The deep strategy behind the stupid ‘mytho-scientific’ statements of BJP leaders

Samvartha ‘Sahil’ | coastaldigest.com
April 19, 2018

Biplab Kumar Deb, the Chief Minister of Tripura, recently made a controversial comment which has since then gone viral and within a day has garnered support from many including the Governor of the state. Speaking at a Regional Workshop on Computerisation and Reforms at Pragna Bhawan in Agartala on April 17, 2018, the Bharatiya Janata Party leader said that the internet was invented by India and substantiated his claim by explaining thus: "Internet and satellite communication had existed in the days of Mahabharata. How could Sanjaya (the charioteer of King Dhritarashtra in the epic) give a detailed account and description to the blind king about the battle of Kurukshetra? It means internet was there, the satellites and that technology were there in this country at that time.”

As expected the statement met great criticism where the social media went mad mocking the statement and extending it to severe jokes around the text of Mahabharata and the possible connections one could make to the details of the text with internet and satellite.

While on the surface it appears like an act of stupidity on the part of the BJP to be repeatedly making similar statements, if one has to think why the party members make such statements, even if they believe it to be true, again and again when every time their statements of this kind is laughed at mocked at and ridiculed.

What looks like an act of stupidity might be a strategy too, it appears.

The reason for me to arrive at this suspicion is simple: When someone from the Sangh Parivar makes such claims, within no time the critics of the BJP and the RSS along with some liberals come up with several memes and jokes which more than often appear like ridiculing the text of Mahabharata and Ramayana than actually ridiculing the BJP or the RSS. This to the majoritarian community members, including a lot of apolitical kinds, get a feeling that their religion is facing threat and is being disrespected. This sense of threat makes them extend their support to the BJP which claims to be for the safeguard of the majoritarian community. So when the saffronists make stupid statements and invite the opponents and liberals to respond to it, the chief beneficiary is the BJP and its mother institution the RSS.

This works for the BJP and the RSS as they wish because of the decades of work they have done by which they have politicized religion and more importantly historicized mythology and mystified history. Years of effort has not just made Ayodhaya, a historically not so significant pilgrimage centre for the Hindus, into a significant centre in the minds of the Hindus, but also linked the mythological texts of Mahabharata and Ramayana to the identity of Hindus. Though it was Anandavardhana who centuries ago first called the ‘kaavya’ of Mahabharata, a ‘shaastra’, bringing about a major shift in the way epics are perceived, it was the 20th century politics of the RSS which linked both Mahabharata and especially Ramayana, to the identity of the Hindus and also politicized religion and thus the texts. With that achieved now whenever who critiques the texts of Mahabharata and Ramayana or mocks at it, end up not just “hurting the religious sentiments” of Hindus, though neither of them are religious texts, but also cements the support of Hindus for the BJP.

The greatest tragedy of all this is the texts of Mahabharata and Ramayana becoming either a text to worship or ridicule. While the BJP and its supporters do a religious reading of the epics, the liberals and radicals do a very ideological reading of the epics. Both the extremes fail to see the texts as poetry, as an inquiry into the human existence. Both the extremes distort the inherent philosophy of the text. In this boxing ring we all have lost a poetry which has the ability to illuminate our lives.

If it’s the poetry which is lost in this tug of war, the clear cut winner is of course the BJP, which reaps the benefits also of the criticism that comes their way.

The radicals need to find ways in which the strategies of the BJP can be punctured; especially when it comes to texts such as Mahabharata and Ramayana. Else the valid and creative criticism of the ways in which the BJP looks at these texts will go a waste and only become a cause for strengthening the base of the BJP. While it is difficult now for the radicals to call out the BJP for distorting the epics by politicizing them, the least they can do and should do is not to fall into the trap and help the rightist ideology.

 

[Samvartha ‘Sahil’ is a freelance writer based out of Manipal, Karnataka. An alumnus of Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi and the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune he has earlier worked as an academician at Manipal University and as a journalist with The Hindu. His book on the travel experiences in Jammu and Kashmir during the 2016 uprising is about to be published by the Karnataka Sahitya Akademi.]

Comments

Arron Menezes
 - 
Saturday, 12 May 2018

This is a  valid explanation. either i too dnt see any possible benefit in connecting religion to todays science.

there is one more point, negative publicity also makes more impact than positive one. ridiculing our epics will create impact as rightly said attacking religious views, and feeling of endangerment.

 

Indians are by and far religious in nature and anything spoken against, religion or god makes them offended. that negativity will subliminally helps to negate anything else to flurish. Reasoning becomes less when one is overwhelmed by negativity.

 

nice article. looking forward for more.

J. M.
 - 
Friday, 20 Apr 2018

seems like a typical left conspiracy theorist.

 

Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.

- Hanlons Razer

Hari
 - 
Thursday, 19 Apr 2018

The reason behind the "fool decision" strategy is simple..

 

 
By those decision we may mock them, but wont protest against him. and he can easily divert people's attention from the actual issue/sim/trick

Xavier
 - 
Thursday, 19 Apr 2018

Even Modi's intention is different.. actually they making us fool by pretending as fools. That Digital money issue proves their hidden agenda. He made Paytm owner a richer guy by  one night.

Danish
 - 
Thursday, 19 Apr 2018

Great observation.. good job sahil

Kumar
 - 
Thursday, 19 Apr 2018

True.. Some fools might be there in BJP but party wont consist fully with only fools

Ganesh
 - 
Thursday, 19 Apr 2018

I felt the same. They are making us fool

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News Network
January 18,2020

Bengaluru, Jan 18: Amidst the ongoing probe into the multi-billion IMA ponzi scam, another similar scam has come to light in the city wherein around 2500 depositors, most of them Muslims, are fearing that them may lose Rs 350 crore.

Shockingly, Shafiullah, Rafiullah, and Zabiullah, three brothers who run the Baraka Investment Consultant Private Limited, have accused the police of taking over 10 crore rupees bribe from them.

The depositors say that when they recently demanded their investments back from the accused the trio, they allegedly told them that they had paid the Central Crime Branch (CCB) and the RT Nagar police over 10 crores and they could collect that money from the police.

The aggrieved investors alleges that the RT Nagar police have charge-sheeted the three accused only on the complaints of 13 affected depositors who lost precisely Rs 97 lakh and the case is being probed under the Prize Chits and Money Circulation Schemes (Banning) Act, 1978 instead of Karnataka Protection of Interest of Depositors in Financial Institutions Act, 2004 (KPID Act) or the Banning of Unregulated Deposit Schemes Ordinance, 2019 (BUDS) Ordinance.

Aggrieved victims alleged that when the Baraka Investment Consultants had a Registration Certificate of Establishments from Department of Labour issued on November 28, 2017. The CCB took up a suo-motu case against Tellnet Computers on August 16, 2018, after they received complaints from Baraka investors.

Apparently, the CCB knew that Baraka Investment Consultants and Tellnet Computers was one and the same and operating from the same office, but they did not mention the name of Baraka in the case initially for reasons best known to them, said the victims of the Ponzi scheme. A few victims who wished to remain anonymous told BM that a CCB police inspector and one of the accused, Zabiullah, were childhood friends, neighbours and both hailed from Chikkaballapur. This is one of the reasons, they allege, the inspector has protected the accused by downplaying the scam.

The case registered by the CCB states that there are only 500 to 600 depositors who deposited amounts between Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh expecting returns ranging from Rs 5000 to Rs 7000 a month, but in reality there are more than 2500 investors who have deposited amounts ranging from Rs 50,000 to Rs 50 lakh, expecting returns between 12% to 24%, said the victims. Despite this, the CCB was sitting on the case and making no investigations, the victims alleged.

It was later on in May 9, 2019, an FIR was registered by the RT Nagar police when many victims approached the police commissioner and petitioned him. “Even in this case, the accused Zabiullah was not arrested. Zabiullah’s two brothers, Shafiullah and Rafiullah, and his father Abdul Rahman were arrested, but were later granted conditional bails,” one of the victims Mohammed Yahya (42), a software engineer said.

Yahya had invested Rs 10 lakh with Baraka. “Though this case has been charge-sheeted, the police have not made any recoveries or they have not confiscated any properties of the accused,” alleged victim Habibur Rehman (42) who had invested Rs 5 lakh in Baraka. “There is clear-cut evidence that the accused was dealing in foreign exchange using the investors’ money without their knowledge and was offshoring and parking crores and crores in countries like Russia, Dubai, Malaysia, and Singapore. Though the police knew about this, they did nothing to stop it or bring it back,” said Azgar Pasha (44), a businessman who had invested Rs 41 lakh.

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News Network
June 21,2020

Mangaluru, June 21: A local court has held notorious serial killer Cyanide Mohan Kumar guilty in the murder of a 25-year-old woman from Kasargod. This is the 20th and the last case of Cyanide Mohan to be tried in the sixth additional district and sessions court. 

According to public prosecutor Jayarama Shetty, the victim was working as a cook in a ladies hostel and got in touch with Mohan Kumar, a teacher. He visited her house thrice and promised to marry her. On July 8, 2009, on the pretext of visiting a temple in Sullia, she left home, never to return. 

They had travelled to Bengaluru and three days later, when her family tried to reach her on phone, he told them that she had gone for a bath and that they were married and would be returning back home soon.

The next day Ramakrishna, a constable from Upparpete police station, found a lady lying unconscious outside the bathroom and he immediately rushed her to a local hospital, where she was declared dead on arrival. Like in all other cases, after staying in a lodge and having sex with the victim, he took her to the KSRTC bus stand and asked her to consume a cyanide laced tablet, stating it was a contraceptive pill. 

He asked her to leave behind the jewellery that she was wearing at the hotel room. An unnatural death report was registered and since none of her relatives had turned up for identification of the body, on July 15,2009 the body was buried.

The moment the Dakshina Kannada district police arrested the serial killer on October 21, 2009 and his pictures were all over the media, the family recognised him and the victim’s younger sister filed a missing complaint. The police had also recovered the victim’s jewellery from the house of Mohan’s second wife and the jeweller from whom he had purchased cyanide had also identified him. Meanwhile, the CID had taken over the case and a charge sheet was filed.

"The report from the Forensic Science Laboratory is crucial in this case as cyanide was found in the victim’s viscera. Mohan over the years has become a legal expert and in this case, he had sought two adjournments," said Jayaram Shetty. Mohan is currently lodged in the Hindalga central jail.
 

Comments

AJIT KUMAR
 - 
Sunday, 21 Jun 2020

shame to keep this man  alive for so many criminal cases, shoot him or hang him immideatly

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coastaldigest.com news network
May 10,2020

Mangaluru, May 10: A delegation of Muslm community leaders called on Dakshina Kannada deputy commissioner Sindhu B Roopesh and discussed her about quarantine facilities for Indians returning from Gulf amidst covid-19 lockdown.

First evacuation flight from Dubai to Mangaluru will operate on May 12. Demand is mounting on the Centre to operate more flights from Gulf countries including UAE and Saudi Arabia.

International passengers will not be direct sent home after they land at any Indian airport. They will be divided into two categories. After screening at the airports, symptomatic will be sent directly to the covid-19 hospitals and asymptomatic and healthy will be sent for mandatory quarantine in designated hotel rooms and guest houses.

District administration has clarified that those who are under quarantine in hotels and guest houses will not be allowed to have outside food. Nor they will be allowed to contact anyone.

The delegation brought to the notice of DC that there will be many fasting Muslims among Gulf returnees and they need Suhoor and Iftar facility during Ramadan. The DC positively responded and assured that such facility will be arranged in the hotel rooms.

The delegation also asked about the claim of the officials of ministry of external affairs that delay in arranging quarantine facility in Karnataka delayed the evacuation flights from Gulf countries to the state. The DC said that the district administration has already made necessary arrangements for those who are coming to Dakshina Kannada.

Led by Mangaluru MLA U T Khader, the delegation comprised of JD(S) MLC B M Farookh, S M Rasheed Haji, Shafi Saadi, Mumtaz Ali, Kanchur Monu, B A Mohiuddin Bava, Ibrahim Kodichal, Rasheed Haji of Ullal Dargah and others.

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