For days, students of the Government Cuddalore Medical College located in Chidambaram have been protesting against the DMK government in Tamil Nadu, demanding that they be charged the same fees as students of other government medical colleges.
In January 2021, the Government of Tamil Nadu announced that the Rajah Mutthiah Medical College and Hospital (RMMCH) would henceforth function as the Government Medical College for Cuddalore district.
A Government Order (G.O.) was issued to transfer the medical institutions attached to Annamalai University – Rajah Muthiah Medical College, Rani Meyyammai College of Nursing and Rajah Muthiah Dental College – to the Health Department of the state.
Accordingly, its affiliation was changed from Annamalai University to Tamil Nadu Dr. MGR Medical University.
However, the college did not align its fee structure and continued charge the same fees that it did when it was a private college for students who were admitted before the college was taken over by the government.
The Students of the college have been protesting asking for a change in fee structure on par with other government medical colleges since January 2021.
The DMK which was in opposition then, assured that the fee structure of the college would be changed once the party comes to power.
And the main leader who politicized the matter by instigating students with enticing words was none other DMK chief MK Stalin’s son – Udhayanidhi Stalin.
Udhayanidhi who is also the DMK’s Youth Wing Secretary had made back then met the students and extended his support back in December 2020.
Udhayanidhi also equated the matter with NEET saying training his guns on the AIADMK government.
In a tweet posted on January 21, 2021, he said “It pains to see the slaves (referring to the then AIADMK government) who had allowed NEET to enter and sabotaged medical dreams of many, is now putting poor students under pressure by making them pay high fees”.
This was just weeks before elections.
A few days later on January 26, he spoke to the students of the college through video conferencing emphasizing the same – the DMK government once elected to power will revise the fee structure.
Just a month before election, Udhayanidhi raked up the issue again stating that the AIADMK government continued to collect higher fees despite issuing a Government Order (GO) to revise the fee structure. “This is proof that the promise of the slaves (referring to AIADMK leaders) should only be written in water.”, he said.
He also tacitly instigated students and the parents to rise in protest against the government if the GO was not implemented from the immediate academic year.
It is almost going to be a year since the DMK government came to power and the fee structure of the Government Cuddalore Medical College has not been revised.
Despite the repeated attempts to milk students’ plight for politics, it is Udhayanidhi’s promise which seems to have been watered down.
The fee structure has been revised for only first year students. Now, the students of second, third and fourth years are protesting against the DMK government asking for the fees to be revised for them as well.
Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma. Subramanian while responding to a calling attention motion in the Assembly registered that the government would incur a loss of ₹300 crore if it regulated the fees for the college.
He said that the fee fixed during the admission process was usually not changed till the end of the course.
“This is because if the fee is reduced after the completion of the admission process, it would be an injustice to those who chose not to pursue admission in the college due to high fees earlier,” Mr. Subramanian said.
He also said that the State government had already incurred a loss of ₹119.88 crore by reducing the fees for first year students.
It is to be noted that the AIADMK government on 1st February 2021, issued a G.O. revising the fee structure for Rajah Muthiah Medical College, Rajah Muthiah Dental College and Rani Meyyammai College of Nursing.
As per the revised fee structure, MBBS students have to pay ₹13,160 a year as tuition fees; BDS students ₹11,610; and B.Sc. nursing students ₹5,000. The fee for postgraduate degrees is ₹30,000 a year, and for PG diploma, it is ₹20,000.
The DMK which had milked the students protests for its political mileage is now turning a blind eye to the protests undertaken by 2nd, 3rd, and 4th year medical students who have been demanding decrease in fees.
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Sri Velayudasamy Farmer Producer Company, operating under the guidance of Isha Outreach, successfully made its first sale today- a consignment of 10 tons of coconuts worth Rs. 2,50,000. All 10 tons were procured from farmer Shri. Punithan of Kinathukadavu. He is also one of the Directors of the FPC. The FPC was established last January under the mentorship of Isha Outreach. It has 351 member farmers from the Kinathukadavu area.
In celebration of the first sale and to build awareness about the benefits of the aggregated faming model, the FPC organized a public event in which the Coimbatore District Rotary Governor Shri. Rajasekaran participated as the special guest. He said, “There are a total of 10,000 agro farming companies in India. About 50 percent of the companies are located in the state of Maharashtra. There are about 700 agro farming companies in Tamil Nadu. We need to increase this number.”
Shri. Rajasekaran also spoke about the success of the Isha promoted FPO, Velliangiri Uzhavan. “The FPO which was started in Thondamuthur under the guidance of Isha Outreach is functioning well. It has also received an award from the state government. Similarly, Sri Velayudasamy Farmer Producer Company should develop well into a successful FPO with many achievements.” He conveyed his best wishes for the success of the new FPO
The President of Sri Velayudasamy Farmer Producer Company Thiru Narayanasamy and Chairman, Velliangiri Farmer Producer Organization Thiru. Kumar were among the guests who participated in the event.
(This is an official press release from Isha Foundation. The Commune was not involved in creating this content.)
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Ma. Subramanian, serving as the Health Minister in the DMK Government in Tamil Nadu, felicitated ‘Minor’ Vijay of ‘U2 Brutus’ YouTube channel who had recently derogated Lord Siva and Goddess Kaali in a video.
The DMK Minister was participating in a function organized by Dravida Kazhagam, in which YouTubers ideologically and politically inclined to the DK and DMK were felicitated. Dravida Kazhagam leaders Suba Veerapandian and Arulmozhi were also present.
Six YouTube channels including U2 Brutus were felicitated and given an idol of E.V. Ramaswamy Naicker (knonwn as Periyar by his followers) by Health Minister Ma. Subramanian.
Minor of U2 Brutus was given the award for thrashing ‘Sanghis’ online (a term referring to a devout Hindu, a subscriber of Hindutva ideology, or BJP supporter).
Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma. Subramanian with U2 Brutus Minor
Clear evidence of DMK being Nefariously Anti -Hindu.
— Indu Makkal Katchi (off) (@Indumakalktchi) April 30, 2022
U2 Brutus is a YouTube channel run by a person who identifies himself as ‘Minor’, a follower of E.V. Ramaswamy Naicker (known as Periyar by his followers).
The channel is known for supporting the DMK and its allied outfits like Dravida Kazhagam, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, etc.
On April 26, the channel released a video titled “This is the reason why Nataraja stands with his leg lifted“, in which ‘Minor’ resorts to slandering Hindu God Siva and Goddess Kaali.
In the video, Minor says “This guy Paramasivan.. what he did was.. Only on going further we come to know the nefarious activities of his.. He keeps lifting his leg up and up and finally lifted it fully and straight… If you think stretching the leg was a good movement… I too thought so on reading about it but that is where the trick was.. The thing is ‘Thalaivan’ (referring to Lord Siva) did not wear underwear that day. Don’t laugh.. Seriously, that is what is written.. Thalaivan had gone without wearing underwear voluntarily. What will happen if someone lifts the leg up? ‘It’ (referring to penis) will fall out right? I’m not joking. That is how it is written. Once you lift your leg, it will be visible right? On seeing that the people were shocked. Thillai Kaali who was dancing got shocked after seeing it. How can she dance after that? After seeing it, she didn’t know what to do and forgot all her dance movements.”
He also says that Lord Siva cheated and won against Thillai Kaali just like how Tamil cinema heroes win against female leads by undressing their tops.
He also gives his own interpretation to Chidambara Ragasiyam saying “So, not wearing under and standing with the leg up showing the penis is Chidambara Ragasiyam is it?”
It is pertinent to mention that ‘Minor’ of U2 Brutus along with several other YouTubers who are vocal supporters of the DMK met CM Stalin in October 2021.
U2 Brutus has put several videos slandering Hindus and the Hindu faith. Earlier in November 2021, he released a video titled “Pornography in Vedas” in which ‘Minor’ and an alleged Saivite scholar named Prakash derogate the Vedas, the holy scripture of the Hindus.
BJP Tamil Nadu President K. Annamalai has issued a statement demanding the arrest of the rabid YouTuber.
In his statement Annamalai said “Some people consider insulting and slandering religious beliefs of the people to be the ‘Dravidian Model’. Is the state government deliberately allowing such people to upload videos that insult Tamil culture and traditions for publicity, sensationalism and “to fill their stomach”.?
Mr. Annamalai also in a tweet said “Impish attempts deliberately to insult people’s faith by slandering religious texts & venerated God. This is perpetrated by a group which claims immunity from the ruling party. Why is the government turning a blind eye to such slanders?”
The Indu Makkal Katchi has also filed several complaints demanding the arrest of the YouTuber and shutting down the vile channel.
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On April 18, two youth in their twenties travelling in an auto were stopped by the police during night check at Kellys. Vignesh (25), who used to offer horse rides at the Chennai’s Marina Beach and Suresh (28), a construction worker, were reportedly in possession of ganja and liquor. When the police confronted the duo, there was a verbal duel and Vignesh allegedly tried to attack the police with a knife. They were pinned down and later brought to the G5 Secretariat Colony police station. Vignesh later developed health complications. He started vomitting and had seizures. He was rushed to the hospital where he was declared brought dead. Vignesh’s relatives reportedly saw injuries in several parts of the body.
A case of “suspicious death” has been registered and a police sub-inspector, a constable and a home guard personnel have suspended in connection with the incident.
Vignesh belonged to a Scheduled Caste.
Another incident was reported in Tiruvannamalai where a man named Thangamani, was taken into police custody on April 26 to inquire about illegal liquor sale in the area.
Relatives of the deceased alleged that the police had filed a false case and that the inspector had sought money to set them free.
The police on the other hand reportedly claimed that Thangamani had fits the next day and was rushed to the hospital. He apparently died in the middle of the treatment.
Thangamani was from the Kuravar community, a Scheduled Tribe.
These two incidents happened just over a span of ten days.
In another incident that happened in January 2022, a physically-challenged man named Prabhakdaran was locked up for allegedly stealing jewelry from a provision stores owner. Prabhakaran fell ill in the jail following which he was rushed to the Namakkal Government Hospital for treatment and was later shifted to the Salem Government Hospital. He died on January 12. Prabhakaran’s relatives have alleged police torture as the reason for the death. Three police officers were suspended.
Prabhakaran too belonged to a Scheduled Caste community.
In June 2021, a fruit stall owner named Murugesan was thrashed to death by police in the middle of the road. In a video that were doing the rounds on social media at that time, an officer named Periyasamy can be seen thrashing the man with a lathi until he remained motionless.
In all these cases, the DMK government in Tamil Nadu either offered a solatium or ‘promised’ a thorough enquiry with suspension or cases registered against accused police officers.
Despite these back-to-back incidents of police brutality, the virtue-signallers of Kollywood who consider themselves to be champions of justice have maintained stoic silence.
Remember the viral video of ‘Radio Mirchi’ Suchitra, explaining in graphic detail about the Sathankulam incident where two men named Jayaraj and Bennix allegedly died of police torture?
Well, she is no where to be seen now.
Actor-turned-virtue-signaller who issued a ‘strong statement’ against the custodial death of Jayaraj and Bennix stands with his mouth zipped.
‘Superstar’ Rajinikanth, who relased a picture of his ‘angry face’ expressing shock over the incident and calling for all the officials to be severely punished, has gone on mute to shoot for his next film with Sun Pictures.
#சத்தியமா_விடவே_கூடாது, which loosely translates to “truly, should not let this go” was the hashtag he used.
Full-time actor and part-time politician Kamal Haasan who demanded action against the police, judiciary, doctors involved in the Sathankulam incident is today missing in action.
Director Vetrimaaran who had made a film on custodial torture and had tweeted supporting justice for Jeyaraj and Bennix hasn’t uttered a word on any of the above deaths. The last tweet of his was in support of Jai Bhim, a controversial film starring and produced by ‘actor’ Suriya on police torture.
Many other Kollywood personalities like ‘Jayam’ Ravi, directors Vetrimaaran, Karthik Subbaraj, Pa. Ranjith and others have resorted to looking the other way.
Pa. Ranjith’s is an interesting case where he has played safe by retweeting a tweet from another handle about the recent Thiruvannamalai incident. Just like a soft slap on the cheek. Maybe he is having some trouble in his spine (probably lacks one), to give a hard-hitting statement.
This dead silence now and selective outrage from these celebrities tells a lot about their opportunism and how they stand in mercy at the gates of Gopalapuram.
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When Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a video conference with the Chief Ministers of the states, he shared his thoughts that it would be pertinent on the parts of Chief Ministers of Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Telangana, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala to reduce Value Added Tax (VAT) on petrol and diesel.
PM Modi said, “I request all states during the current global challenges, we should work as a team in line with the ethos of cooperative federalism.”
Central Govt’s Reduced Taxes On Its Part
As Diwali gift to the citizens of the nation, the Central Government reduced its excise duty on petrol & diesel by ₹5 and ₹10 respectively and he had appealed to the state governments to reduce VAT. All the BJP ruled states followed suit and reduced their components. Yes, states had to bear their share of loss. For instance, Gujarat and Kanataka had to forego a revenue of ₹4000 crores and ₹3000 crores respectively.
On the other hand, Maharashtra collected an excess of ₹3500 crores, Tamil Nadu earned ₹2400 crores and states like Telangana and AP earned over ₹1500 crores during the same duration.
The Prime Minister’s request has not gone down well with the opposition state CM’s like K. Chandrasekhar Rao, MK Stalin, Mamata Banerji and Uddhav Thackeray. Telanagana CM Chandrasekhar Rao said that the PM should feel ashamed for advising states to cut taxes. Similarly, as expected, Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin made unwarraneted comments on the floor of the Assembly.
Breaking Down The Fuel Prices
Revenue earned by Central Government is less than ₹27.9 per litre on petrol and ₹21.8 per litre on diesel. If we calculate the 42% devolution of excise duty to states then the actual revenue per litre of petrol would be ₹22.6 and ₹21.22 per litre of diesel. (This calculation is arrived at keeping ₹12.4 for petrol and ₹9.8 for diesel as excise duty and reducing 42% as devolution to states.)
Approximate Petrol and Diesel Price at Tamil Nadu
Petrol in Rupees
Diesel in Rupees
Crude Cost + Refinery Margins
57.5
57.5
Central Government Tax
Basic Excise
1.4
1.8
Special Additional
11
8
Agriculture Cess
2.5
4
Road & Infra Cess
13
8
Central Govt. Tax
27.9
21.8
Central Government after 42% devolution
22.6
21.22
Dealer Commission
3.48
2.59
Freight
0.2
0.33
TN Government Tax
Price Before VAT
85.4
79.3
13% VAT
11.1
8.72
Fixed Tax
11.50
9.62
Total Tamil Nadu Government Tax
22.60
18.34
Retail Selling Price per litre in Tamil Nadu
111.68
100.56
DMK Fails To Fulfil Its Promises
As indicated in the above table, it is clear that after reduction by Centre and BJP ruled state governments it is important for opposition ruled state to reduce the tax burden for people. People of Tamil Nadu must also remember the tall promises made in the DMK manifesto before elections that they would reduce ₹5 and ₹4 on petrol and diesel respectively once elected to power. They reduced only ₹3 on petrol and the Finance Minister of Tamil Nadu had the audacity to ask the media, “did we announce the date & time for reduction.” It is an altogether different matter that DMK has not bothered to fulfil many of its promises made in their manifesto like providing subsidy of ₹100 on LPG cylinder and giving ₹1000 for every woman in the household. These unfulfilled promises would haunt the Stalin Government soon.
Comparing Fuel Prices Of Different States
Apart from Tamil Nadu states like Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Telangana levy exorbitant VAT amounting to 31%, 26% & 35.2% which is resulting in high petrol and diesel prices. A cursory look at the prices across states would indicate the disparity in fuel prices in opposition ruled states as compared to that of BJP ruled states.
State
Petrol
Diesel
Ruled
Mumbai (Maharashtra)
120.51
104.77
Opposition
Hyderabad (Telangana)
119.49
105.99
Opposition
Rajasthan
118.30
100.92
Opposition
Andhra Pradesh
120
105.65
Opposition
West Bengal
115.12
99.83
Opposition
Madhya Pradesh
118.16
101.19
BJP
Kerala
115.37
102.26
Opposition
Tamil Nadu
111.68
101.41
Opposition
Karnataka
110.66
94.31
BJP
Uttar Pradesh
105.21
96.78
BJP
Gujarat
104.96
99.32
BJP
Assam
105.66
91.40
BJP
Himachal Pradesh
105.83
89.62
BJP
Delhi
105.41
96.67
Opposition
Uttarakhand
103.73
97.34
BJP
Pondicherry
104.65
93.02
BJP
This table clearly indicates the effect of reduction of state taxes in keeping the fuel rates low in the BJP ruled states but for the state of Madhya Pradesh. In fact, the impact of high diesel prices in opposition ruled states is clearly causing inflation in the economy since diesel rates impact the cost of food & vegetables. It is high time for the opposition ruled states to look at reducing the Value Added Tax (VAT).
No Value Addition By States But They Levy Value Added Tax
At this point in time it is paramount to ask the state governments on what is the value addition that states bring to fuel which allows them to add VAT. Since the procurement of crude is done by the central government, refining is done by companies and it is the oil marketing companies which fixes the prices and also appoints the retailer. Transportation is also not done by the state governments and hence it is time for the society to ask if charging as high as 35.2% VAT by state governments is justified without adding any value whatsoever.
The Governments of Telangana and Tamil Nadu have been making windfall of profits from the VAT collected from its citizens and it is absurd on their part to say that we should go back to the taxation followed by UPA regime.
The above two table clearly indicate that neither of the states have seen dip in their revenues from VAT but for the pandemic induced lockdowns which affected the revenue across the globe.
Going Back To 2014
A point raised by regional parties like DMK and TRS also deserves attention. Finance Minister of Tamil Nadu PTR and all-powerful Telangana Minister KTR keeps shouting that central government is depriving states by charging cess which does not come under the shared pool with the states. At the outset this argument looks fair but on a deeper analysis this argument is bereft of facts.
It was the government led by Narendra Modi which decided to charge the Agriculture cess and Infrastructure cess for several reasons. One of the primary reasons for Agriculture cess is the fact NDA Government is directly transferring ₹6000/- per annum to every farmer and these funds are used for the same.
On the other hand, while the infrastructure cess is not shared with the state governments it is the state governments which gets hugely benefited from the national highway projects for which the infra cess is utilised.
What PM Modi Has Done For Telangana
KTR has the habit of complaining against the Infra cess while it is the state of Telangana which got hugely benefited since 2015 from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MORTH). Following are some of the benefits which the state of Telangana received:
National Highways Project increased by 99% in Telangana after Modi became PM
2525 kms of state highways have been converted into National Highways (NH) by MORTH thereby making Telangana one of the best states in terms of connectivity. We also know the pain of commuting in a state highway and pleasure of commuting in NH
Under the PM Gati Shakti 5 corridors costing ₹22,706 crores have been included as high impact projects in Telangana
₹31,624 crores of work have already been sanctioned for Telangana
₹32,755 crores worth Regional Ring Road (RRR) have already been sanctioned. It is a 6 lane 330-Kilometer-long road which connects Hyderabad with other districts
What The Dravidian Stockists Will Never Tell You
If these are few development projects for Telangana the state of Tamil Nadu has been rewarded with several projects and some of them are:
Modi Government has already spent ₹28,846 crores on building highways in Tamil Nadu
₹91,750 crores are sanctioned of which ₹39,863 crores worth of projects are already awarded
8 state highways are being upgraded to National Highways
₹3000 crores worth East Coast Road (ECR) project is sanctioned
Chennai Port-Maduravoyal double decker worth ₹5965 crores were sanctioned by National Highways Authority of India on October 2021 (It is to be noted that this project was proposed during UPA 2 Government & foundation stone was laid by Former PM Manmohan Singh in 2009 but was later abandoned)
Under PM Gati Shakti program a new defence corridor is coming to Tamil Nadu
Under Bharatmala Pariyojana a Multi Modal Logistics Park (MMLP) is being developed at Mappedu near Chennai in partnership with Chennai Port Trust and Govt of Tamil Nadu
Bengaluru-Chennai expressway & Chennai-Salem expressway projects are approved
Project in VOC Port worth ₹7500 crores are implemented under PM Gati Shakti
$130 Billion (₹9,75,000 crores) worth investments are made under Sagarmala Program which would unlock the potential of waterways. Tamil Nadu would be the major beneficiary of this project
Under Sagarmala Program 6 mega ports are being constructed across the country and out of the 6 mega ports 2 of them are from Tamil Nadu which are Sirkazhi (Techo Economic Feasibility Report is under preparation) and at Kanyakumari where a major transhipment port is being built. Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) was formed for this purpose in March 2019
In fact, of the 6 mega ports 2 are from Tamil Nadu and 1 each at West Bengal, Maharashtra, Odisha and Karnataka. This fact busts the fake news that Modi Government only favours BJP ruled states.
Conclusion
The Infrastructure Cess is being utilised to make India a powerful economic super power which is self-reliant and progress is happening across the country. Parties like DMK & TRS are making irresponsible and irrelevant statements to vent their frustrations and it is sad to see that these statements are emanating from so called educated ministers. National Highways are constructed by Central Government and hence there is no need to share the Infrastructure & Agriculture Cess with state governments.
While the Modi Government can say with 100% transparency on the investments made by using the cess can the opposition ruled state governments share the value addition that they are bringing to the citizens by charging exorbitant value added taxes and also on the utilisation of VAT in developing their states.
Instead of complaining the opposition ruled states must heed to the advice given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi by reducing the VAT and ease the burden of citizens.
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The book, JNU,Nationalism And India’s Uncivil War written by poet and author professor Makarand R. Paranjape tells the story of the author’s steely determination to overcome institutionalised intolerance of the leftists who long dominated this edifice of higher learning.
Professor Paranjape in order to give context to what had transpired in 2016, for his book goes back and forth in his academic career and at the same time, he also delves into the history of Indian nationalism and some interesting facets of Communism in India and sheds unbiased light into the infamous “Tukde Tukde” incident that shook the entire nation and stood alone and firm against an ugly tride of his academic peers and students baying for blood.
This book could not have been published at a better time by Makarand Paranjape who is one of India’s leading intellectuals and as it happens this book was almost prevented from publishing because he refused to be politically correct. It is fair to say that the author survived in a very physically inhospitable environment and just as legend has it Shiva protected Markandeya from the clutches of death and in this case very angry illiberals.
However, Paranjape is not resentful against the very people who tried to discredit him by stifling his right to freedom of expression through enforced dissent or coerced content for being a contrarian, instead suggests ways to invigorate and energize JNU to become one of the worlds leading centers for higher learning and research.
However, that might take time because the JNU which is supposed to be the center for debates, discussions, inclusion, and equality is still an Orwellian nightmare where the very concept of objective truth was fading out of the world, and lies were passed into history along with the freedom to tell people what they do not want to hear.
When one would read this book, the left-liberals will most certainly be dismayed but some in the right-wing may also not find some of the things written in this book palatable. Paranjape in this book is equally concerned about the “real dangers in the rightwing upsurge in our societies and at the same time the excessive preoccupation of the left-liberal intellectual establishment blind to other forms of intolerance and totalitarianism, including liberal and Islamic fanaticism (page 6).
Also, for decades, the left has been prejudicial in the name of political correctness with their selective outrage that forces us to question their intentions, but also their competence and ethics. Liberalism the world over has failed because of one deadly disease – hypocrisy, which is just the polite form of falsehood (page 7).
He goes on to write that “many liberals lack the integrity to admit that they are compromised in supporting illiberal causes such as the burqa and triple talaq because liberals have themselves have betrayed it (page 8).
However, as much as I enjoyed reading this book, I must disagree with the author when it comes to calling Veer Savarkar, M S Golwalkar, Deen Dayal Upadhyaya, and Shyma Prasad Mukherjee right-wing thinkers. Just as professor Paranjape supports discussion and dissent without violence, I would like to say that the above-mentioned luminaries were civilizational thinkers.
I would like to argue, though trivial it may be, the likes of Savarkar and Mukherjee knew our history very well and as professor Paranjape writes in his book, for a long time, India was conquered by foreign powers, “with little resistance or spine. They understood that India as you mention in your book was a weak, divided country, with a fragmented society, internally contradicted polity, contradicted history, and confused identity (page 260). These men wanted to change that build India a spine so she could stand tall and rebuild Bharat as strong cultural and political power.
Also, I would like to thank you for making us understand the difference between Aazadi and Swarajya and why it is so important to understand the latter. Swaraj is about a highly responsible, highly evolved social arrangement, wherein, Aazadi is nothing but freedom from slavery, and it is very important to understand this difference because Aazadi is just freedom but Swarjya is about commitment to oneself and to others (page 99).
In conclusion, professor Makarand Paranjape is an academician who wants to change the discourse in our universities where one can have a healthy dialogue despite the tall shadow of political correctness that has crippled the intellectual climate in India.
JNU, Nationalism And India’s Uncivil War is one of the must-read books of our time, particularly for students who want to enter the world of academia that teaches a culture of democracy and not politics with the restoration of civil disagreements.
To end this article, I quote a line that has been written in the prologue of this book, ” In JNU, academics rather than politics constitute the primary purpose of the university,” and the time has come to end it.
Excerpts from the book have been slightly paraphrased.
This article was originally published in Samvada World and has been republished here with permission.
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On April 25, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) issued an order to the Deputy Commissioner of Bengaluru to inquiry into the matter of forceful imposition of Christianity on minor students by Clarence High School located in the city.
The application form for class 11 issued by the school asks parents to declare that they accept to imparting Bible to their children.
“We understand that our (sic) child requires sound moral and spiritual instruction, in addition to the academic knowledge, in order to become a good and useful citizen of India and the world. We understand that in Clarence High School, such instruction is given through a study of the Bible, and we have no objection to this.”, the declaration given at the end of the form reads.
It is to be noted that the school in its website also declares that their vision is to provide a holistic education in an enjoyable, secure, inclusive and Christ-centric environment.
The matter had come to light through social media following which Legal Rights Protection Forum (LRPF), a legal activism collective and other organization had filed complaints with different government authorities.
Some parents took to social media, tagging the Karnataka Chief Minister and the Minister for Primary and Secondary Education to seek their intervention.
Taking cognizance of the matter, the NCPCR issued orders to the Bengaluru Deputy Commissioner to take necessary action and file an action taken report within 7 days.
Working President of LRPF, AS Santhosh has said that the school by imposing Christian religious views on minor children violates Article 28(3) of the Indian Constitution and section 14 of the United Nations Convention on Child Rights.
Clarence High School is a private, Anglo-Indian and Christian Minority Institution running under the aegis of Clarence Educational Trust based in Bangalore. The trust is registered with the Ministry of Home Affairs under Foreign Contribution Regulation Act.
It has been found that Gospel Missions of India Inc, a US-based Christian missionary organization is a major foreign donor to Clarence High School, Bangalore. The organization’s mission as per its disclosure to the US government’s Internal Revenue System (IRS) is “to Support Christian Workers and Ministries in India”.
AS Santhosh points out that while the amount being received by Clarence High School from Gospel Missions of India (US) is for “Education” as per its FC4 Returns, the project details of foreign amount being spent by Clarence High School are not mentioned properly in its FC4 Returns submitted to the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs.
THREAD: Gospel Missions of India Inc (EIN38-2517938), Michigan is major foreign donor to Clarence High School, Bangalore. Its mission as per Form-990 submitted to US Govt's Internal Revenue System (IRS) is "To Support Christian Workers & Ministries in India" (1/3).. https://t.co/sZei8MDdz5pic.twitter.com/jOoRbkNSim
However, several mainstream news outlets have been trying to give a clean chit to the school citing the school’s argument that ‘it is not a new practice’.
Leftist portal The New Minute (TNM), carried a story headlined ‘It’s not a new practice’: Alumni of Bengaluru Clarence school condemn Bible row‘ in which it tries to make a case for the school side with quotes from its alumni’s social media posts, while trying to shift the blame on Hindu organizations for ‘communalizing the issue’. Other articles by the outlet made similar observations.
When the bias in the coverage was pointed out by author and activist Shefali Vaidya to the Editor-in-Chief of TNM, the latter responded saying that it is a news report where what someone says is reported.
“Similarly, there is another report on what your friends said”, Dhanya Rajendran, the Editor-in-Chief of TNM added in her tweet.
Hello madam. Try reading. It ain't my logic. This is called a news report. Where we report what someone says. Similarly, there is another news report on what your friends said. https://t.co/t58PX7bslp
In another instance of rabid ‘Dravidian Stockists’ spewing venom against Hindu Gods, a YouTube channel named U2 Brutus has released a video in which it has derogated Lord Siva.
U2 Brutus is a YouTube channel run by a person who identifies himself as ‘Minor’, a follower of E.V. Ramaswamy Naicker (known as Periyar by his followers).
The channel is known for supporting the DMK and its allied outfits like Dravida Kazhagam, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, etc.
On April 26, the channel released a video titled “This is the reason why Nataraja stands with his leg lifted“, in which ‘Minor’ resorts to slandering Hindu God Siva and Goddess Kaali.
“It isn’t a great story. If you read about it, you will come to know that it is a disgusting story.”, Minor starts.
“One day a competition was announced.. a dance competition. Two people participate in the competition – one is Paramasivan, you know who he is and another was Thillai Kaali, the female artiste”.
Narrating about Goddess Kaali, Minor says “Thillai Kaali is said to be a great dancer bagging many awards and accolades… She is such a great dancer that people like Prabhu Deva, Michael Jackson should get alms from her. Such was her prowess.. So imagine how Thillai Kaali must have put ‘beast movements’, break dance and wave dance, etc.”
About Lord Siva, Minor says that he was a ‘local guy’ who keeps boasting about himself.
Minor further goes on to say “This guy Paramasivan.. what he did was.. Only on going further we come to know the nefarious activities of his.. He keeps lifting his leg up and up and finally lifted it fully and straight… If you think stretching the leg was a good movement… I too thought so on reading about it but that is where the trick was.. The thing is ‘Thalaivan’ (referring to Lord Siva) did not wear underwear that day. Don’t laugh.. Seriously, that is what is written.. Thalaivan had gone without wearing underwear voluntarily. What will happen if someone lifts the leg up? ‘It’ (referring to penis) will fall out right? I’m not joking. That is how it is written. Once you lift your leg, it will be visible right? On seeing that the people were shocked. Thillai Kaali who was dancing got shocked after seeing it. How can she dance after that? After seeing it, she didn’t know what to do and forgot all her dance movements.”
U2 BRUTUS இவன் நம்ம சிவ பெருமானை எவ்ளோ இழிவுபடுத்தி பேசியிருக்கான். 😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡
அவன் பேசுன வீடியோ பாத்ததும் எனக்கு இதான் தோணுச்சு.
He also says that Lord Siva cheated and won against Thillai Kaali just like how Tamil cinema heroes win against female leads by undressing their tops.
He also gives his own interpretation to Chidambara Ragasiyam saying “So, not wearing under and standing with the leg up showing the penis is Chidambara Ragasiyam is it?”
In the video, he also slanders Dikshitar, the traditional priests of the Chidambaram Natarajar Temple.
As of April 27, this video has garnered more than 55,000 views. Many on social media have condemned the slanderous channel and its video asking if these ‘Periyarists’ have the audacity to talk about Gods of other faiths.
The Hindu Munnani and Indu Makkal Katchi have filed a complaint against the YouTube channel for intentionally hurting the sentiments of Hindus.
It is pertinent to mention that Minor of U2 Brutus along with several other YouTubers who are vocal supporters of the DMK met CM Stalin in October 2021.
Is this CM Stalin's effort to appear updated and media savvy? Or is it a recruitment for new-gen theepori arumugams? It is obvious @mkstalin doesn't really know some of these guys. It is one thing for DMK to promote rubbish, quite another for the state CM to do it. pic.twitter.com/8kSReT8cP4
This is not the first time Dravidian Stockists have resorted to abusing Hindu Gods. Earlier, the now-banned Youtube Channel named Karuppar Koottam, run by a group of Dravida Kazhagam (DK) and Communist ideologues and sympathizers of Dravida Munnetra Kazahagam (DMK) and Communist Party of India parties had been putting out vile videos abusing Hindu gods.
In one of the videos, Karuppar Koottam had made derogatory references to Kandhasashti Kavasam, a hymn dedicated to Lord Murugan.
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In yet another blow to the ruling DMK government in Tamil Nadu, the Madras High Court has said that it would quash the 2013 order of the HR&CE department that allowed for taking over Ayodhya Mandapam.
On March 31, 2022, a single judge bench of the Madras High Court dismissing the writ petition, passed orders that whether the Ayodhya Mandapam is a temple or not cannot be decided in writ proceedings.
As the Court did not give an injunction, it became easy for the ruling DMK government to swing into action. On April 11, 2022, the Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department of the Tamil Nadu Government, took over the decades old Ayodhya Mandapam in Chennai, despite strong protests from local residents and other Hindu orgnizations.
Sri Ram Samaj, which administers the Ayodhya Mandapam petitioned the Madras High Court against the HR&CE Department’s take over.
On Tuesday (April 26, 2022), Chief Justice of Madras High Court Munishwar Nath Bhandari observed how a single judge can dismiss the writ petition by Sri Ram Samaj after eight years, citing availability of alternative remedy.
In defense, the Advocate General of the Tamil Nadu government said that the HR&CE department has not interfered in the school and marriage hall run by the society adding that a ‘Fit Person’ has been appointed only with respect to religious activities carried out by the Samaj.
The Chief Just asked Advocate General R Shunmugasundaram to show the letter where the Samaj had reportedly admitted that pooja is being conducted every day. He said that the Samaj has prima facie made no such admission.
The Chief Justice also pulled up the government saying that a copy of the complaint was not given to the Samaj and only a show cause notice had been issued.
“This typical govt working will not be endorsed by the court”, he said and warned that his Bench will set aside the order passed by the single judge.
The Chief Justice also noted that the Bench will set aside the single judge’s recent order as well as HR&CE’s 2013 order and will give allow the department to conduct a fresh inquiry against the Samaj.
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In a case of food poisoning, 25 minor girls studying at Telangana Tribal Welfare Residential Hostel, Damaracherla, Nalgonda fell ill after consuming unhygienic food prepared at the hostel.
Reports say that the hostel cook, named Ali, was not maintaining proper personal hygiene and served filthy food to the students.
A few students speaking to the media said “Ali uncle (hostel cook) is very unhygienic & filthy. His sweat falls on the food. We stopped eating tiffin in the hostel.”
The cook also reportedly gives ‘lustful’ looks to students and misbehaves with students.
“He behaves badly with us and gives us lustful looks. We want cook Ali uncle to be suspended from duty”, students can be heard saying in a video.
"Ali uncle (hostel cook) is very unhygienic & filthy. His sweat falls on foodstuff. We stopped eating tiffin in the hostel. He behaves badly with us and gives us lustful looks. We want cook Ali uncle to be suspended from duty": (1/2) pic.twitter.com/LwpuBBuDAo
— Legal Rights Protection Forum (@lawinforce) April 25, 2022
The girls also said that the toilets are not in good condition with the doors not having proper latches. They said that they felt insecure in the school environment.
In light of this, legal activism collective Legal Rights Protection Forum (LRPF) has written to the Nationnal Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) to take necessary action against Ali and file a case under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code & POCSO Act.
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Four die of police brutality in TN; Kollywood virtue-signallers look the other way
On April 18, two youth in their twenties travelling in an auto were stopped by the police during night check at Kellys. Vignesh (25), who used to offer horse rides at the Chennai’s Marina Beach and Suresh (28), a construction worker, were reportedly in possession of ganja and liquor. When the police confronted the duo, there was a verbal duel and Vignesh allegedly tried to attack the police with a knife. They were pinned down and later brought to the G5 Secretariat Colony police station. Vignesh later developed health complications. He started vomitting and had seizures. He was rushed to the hospital where he was declared brought dead. Vignesh’s relatives reportedly saw injuries in several parts of the body.
A case of “suspicious death” has been registered and a police sub-inspector, a constable and a home guard personnel have suspended in connection with the incident.
Vignesh belonged to a Scheduled Caste.
Another incident was reported in Tiruvannamalai where a man named Thangamani, was taken into police custody on April 26 to inquire about illegal liquor sale in the area.
Relatives of the deceased alleged that the police had filed a false case and that the inspector had sought money to set them free.
The police on the other hand reportedly claimed that Thangamani had fits the next day and was rushed to the hospital. He apparently died in the middle of the treatment.
Thangamani was from the Kuravar community, a Scheduled Tribe.
These two incidents happened just over a span of ten days.
In another incident that happened in January 2022, a physically-challenged man named Prabhakdaran was locked up for allegedly stealing jewelry from a provision stores owner. Prabhakaran fell ill in the jail following which he was rushed to the Namakkal Government Hospital for treatment and was later shifted to the Salem Government Hospital. He died on January 12. Prabhakaran’s relatives have alleged police torture as the reason for the death. Three police officers were suspended.
Prabhakaran too belonged to a Scheduled Caste community.
In June 2021, a fruit stall owner named Murugesan was thrashed to death by police in the middle of the road. In a video that were doing the rounds on social media at that time, an officer named Periyasamy can be seen thrashing the man with a lathi until he remained motionless.
In all these cases, the DMK government in Tamil Nadu either offered a solatium or ‘promised’ a thorough enquiry with suspension or cases registered against accused police officers.
Despite these back-to-back incidents of police brutality, the virtue-signallers of Kollywood who consider themselves to be champions of justice have maintained stoic silence.
Remember the viral video of ‘Radio Mirchi’ Suchitra, explaining in graphic detail about the Sathankulam incident where two men named Jayaraj and Bennix allegedly died of police torture?
Well, she is no where to be seen now.
Actor-turned-virtue-signaller who issued a ‘strong statement’ against the custodial death of Jayaraj and Bennix stands with his mouth zipped.
‘Superstar’ Rajinikanth, who relased a picture of his ‘angry face’ expressing shock over the incident and calling for all the officials to be severely punished, has gone on mute to shoot for his next film with Sun Pictures.
#சத்தியமா_விடவே_கூடாது, which loosely translates to “truly, should not let this go” was the hashtag he used.
Full-time actor and part-time politician Kamal Haasan who demanded action against the police, judiciary, doctors involved in the Sathankulam incident is today missing in action.
Director Vetrimaaran who had made a film on custodial torture and had tweeted supporting justice for Jeyaraj and Bennix hasn’t uttered a word on any of the above deaths. The last tweet of his was in support of Jai Bhim, a controversial film starring and produced by ‘actor’ Suriya on police torture.
https://twitter.com/VetriMaaran/status/1278008005804519424
Many other Kollywood personalities like ‘Jayam’ Ravi, directors Vetrimaaran, Karthik Subbaraj, Pa. Ranjith and others have resorted to looking the other way.
Pa. Ranjith’s is an interesting case where he has played safe by retweeting a tweet from another handle about the recent Thiruvannamalai incident. Just like a soft slap on the cheek. Maybe he is having some trouble in his spine (probably lacks one), to give a hard-hitting statement.
This dead silence now and selective outrage from these celebrities tells a lot about their opportunism and how they stand in mercy at the gates of Gopalapuram.
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