'Diluted' anti-superstition bill gets State Cabinet nod

Mangaluru, Mar 27: Thousands of letters are pending at various Post offices in Dakshina Kannada for delivery since declaration of lockdown due to Corona virus which is spreading like wildfire in the country.

Of the 542 offices in the district, only eight are functioning and the only post office opened in the district facilitates only withdrawal of funds by the customers, district senior official said here on Friday.

There are in all 53 departmental offices and 96 branch offices in Mangaluru Taluk and about 4,000 general postcards and 1,000 Registered and Speed Posts are pending for delivery. Also, there are a total of 393 post offices in the Puttur division and only a few are opened. About 48 postal bags are pending and there are about 200-300 postcards in each bag.

Bengaluru, Feb 29: Gangster Ravi Poojary, who was arrested from Senegal earlier this week, and is being interrogated by the Cental Crime Branch (CCB) police, wants to evade the Mumbai police for any kind of inquiry. Claiming that there is a serious threat to his life, he is believed to have told his investigators that he should not be sent there. Poojary is being grilled by the CCB for his alleged involvement in numerous cases.

“He is aware that he will be given to the custody of Mumbai police as he had committed several crimes before fleeing India and also made hundreds of extortion calls to the well-heeled there. Hence, he has started requesting us not to send him to Mumbai. He claimed that he has many rivals there and they may go to any extent to get him killed,” a source said. Poojary was once an associate of dreaded underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.

Poojary has little option but to face Mumbai cops

Poojary had left Dawood’s gang and had joined Chhota Rajan, who split from D-Company and established his own network. There were also attempts by Dawood’s men to assassinate Rajan on a few occasions. During his days in Mumbai, Poojary was also reportedly facing threats from Dawood and other gangsters. “Since Poojary had jumped bail in the murder case of a gangster in Mumbai and f l e d the country, he has no option but to face trial again. Besides, he has made over a hundred extortion calls to businessmen and celebrities in Mumbai in the last two decades.

It’s inevitable for him to face inquiry by the Mumbai police,” an official said. “Now that he knows his options are limited, he is requesting us not to send him to Mumbai under any circumstance, claiming that he faces a serious threat to his life by Dawood’s aides and others. However, when we are done with questioning him, and if Mumbai police approach the court, it will decide whether to give him to their custody or not,” the official added. Poojary, who was brought to India on February 24, has been remanded to police custody till March 7. The police are likely to seek extension of his custody as he is facing close to 100 cases in Karnataka.

Cases filed in 4 states the gangster, originally from Malpe in Dakshina Kannada, has cases against him in Kerala, Maharashtra, and Gujarat. At least 46 cases are registered in Bengaluru alone.

Like most of the political phenomenon, even the practice of Nationalism is not a static one. It changes with the changing political equations of the political forces and assumes the expressions which are very diverse. As such the phenomenon of Nationalism has a long journey and various state policies in particular have used it for purposes which relate more to the power of the state ‘vis a vis’ its people, power of the state ‘vis a vis’ the neighboring countries among others.

In India there has been a certain change in the practices of the state which have transformed the meaning of Nationalism during last few years. Particularly with BJP, the Hindu Nationalist outfit gaining simple majority, it has unfolded the policies where one can discern the drastic change in the meaning and application of Nationalism in regard to its citizens, particularly those belonging to minority community, with regard to those who are liberal, and with those who stand with the concept of Human rights.

Our former Prime Minister of Dr. Manmohan Singh hit the nail on the head when he said that “Nationalism and the "Bharat Mata Ki Jai" slogan are being misused to construct a "militant and purely emotional" idea of India that excludes millions of residents and citizens. Former Prime Minister recently stated this in an apparent attack on the BJP.” The occasion was the release of a book, ‘Who is Bharat Mata’, edited by Purushottam Agarwal and Radhakrishna. This is a compilation of significant extracts from writings of Nehru, and important assessments of and contributions of Nehru by prominent personalities.

Dr. Singh went on to add "With an inimitable style…Nehru laid the foundation of the universities, academies and cultural institutions of Modern India. But for Nehru's leadership, independent India would not have become what it is today," This statement of Dr. Singh has great importance in contemporary times, as Nehru is being denigrated by Hindu nationalists for all the problems which India is facing today and attempts are on to undermine his role and glorifying Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel. This is also significant as it gives us the glimpses of what Nationalism meant for Nehru.

As Singh’s statement captures the present nationalism being practiced by BJP and company, the Hindu nationalists, immediately shot back saying that Dr. Singh is supporting the anti India activities at JNU and Jamia and his party is supporting the anti India nationalists. They asked whether Singh likes the nationalism of the likes of Shashi Tharoor or Manishankar Ayer who are provoking the Shaheen Bagh protest rather than making the protestors quiet. Whether he likes the anti national protests which go on at JNU or Jamia? As per them there is no Nationalism in Congress. One more example being cited is the private visit of Shatrughan Sinha who talked to Pakistani President during his visit there recently!

Most of the arguments being used to oppose Dr. Singh are very superficial. What is being referred to; is not opposition to Indian nationalism and its central values which were the core of anti colonial struggles. While ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ may not be acceptable to a section of population, even the book he was releasing has the title ‘Who is Bharat Mata’. What is being stated by Singh is the twist which slogan ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ has been used by Hindu nationalists to frighten the religious minorities.

Indian nation came into being on the values, which later were the foundation of Indian Constitution. Indian Constitution carefully picked up the terminology which was away from the concepts of Hindu or Muslim nationalism. That’s how the country came to be called as ‘India that is Bharat’. The freedom of expression which was the hallmark of freedom movement and it was given a pride of place in our Constitution. It respected the diversity and formulated rules where the nation was not based on particular culture, as Hindu nationalists will like us to believe, but cultural diversity was centrally recognized in the Constitution. In addition promoting good relations with neighbors and other countries of the World was also part of our principles.

JNU, Jamia and AMU are being demonized as most institutions so far regard the freedom of expression as a core part of Indian democracy. These institutions have been thriving on discussions and debates which have base in liberalism. Deliberately some slogans have been constructed to defame these institutions. While Constitution mandates good relations with neighbors, creation of ‘Anti Pakistan hysteria’ is the prime motive of many a channels and sections of other media, which are servile to the ideology of ruling Government. They also violate most of the norms of ethical journalism, where the criticism of the ruling party is an important factor to keep the ruling dispensation in toes.

A stifling atmosphere has been created during last six years. In this the Prime Minster can take a detour, land in Pakistan to have a cup of tea with Pakistan PM, but a Congress leader talking to Pakistani President is a sign of being anti National. Students taking out a march while reading the preamble of Indian Constitution are labeled as anti-national; and are stopped while those openly wielding guns near Jamia or Shaheen Bagh roam freely.

Nationalism should promote amity and love of the people; it should pave the way for growth and development. Currently the nationalism which is dominant and stalking the streets has weakened the very fraternity, which is one of the pillars of our democracy. Nehru did explain that Bharat Mata is not just our mountains, rivers and land but primarily the people who inhabit the land. Which nationalism to follow was settled during the freedom movement when Muslim nationalism and Hindu nationalism were rejected by the majority of people of India in favor of the Nationalism of Gandhi, Nehru, Patel and Maulana Azad, where minorities are equal citizens, deserving affirmative action. In today’s scenario the Hindu nationalists cannot accept any criticism of their policies.