष्ठ इंस्पेक्टर माधव मोरे के अनुसार , एस.बी.ई बॅंक से लगभग 100 मीटर की दूरी पे मृतक वर्तक अपनी पत्नी के साथ रहता था| वर्तक पिछले 20 वर्षो  से उच्च रक्तचाप से पीड़ित था| वह एसबीआई बैंक की शाखा पर पहुंच कर जब सीढ़ियाँ चढ़ने लगा तो उसे चक्कर सा महसूस हुआ और उसके हाथ और पैर काँपने लगे| इंस्पेक्टर  मोरे ने यह भी बताया उस समय बॅंक मे कोई भीड़ नहीं थी”

मृतक के एक रिश्तेदार ने कहा, “परिवार परेशान है कि मीडिया विमुद्रीकरण के मुद्दे को उनकी मृत्यु से जोड़ रही है। उनका स्वास्थ्य  कुछ समय से सहीं नहीं था|उनकी मृत्यु और उनका बॅंक जाने से कोई संबंध नहीं है|

नकली कहानी # 2 : एटीएम से खाली हाथ लौटी गृहिणी की कूदने से मौत

इकोनॉमिक टाइम्स ” एटीएम से खाली हाथ लौटी गृहिणी ने कूद के आत्महत्या की” शीर्षक से एक विस्तृत कहानी छापी| सनसनीखेज शीर्षक और घटी घटना मे बहुत विरोधाभास है| महिला के पति ने आरोप लगाया कि आत्महत्या के पीछे का कारण पता नहीं है जबकि परिवार का कहना है कि महिला गलती से बालकनी से गिर गयी| पोलीस को संदेह है की वह अपने पति के साथ विवाद के बाद बालकनी से कूदी|

पति, परिवार, या पुलिस ने बंद एटीएम को मौत का कारण नहीं बताया| मृत महिला एक रीटेलर की पत्नी थी और एक पॉश अपार्टमेंट परिसर मे रह रही थी- क्या वास्तव मे एटीएम से खाली हाथ आना उसकी आत्महत्या का कारण हो सकता है?

एक ट्विटर यूज़र ने जानी मानी टाइम्स ऑफ इंडिया की स्तंभकार सागरिका घोस को इसी झूठे विषय को फैलते हुए पकड़ा

जनता विमुद्रीकरण से जुड़े हुए नमक मिर्च लगा के प्रस्तुत की जा रही खबरों का अपने विवेक से अवलोकन करे|  विमुद्रीकरण से जुड़ी  नयी कहानियाँ का ‘हमले के तहत चर्च’ या ‘हमले के तहत दलितों’ की कहानियों की तरह आने वाले हफ्तों और महीनों में गूंजने की संभावना है| इस संकट लकिन महत्वपूर्ण घड़ी में आम नागरिकों को एक दूसरे का और बॅंक कर्मचारियों का समर्थन करना चाहिए| यह सच है कि नागरिकों को गंभीर कठिनाइयों का सामना करना पड़ रहा है ,लेकिन इस तरह की झूठी सनसनीखेज कहानियाँ केवल जनता की परेशानी और बढ़ाने का काम करती हैं |

(संतोष कुमार द्वारा हिंदी अनुवाद)

क्या आप को यह  लेख उपयोगी लगा? हम एक गैर–लाभ (non-profit) संस्था हैं। एक दान करें और हमारी पत्रकारिता के लिए अपना योगदान दें।

Can Digital India Give us a Corruption Free Country?

By
Dr. B.N.V. Parthasarathi
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Digital India

Bharat still has a population of 23.3 crores who do not have access to basic banking facility. Bharat has 24.5 million credit cards and 661.8 million debit cards as on March, 2016. According to the government the number of internet users in Bharat is expected to cross 500 million in 2016. Mobile banking share is very low at 0.1% of the total banking share and expected to rise to 10% in the next 7 years. NEFT and PPI (Pre Paid instruments) payments constitute less than 10% of the total banking transactions and estimated to rise to 30% in the next 7 years. Against this back drop we have suddenly started talking about digital Bharat and cash less transactions since 8th November, 2016 post demonetization of Rs. 500 and Rs.1,000 notes. While nobody can find fault with the intention of the government to aggressively push towards Digital India, total financial inclusion and cashless transactions, the issues involved in implementation cannot be ignored.

Digital India

Digital India is possible when all the government organizations and private institutions are not only computerized but they are accessible round the clock, online and operate on real time basis as well as are interconnected among themselves. Therefore, the first step should be to achieve this milestone. It is also imperative that every citizen’s complete data base is stored in a secured manner.

Modus operandi

National Informatics Centre that comes under Government of Bharat, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology should be entrusted the above task with well defined time lines and adequate resources. The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) which also incidentally comes under the same ministry should be entrusted the task of coordinating with office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner (Ministry of home Affairs) to ensure that all the citizens are issued Aadhar cards and all children over 1 year age are covered by Aadhar. Important citizens’ documents like PAN cards, Voter ID cards, Driving Licences, Ration Cards, Passport, Bank account etc should be linked to the Aadhar cards. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare should ensure that all the health records of the citizens are fully computerized and maintained online by issuing guidelines to government and private hospitals and pharmacies. This requires a common web portal and a separate nodal agency to manage the same.

While Customs, Banks and RBI have made some positive moves to not only automate the processes but integrate the data base among them and have an interface with the exporters and importers we are far away from a complete e-commerce scenario.

Total financial inclusion and cashless transactions

While total financial inclusion may be possible in the near future as we have only around 23% of the population as unbanked, the dream of achieving a cashless economy will be possible only when the people switchover from cash to plastic money or online payments. Therefore, banks should aggressively pursue expanding the reach of co-branded debit cards and prepaid cards across the country more particularly in remote areas. RBI should encourage new entrants under the payment banks category to achieve the total financial inclusion till the last mile. Commercial banks should have tie up with these payment banks for co-branded prepaid cards so that cash transactions in remote areas are substituted by prepaid cards. As on 30th April, 2016 Bharat has 1,034,253,328 mobile connections and ranks at second position in the world (81.35 connections for every 100 people) whereas Bharat’s mobile banking share is at an abysmally low level of 0.1% of the total banking.

According to Mr.Nandan Nilekani mobile banking can be rapidly scaled up by a secured mechanism by linking the smart phones to Aadhar under a common portal like whatsapp. This platform can be integrated with the common web portal mentioned earlier so that the citizens can conduct most of their daily transactions (both monetary and non monetary) in a seamless as well as cashless manner through smart phones. Probably the government can think of giving the smart phones to the people at an affordable cost. It is understood that Andhra Pradesh government has already mooted a similar proposal in this regard. Creating proper awareness, educating the people, particularly the uneducated and old people, and familiarizing them to the digital world that is both seamless and cashless is very crucial for the success of this mission.

Public accountability of the three organs of the Government

While digital transactions mentioned above may ensure convenience, flexibility and virtual connectivity between the citizens and various government organizations, private institutions and banks under a cashless mode, it will be over optimistic to assume that it would be corruption free.  Automation of the processes and cashless dealings are the first baby steps towards a corruption free environment. Transparency, Timelines, Public accountability, fair practices by all the stake holders are other important prerequisites followed by stringent legislation, good law and order and efficient judiciary to reach the dream destination of a corruption free environment.

In order to improve the public accountability of the government (including its three organs- legislature, executive and judiciary) and introduce a fair amount of transparency in its functioning there is a need to adopt a formal mechanism of information sharing by the government in the public domain. As the government has shifted its focus from outlay to outcome oriented budgeting process almost a decade ago and the RTI Act has been in place for more than a decade, it is time that all the ministries and departments of the government adopt a standard mechanism to share the key performance indicators (both budgeted and actual) on a quarterly basis in public domain.

In this context one may refer to a listed public company which is mandated by the provisions of companies Act and SEBI guidelines to prepare and share its quarterly financial report (within 45 days from the end of the said quarter). All the Ministries/ Departments of both union and State Governments may devise a standard quarterly as well as annual reporting system and share the same in public domain in a time bound manner. The annual reports should also contain the CAG report with major comments on the functioning of the respective ministry/department as observed during the course of the audit. This will lead to improving the level of accountability of the government to the governed (i.e., people of the country).

“Except the judicial decision making, all other activities of administration and the persons included in it (judiciary) are subject to RTI Act,” said the report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Law and Justice in April, 2008. However, the judiciary has taken the stand that it is a constitutional authority and therefore it does not come under the purview of the RTI Act.

THE RIGHT TO INFORMATION ACT, 2005 No. 22 OF 2005 (As modified up to 1st Feb, 2011) Page No. 6 Para 2 & 3 says – “WHEREAS the Constitution of Bharat has established democratic Republic; AND WHEREAS democracy requires an informed citizenry and transparency of information which are vital to its functioning and also to contain corruption and to hold Governments and their instrumentalities accountable to the governed.” Government consists of (both Union and States) Legislature, Executive and Judiciary. Therefore, judiciary must come under the purview of RTI Act. There is no doubt that judiciary is a constitutional authority but that authority cannot be an absolute one. Authority always comes with a responsibility attached to it. Judiciary is an independent authority on judicial matters under the constitution and at the same time it also has an equal amount of responsibility to discharge its functions as mandated by the constitution. Needless to say that all the three organs viz., legislature, executive and judiciary may discharge their functions independently but they are interdependent and collectively accountable to the citizens of the country. The common man knows very well that corruption only grows when there is no accountability. Therefore, the basic question remains – is the government (i.e., the three organs) willing to submit itself to public accountability?

B.N.V.Parthasarathi – 

Ex Senior Banker, Management and Financial Consultant, Visiting faculty at premier B Schools and Universities. E mail- [email protected]

(Disclaimer: This article represents the opinions of the Author, and the Author is responsible for ensuring the factual veracity of the content. HinduPost will not be responsible for the accuracy, completeness, suitability, or validity of any information, contained herein.)

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VHP Gau Raksha Chief of Vidarbha (Maharashtra) Threatened With Dire Consequences

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HinduPost Desk
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Vhp

Just a couple of days back, the VHP Gau Raksha ( cow protection ) Chief of Vidarbha region in Maharashtra and his team were threatened by a group of people, mostly Muslims, after the former saved & freed about 100 cruelly tied up cows with the help of policemen.

VHP & Bajrang Dal members had come to know about 100 cows being made to walk towards Laalkhadi in cruelly tied-up condition. So they reached the spot with 2 policemen. Seeing the policemen, the 4 persons who were making the cows walk, ran away.

As the cows were being untied, local Muslims started gathering and rounded up VHP Gau Raksha Chief, Sh. Vijay Sharma and his team. As reported to us, Sh. Vijay Sharma was threatened with dire consequences if he continues to work towards protecting cows. One of the persons who were threatening yelled ‘Bahot ho gaya, ab wicket girana padega‘ (Enough has happened, now a wicket has to be brought down). In just a few minutes, about 100 to 150 locals gathered around Sh. Vijay Sharma and team. The 2 policemen had to call up more police force. Fortunately, police arrived quickly and the crowd dispersed. The news has been covered in local Hindi media :

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It seems that some of the people in the crowd were carrying swords. But no violence took place. Noone has been arrested from the crowd which issued threats. About 3 years back also, Sh. Vijay Sharma had faced a serious threat.

Some of the exclusive pictures of this rescue incident :

 

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Necks of all cows were tightly tied up
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The two policemen who accompanied VHP & Bajrang Dal members
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The local Muslim crowd got to know and started gathering, as reported to Hindupost.

This is not the first time we have reported about threats faced by cow protection activists, or about rampant cow trafficking and rescues that happen.

The Maharashtra Animal Preservation Act, 1976 governs the slaughter of cattle in the state. Slaughter of cows, bulls and bullocks & their transport for the purpose of slaughter is not allowed in Maharashtra. Anyone violating the law can be punished with imprisonment up to 5 years and/or fine of up to Rs. 10,000. 

Further the The Transport of Animals Rules,1978 states that trucks shall not carry more than six cattle, and that during transportation animals should be protected from weather, sufficient food and water must be provided to them, and padding (straw etc) should be placed on the floor. The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 also outlaws over-loading and torturing of animals.

(We thank Karan Sharma for speaking to us and providing images).

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Firstpost Journalist to be Prosecuted for Fabricating Murthal Gangrape Story

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HinduPost Desk
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Firstpost Journalist Tarique Anwar

Tarique Anwar, a journalist working for the newsportal Firstpost.com, who filed a report on alleged cases of gangrape in Murthal, Haryana, during the Jat agitation earlier this year, had produced false and fabricated evidence of the alleged victim, amicus curiae Anupam Gupta submitted before the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Saturday on the basis of a report by a special investigation team (SIT).

“Anwar should be prosecuted for false evidence. He does not enjoy any impunity as a journalist,” amicus Gupta submitted.

Additional solicitor general Tushar Mehta told the court that the reporter, Tarique Anwar, had recorded his relative’s voice and presented it as the statement of the mother of one of the alleged rape survivors. Mehta said that Anwar deposed before a special judge in Sonepat and gave his statement under Section 164 of the CrPc. Another witness, one Surjeet Garg from Punjab, who had posted a letter on social media allegedly written by an Australian woman who was raped at Murthal, was also found to be false by investigators.

There were allegations of vehicles being stopped by protesters on NH1 at Murthal during the height of the Jat reservation agitation and several women forcibly taken to the fields by the highway and raped. This gang-rape allegation was widely splashed all over mainstream media, despite several ordinary citizens questioning the veracity of these claims back then itself.

Ironically, an earlier Firspost article by Shalini Singh had done a critical analysis over the gangrape allegations  –

“An article in The Tribune of 24 February 2016, alleged that women passengers on the national highway near Murthal, Sonepat, were stopped in the early hours of Monday, 22 February, dragged into the nearby fields and gang-raped, while further accusing the police of having advised them not to register any complaints.

Taking suo moto cognizance of the alleged crime, the Punjab and Haryana High Court asked the Haryana government to submit its reply on Monday, 29 February 2016. In response, the Haryana government has called for a detailed probe.

The police report, a copy of which is available with Firstpost, gives a chronological sequence of the events as they occurred, in which no evidence is found of a single incident of rape and sexual assault of the nature described in the media. All three key sources in The Tribune story, while admitting that some journalists from Delhi had visited them and made enquiries, denied both the occurrence of any such incident, or having confirmed the occurrence of either sexual assault or gang-rape to the journalists. They have all expressed shock at the publishing of such a completely false report by the newspaper.”

The writer of the Tribune story was one Parveen Arora. So it appears that this journalist working with the Chandigarh based The Tribune started this false rumor, and it was later amplified by Firspost’s Tarique Anwar and others. Firspost is part of the Network 18 media conglomerate owned by Reliance Industries, which also runs CNN-IBN and CNBC-TV18.

This bring us to the question – is there any news organization that we can trust today? The answer is NO. Indian Express, Times of India, Hindustan Times, India Today, NDTV, The Hindu, Asian Age, DNA – you name the media house and there is concrete evidence of that media organization having faked, distorted or mis-reported news at some point of time or the other. This monthly series by OpIndia tracking media lies provides a good overview of the sad state of our media today. And of course, mediacrooks.com is the past master at unmasking media chicanery for many years now. The problem is especially acute in English language media.

Our media would do all of us a huge favor by just reporting the facts – the last thing citizens need is media distorting and mis-interpreting reality for us. This is what media should introspect seriously on, not lash out at concerned citizens on social media who spend hours analyzing media spin and uncovering the truth –

What is causing this credbility crisis for journalism?

One common factor that influences all journalists active today is an ideological aversion to Hindu Dharma, Hindutva and RSS-affiliated organizations. The level of dislike may vary, but it exists far and wide in the journalistic community.

This means that coverage of any news related to Hindutva ends up being distorted more often than not. Converserly, the so-called secular forces (Congress, AAP, SP, TMC etc) end up getting more favorable coverage and a free pass when it comes to critical analysis of their misdeeds.

An objective reading of the various reports filed by Tarique Anwar for Firstpost reveal his blatant bias – from criticizing World Culture Festival for environmental pollution, glorifying Kanhaiya Kumar, defending the anti-national JNU protesters, to faking gangrape stories to defame the BJP Government in Haryana…the mindset driving his reporting is clear as day.

MSM is full of such shady characters, who are abusing the authority and trust that people have bestowed on media as one of the four pillars of democracy. The solution for each right thinking citizen – develop a critical mind, support new, alternative, truly independent media outlets, use social media judiciously by following trusted sources and spread the right perspective on issues.

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