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Tag: NarendraModi

RELIGIOUS SYMBOLISM AND DIVIDE IN INDIA

Posted on by Madhumita

India is a representative democracy. The people of this country together cannot be at a single place at a single time to take part in the decisions that affect us. Therefore, we elect people who would represent us  and engage in policy making on our behalf. As active participants of this nation, we trust these people and support them.

The atmosphere in the Parliament, where our elected representatives ensconce themselves, has to have vibes of a healthy competition. This particular atmosphere should be impartial in its treatment of representatives from different communities.

A rewind into some years, the hyper-fanatic religious chants of ‘Jai Shree Ram’ and ‘Vande Matram’ were a rallying call on the streets of India by the uncompromising zealots. Although Hindutva still remains the ideological bedrock supporting the BJP’s existence as a national party,  these rallies were devoid of the people from the mainstream political party. Rather, the fundamentalist stance were undertaken by Bajrang Dal, one of the most radical and extremist fringes of Bharatiya Janata Party.

The principle of secularism enshrined in our Constitution is emblematic of equal respect to all religions. However, the past few years have been an eye-opener and sent us in a state of shock. This bigotry has penetrated the walls of the Parliament , and religion once again becomes the ingredient of divisive politics.

On June 18, 2019, many ministers went for the swearing-in ceremony in the Lok Sabha . Asaduddn Owaisi was re-elected to the Lok Sabha for a fourth consecutive term from the Hyderabad seat.  We see the sway of majoritarianism when he was interrupted with derisive comments and heckled with chants of ‘Jai Shree Ram’ and ‘Vande Matram’. In response to the age-old, muscular and divisive Hindutva which weighed heavy in the Parliament, president of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) concluded his speech with – “Jai Bheem, Jai Meem, Takbeer Allahu Akbar, Jai Hind.”

The BJP is a right-wing political party which stresses on the need for political Hindu resurgence through any means possible. It wrongly constructs an imaginary notion of India, by trying to change the discourse on secularism and exploit religion and caste-based differences for electoral gain.

 The ideology of Hindutva can only survive by homogenizing ideas, history, culture, gods and in this bid, the entire nation. This fascist project, in its process to create a Hindu rashtra, also reins in the multitude and diversity of ideas, cultures, faith and gods within the Hindus.

India is not, and will never be a single, homogenized rashtra. Nor can any particular religion/community predominate its plural landscape. It shall remain a peaceful coexistence of various languages, ideas, sects, religions and schools of thought.

To equate the ideology of Hindutva with the mainstream politics and play the religion card, only delineates how the fundamentalist approach is trying to foment discord and seclusion amongst people. A Muslim representative in this secular nation-state is as much deserving of the honor and respect as a Hindu. But there is no defence for the inclusive and plural ethos India stands for. Rather, democracy in the Narendra Modi government is under attack and facing a political authorization. The chants are symbolic of the majoritarian bullying and the strategic political message from them to the minorities. It is an overt use of religious symbolism that easily legitimizes hate and violence, and a complete disregard of the secular norms that India stands for. Because the BJP thinks itself as the sole custodian of national pride and security, anyone who speaks up for the Muslims, or against the violence in Kashmir, is tagged with the epithet “anti-national”.

The fact that India is wrongly imagined as mono-religious, mono-cultural and mono-lingual becomes the root cause of the polarized environment and the 

emergence of a country divided by hate. A nation-state’s unstable and weakening condition is visible when regionalism and religious oppression becomes rampant.

The constitutional guarantee of freedom of religion seems to be set only in theory as the young generation is blindly imbibing the idea of bigotry and hatred ; thus creating violent, irrational and de-individualised participants. The concept of India is not reducible to a single faith. The complete polarization based on the politics of religion enables the radical elements to marginalize minorities.

India has a religious problem, and  as far as the BJP retains political power, the sectarian line-up of the political conflict is to dominate the political landscape of India.    

Namo 2.0 or Hindutva 2.0

Posted on by The Matchbox

With election results on the edge today and Modi government on the rise already for the second term, what could be the possibilities of NDA this time? Time again and again in the past 5 years we have seen radical views on the rise of “Hindutva Raj” walking side by side on the streets while also witnessing infrastructural development on a wide scale.

2019 elections hold a really important place as it would decide whether BJP will rule again or Indian National Congress would come back in power.

Let’s have a look at the past and possibilities of Namo 2.0:

 

More of World tours?

In a news article by economic times, Narendra Modi has supposedly taken 165 trips in total and had a total expenditure of 2021 crores. Though the trips were majorly focused on Foreign Direct Investment which did increase in his tenure but do we really need more of FDI and less attention on the root problems of the country such as poverty, unemployment, gender inequality and others?

Compared to Manmohan Singh’s term the total expenditure of his trips were accounted to be 1346 crores in total.

Total number of countries visited by him throughout are as follows according to Wikipedia:

Visited once;

Argentina, Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bhutan, Brazil, Canada, Fiji, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Jordan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Maldives, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Mozambique, Netherlands, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Philippines, Portugal, Qatar, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Spain, Sweden, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Vietnam

Visited twice;

Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Myanmar, South Africa, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Uzbekistan

Visited Thrice;

France and Japan

He has been to Germany, Nepal, Russia and Singapore four times in total and finally he has visited China and United States for a total of times.

 

MORE OF LYNCHINGS?

India has witnessed almost 63 attacks done by Cow vigilantes which according to Reuters report came on the rise after the “Hindu Nationalist government” came in power in 2014. The report also states that a total of 28 Indians of which 24 of them were Muslims had been killed.

In 2014 itself we witnessed almost 4 violent attacks leading to communal tension from august 2014 to October 2014.

It only kept increasing and the numbers came up to 6 in total where individuals were beaten to death, it led to the extremes where a right wing Hindu mob in Jammu Kashmir “incorrectly” suspected that an 18-year-old had been transporting beef and had to suffer injuries due to gasoline bombs bring thrown at him.

From 2016 to 2017, India had already witnessed 16 attacks resulting from mob lynching due to alleged suspicion of cow smuggling and beef selling. The frequency of the attacks took a different turn in 2017 where the attacks rose up to 11 from 5 in 2016.

From 2018 to 2019, the attacks decreased down to 9 but still had some gory news to it where individuals aged 50 were shot in head or thrown in gutter.

GOING AGAINST THE NORMS OF EC

Twenty-one parties accused Bhartiya Janata Party of “blatantly” politicizing armed forces for vote bank. The joint meeting of the 21 parties equally criticized how the Modi government had been dealing with national security and failing at it.

“National security must transcend narrow political considerations. The leaders observed that the Prime Minister has, regrettably, not convened an all-party meeting as per the established practice in our democracy.”

IMPULSIVE DECISIONS

On November 8, 2016 Prime minister declared a possibly beneficial decision for the country to get rid of black money and corruption, Demonetisation. This impulsive decision was not even discussed with the RESERVE BANK OF INDIA and RBI itself was made aware of the decision 2 hours ago before it was announced.

Later in the report released by RBI annually announced that our economy lost 1.5 percent of GDP in growth terms which was near to 2.25 crores a year.

Apart from the “Monetary aspect” to it which apparently failed majorly, this decision took 100 lives.

COMMUNCAL VIOLENCE NECESSARY WITH INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT?

The country saw the rise of infrastructural development on a wide angle, the rise of metros, cleaner cities, our apparent “ache din”. All these came with a cost of lives especially in the north and rural areas of the country.

There was a 28% rise in communal incidents under BJP rule. Statistical data collected by IndiaSpend showed an increase of 47% communal incidents in UP itself from 133 in 2014 to 195 in 2017.

According to RTI in 2017 itself 822 cases of communal violence were reported in which about 111 people were killed and 2384 were injured. Wherein 2016 702 cases were reported in which 86 people were killed and 1921 were injured.

 

Game of Thrones: “The Things I do for Love.”

Posted on by Ankit Mishra
“The Things I do for Love.”
Wish Fulfillment, Big And Small
 
In the fifth-to-last Game of Thrones episode ever, Everyone prepares for war. That now includes Jaime Lannister, somewhat ironically, officially rivals Bran for most pronounced character graph. Few have changed as much as Jaime Lannister, and this episode highlighted that at every opportunity, from his apology to Bran, to his knighting of Brienne of Tarth.
 
Game of Thrones Season 8 Episode 2 Review: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
 
Season 8’s 2nd episode was yet another build-up, anticipation and the promise of something monumental waiting just over the horizon. It’s not just the Battle of Winterfell we have to look forward to: Dany and Jon didn’t get to finish their conversation in the crypt, and that’s arguably even more important. It’s the story behind the story.
Related image
The episode opens with Danaerys confronting Jaime she talks about how he killed her father and is threatening, despite knowing full well that her father was a murderous psychopath who needed to be killed. She doesn’t trust Jaime, and that makes sense given his past. Sansa doesn’t either, but Brienne vouches for him and she relents. Jon thinks they need every man they can get. And Tyrion says he believes him also. Jaime reveals of Cersei’s Plans of no intention of helping them and has a massive army that can wipe them all out once the Night King is dealt with.
 
Hard-Headed Women in the North
Daenerys takes out her frustration on Tyrion despite having gone along with his plan without question herself. Later Jorah takes her aside in private and speaks for Tyrion. He also urges her to make amends with Sansa though that doesn’t go quite as well as she hoped. When they’re speaking the ice does begin to thaw, but then Sansa brings up the fate of the North, asking Dany what happens when she takes the Iron Throne. Khaleesi inclining towards the madness like his Father does not wish to relieve the North.
Image result for arya and gendry
Arya constantly in pure badass mode. She’s so tough, she’s such a great fighter, she can throw daggers with deadly accuracy, she tells Gendry to take off his own bloody pants because . . . it’s better to be tough than romantic or sexy? I’m not quite sure. It feels a little forced. I miss the old Arya. 
Of the three strong women currently moving and shaking things at Winterfell, the favourite is Sansa. She’s smart and practical, stubborn and eloquent. She’s a good ruler and would make an excellent Queen in the North. I also like the young Lady Mormont, who is always putting someone in their place, this time, her cousin Ser Jorah.
Image result for mormont
 
The Dark Night forever.
Image result for Bran
This episode also revealed some of the Night King’s motivations, which has been a question since the very first scene of the show’s first episode. Bran tells the White Walkers are heading south so the Night King can kill him. “He wants to erase this world, and I am its memory.” Sam concurs with it and says that there would be no history left about anyone and all anyone would know of is the night kings existence.
As we head into the final battle of Winterfell, a plan has taken shape: The non-combatants will cower in the crypts (which might not be so wise if the theory about the Night King resurrecting all the corpses stored down there turns out to be right) while the army of the living holds off the dead long enough for Bran to lure the Night King to the Godswood. 
Image result for sansa and theon
Reunions still..Theon is greeted by Sansa rather emotionally as finally, he is fighting for what he is a Stark, by upbringing. Tormund and  Beric Dondarrian arrive at Winterfell with the Nights watch. 
 
‘One Wish Before Death’
The episode provided plenty of wish fulfilment for longtime Game of Thrones Characters and fans. 
A Girl is Human
Arya actually getting together with Gendry was much anticipated but for me, it was a little eeky. Arya will always be a child for me so maybe I could not accept it. 
Ser Brienne of the Seven Kingdoms
Jamie Knights Brienne, as we found out that a knight can knight another. Sitting around a fire crew of the show’s surviving characters: Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) and Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), Brienne (Gwendoline Christie) and Podrick (Daniel Portman), Davos Seaworth (Liam Cunningham) and Tormund Giantsbane. Jaime knighting Brienne fulfils their relationship, although in a very different way. Brienne had inhibitions and denies any of such wish she has. but it all comes a full circle with Podrick’s valedictory nod. With characters present in the room make emotions run high.
 
At this point, Podrick starts singing, Jenny’s Song at the wish of Tyrion. The Song for me is everything about the episode, the dreams & death and it had an eeriness about it.  In the books, all we’ve ever seen of the song is one line: “High in the halls of the kings who are gone, Jenny would dance with her ghosts.” Florence + the Machine performed the song over the episode’s closing credits. 
The song with Pod singing, plays over shots of some of our heroes and the people that matter most to them—Sam/Gilly, Theon/Sansa, Arya/Gendry, Grey Worm/Missande, and, finally, Jon/Daenerys—should make us very worried for our favorites, and for the people who will live to mourn them.
 
“My name is Aegon Targaryen,”
After Jon did his best the entire episode to avoid Daenerys, she finds him down in the crypts. He’s standing in front of Lady Lyanna Stark, and Dany muses about her brother, Rhaegar, and how she can’t reconcile the good man from the stories with someone who could rape Lyanna. “He didn’t,” Jon tells her. “He loved her.” And the truth comes spilling out. He tells her how Rhaegar and Lyanna were wed in secret, and how after Robert’s rebellion was successful and Rhaegar slain, Lyanna made her brother Ned swear to raise their baby as his own bastard in order to protect him from Robert and the Lannisters.
Daenerys doesn’t believe him. After all, it’s his brother and best friend who came to him with this revelation. The conflict between Jon and Dany–the one caused by her life’s only mission the Iron Throne, should be easy to resolve. Where their conversation ended, I can hear what should have been the next line in my head: “But I don’t want the Iron Throne.” For Jon to respond in any other way would be unlikely; he’s always been reluctant to accept power, and quick to give it up once he gets it. Jon probably does not want the crown despite having the best claim, probably making him a better ruler. 
 
Leaving that resolution as an open question throughout the upcoming battle was a fantastic narrative choice. Dany has become annoying, lashing out at Tyrion and exhibiting an alarming unwillingness to consider any alternative to her absolute rule. More than one character has expressed concern that Dany is more like her father and if she goes full Mad Queen or does something extreme in the coming battles, Jon might take the throne for Honor!
 
The Episode ends with the arrival of the whitewalkers outside Winterfell, setting the stage for an epic Battle of Winterfell. The Jenny Song in my head and the cinematography the show makes me feel for the characters. The music sets up the stage for heartbreaks in the next episode. Some dreams will be shattered, some Men will be lost.. Signing off with the song as the episode does… 
 

 
“High in the halls of the kings who are gone
Jenny would dance with her ghosts.
The ones she had lost and the ones she had found
And the ones who had loved her the most.
The ones who’d been gone for so very long
She couldn’t remember their names
They spun her around on the damp cold stone
Spun away all her sorrow and pain
And she never wanted to leave
Never wanted to leave.
Never wanted to leave.
Never wanted to leave.
Never wanted to leave.
Never wanted to leave. “

The “Karmic” baggage of Kerala

Posted on by Subhankar

In such events that upset the normal routine of people’s lives, the protocol to be followed, usually in a sane society, is of sending sincere condolences or providing assistance of any kind to better the lives of those in pain.

Majority within the nation followed this conformity of human emotions, as social media was flooded with hashtags of prayers and aid. However, some within the same realm do not wish to follow those inclinations of the majority.

And what their predilections of their own nature would carry might not be the most pleasant thing to come across.

Love for animals is always admirable but when personal views on dietary ethics blind one’s judgement to utilize basic human reasoning, often it just appears simply ridiculous. Not to mention, highly offensive.

While much of nation is morning for the disastrous flooding in Kerala and help is pouring out to assist people and even animals, few people are justifying this horrific act of nature as divine judgment for consuming cows and slaughtering stray dogs.

One often has to think that what kind of divinity would judge a group of people where 99% of the people had nothing to do with that incident, but then I do not really get updates from God about his latest tantrums.

It was truly a horrendous atrocity of nature that left so many people lifeless and many more without a shelter. Families are unable to find their own requirements in terms of basic needs. Children are open towards infections due to the obvious polluted waters.

While the country looks with grief at the state of things, some might just use this as a way to reflect on their moral righteousness and making assumptions based on their blatant arrogance. Kerala is not the friendliest of states in India when it comes to oppression of other ideas and open-mindedness. Religious tolerance and high literacy rates have made this state a target for the religious right.

Consumption of cows is one of the things the religious right holds against this state. Many from those groups which certainly do not highlight the views of the majority relate the consumption of beef with the penalty of the Floods.

As much as the argument is overwhelmingly devoid any scientific backing, for most it comes up as deeply derogatory. It shows similarity with a few of the ultra conservatives in the US who usually relates mass shootings with black metal songs and hurricanes with the acceptance of gay marriage.

Keeping in mind that most of the people who are personally affected by this deluge are less likely to have tortured cows and killed stray dogs for no apparent reason.

I doubt that they even personally know someone who would have done such acts. But nevertheless, the unwise would continue to assault them with their deep seated arrogance and claim tragedies as divine acts of justice.

Such hatred of people based on demographics as to applaud sufferings of people is appalling in general.

 

10 Best Poems Of Atal Bihari Vajpayee Available On YouTube

Posted on by The Matchbox

The death of the legendary Poet Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee came as a shock to all of us. Here we bring to you some of his most famous poems written and recited by him that are available on YouTube for you to relish one more time, or again and again, the beauty of the master orator .

1. Geet Naya Gata Hun

2. Aao Phir Se Diya Jalayein

 

3. Aaye Jis Jis Ki Himmat Ho

4. Doodh Me Darar Pad Gai

5. Sheesh Nahi Jhukega

6. Bharat 

7. Gunji Hindi Vishv Me, Swapan Huaa Saakaar

8.  Maut se Than Gayi

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzT0GGe3Lbk

9. Kshama Karo tum Bapu 

10. Unchai

Don’t you agree he was one of the best? Watch below, Why we miss him, our obituary for Atal Bihari Vajpayee here.

The Fate of The Ones Who Are Feeding Us- Kisan Long March

Posted on by Shreya Sikarwar

12th march, 1930. Eighty Satyagrahis, under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi set out on foot from Sabarmati Ashram for what would be known as one of the greatest revolutionary protests of Indian freedom struggle- the Dandi March. Exactly 88 years later, on 12th march, 2018, fifty thousand Maharashtrian farmers completed their six day long protest march covering over 180 km to reach Mumbai . The farmers staged a massive rally in Mumbai’s Azad Maidan to protest against the government’s apathy towards the plight of the farming community and its inability to protect the farmers of the country from losses incurred due to crop failure. The protesters, spearheaded by the All India Kisan Sabha, the farmer’s wing of the Communist Party of India-Marxist, demanded an unconditional waiver of loan and electricity bills. They also demanded for the announcement of a pension scheme of Rs.5000 per month for every poor farmer of the state. Earlier the government had implemented the Maharashtra Loan waiver scheme but its execution had been inefficient and patchy. The Kisan Long March was also a struggle to demand for the implementation of the Swaminathan Commission recommendations and the Forest Rights Act 2006.

Drawing inspiration from their counterparts in Maharashtra, the farmers of Odisha, headed by Navnirman  Krushak  Sangathan organised a similar protest rally in Bhubaneshwar on 12th march. Over 15,000 farmers staged a rally near the state assembly demanding the allocation of Rs.21,600  crores for farmers in the state budget. Similar to the Maharashtra farmers, they too asked for the implementation of a pension scheme and hike in MSP of their crops.

Farmers in Maharashtra walked all the way from Nasik to Mumbai  to stage the protest rally in order to draw the government’s attention towards their cause. They skipped meals, slept in the open and covered over 30 km in a single day inspite of their blistered and bleeding feet. They endured all this so that they could breach the government’s wall of ignorance and neglect towards the farmers of the country. They marched all night to reach the Azad Maidan so that they do not cause any inconvenience to the students taking the SSC exams. Even in their suffering, the poor farmers were sensitive of problems that their protest might cause for other people.

The people of Mumbai too, showed their heartening spirit as they welcomed the farmers. Many organisations took upon themselves the task of providing water, footwear and food to the tired and injured farmers. Students from many colleges also showed their solidarity with the protesting farmers by accompanying them in the rally.

Victory finally came for the farmers as the government finally bowed in front of their indomitable spirit on 13th march . Most of the demands by the farmers have been accepted by the government . Regarding the implementation of the Swaminathan Comission report, the government will pursue it with the centre. Protests were called off after the government gave its acceptance in writing. Also, the government will make provisions for the return of the farmers to Nashik by special trains.

The Agriculture crisis in India:-

A farmer ends his life every 41 minutes in India. From 1995-2015, more than 3,18,528 farmers have committed suicide . The average annual income of an Indian farmer is a meagre Rs.20,000  i.e. Rs.1660 per month . How is a farmer supposed to make his ends meet and fulfil the needs of his family with that meagre amount? It takes us five minutes to finish a plate of rice, but do we ever realise how much effort and time goes behind producing that rice? It takes months of hard work and toiling in the field on the part of a farmer to produce the food we consume. And they don’t even get fair prices for their produce. Even the consumers leave no chance to belittle the hard work that goes behind crop production just to save a few bucks.

Agriculture is the only source of income for the majority of farmers. So, what happens when the crops fail? The farmers incur huge losses and are forced to take loans from local money lenders at high interest rates. Many of them are not able to repay the loan and have to lose their land or even worse, they fall prey to the evil of bonded labour. Despite the fact that 70% of the loan defaulters belong to the corporate sector and only 1% to the farming community, corporate sector is issued loans of hundreds of crores at interest rates as low as 0.1% whereas a poor farmer is required to pay 24-36% interest on a loan of a few thousands to microfinance institutes. The lives of the farmers could potentially improve and transform if the banks showed even a bit of interest or empathy towards their cause.

 The government’s apathy towards the farmer crisis:-

The farmers have been protesting for their rights since a long time but their demands and requests have fallen on deaf ears. The government has been nothing but ignorant of their suffering. The government needs to accept the truth of farmer suicide due to crop loss and debt burden . Agriculture crisis is for real. The problems faced by the farmers are not specific to any state , they are same throughout the country . So is the government’s approach, little has been done to improve the condition of the farmers. On the top of that , some of the government fronts have gone on to compare  the protesting farmers with urban Maoists misguided by the CPM. Such insensitive comments only belittle the struggle and problems of the farmers.

How can the government be so insensitive towards the community that is the backbone of the country’s economy , the community that feeds the entire country? Farmers’ demands for the halting of the acquisition of their lands for projects like the bullet train had also fallen on deaf ears till now. The government needs to rethink its priorities. What is more important? Improving the condition of the farmers or introducing facilities such as bullet trains at the cost of their lives? If the government is unable to provide even the basic rights & facilities or a fair market to the farmers, how can it plan on acquiring their land and using the budget for unnecessary projects like the bullet train? The backbone of India’s economy is agriculture with over 50% of the population involved in the field. If the government cannot even provide financial security to the farmers or fulfil their basic demands, what is the use of spending a large chunk of the budget on high end facility projects?

Media’s non-existent coverage of the Kisan Long March:-

Even more disturbing than the government’s negligent attitude is how conveniently the mainstream media of our country has ignored the Kisan Long March. Instead of covering the protest march and acting as the voice of the farmers, our news channels have left no stone unturned to side-line the issue entirely. The media still has not gotten over the mysterious facets of the ‘Maut ka bathtub’. They would rather show you Md.Shami’s wife’s unseen pictures or update you on Prince Taimur’s latest adventures than take on the coverage of one of the greatest protests of recent times. But then, why would the media choose to cover the Kisan Long March? There’s no glamour in the worn out tired faces of the frail farmers. There’s nothing to sensationalise about their honest struggle. Where would the TRP come from? How would the primetime news circus go on?

The media may have chosen to ignore this powerful demonstration of dignity, determination and strength, but it has shaken the conscience of the small section of public it has managed to reach. The revolution will soon be forgotten with the majority of public not even being aware of it or fully understanding it but the government should understand that it’s time to wake up from the slumber. The farmers have shown their strength. They have suffered silently for long enough. The entire country has been moved by their plight. Maharashtra was just the beginning. It wouldn’t be surprising if the event inspires further protests throughout the country as it did in Odisha.

When Tripura made headlines!

Posted on by Subhankar

Rarely has this remote state in the hilly North east was successful in making the news, which could be one of the significant reasons of why most Indians aren’t even aware of its existence. But 2018 is unlike all previous years, when the genesis of a new government made the state familiar to a lot more people than previously known.

The events that took place on February 18th 2018 changed the only consistent identity of this state- by removing the bastion of the Left winged or more precisely the CPI. After 25 years of a single party ruling, many expected the similar results of 2013 to remain. Reactions varies on all sides of the spectrum and the probability of the future is being perceived in many variations.

However, avoiding any over exaggerated premonitions, would be best as of now. Being a state where infrastructure is still developing and private businesses stand skeptical about landing themselves there, swift change needs to be the command for faster progress. Unemployment for the youth still remains a titanic challenge that needs to go down as well. These are many other urgent issues that the government would require to face. The changes that CPI was unable to make for more than two decades, people are now hoping will be a reality under BJP leadership.
On March 3rd 2018, CPI was compelled to face the facts and concede to the BJP’s win. Together with Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura, BJP has managed to secure majority wins by having a vote share of 50.5% compared to the 42.80% vote share of CPI.

I am more than certain that the people of the third smallest state in India will be able to get along with this change and will welcome the BJP and its promise to change the perils of this state in terms of jobs and infrastructure.   

The Canadian PM did not only lose a great opportunity to strengthen ties with India but he missed out on warm Modi hugs too!!

Posted on by Shreya Sikarwar

The long awaited India tour of the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his family came to an end this Saturday. Despite trying hard to the point of desperation, Trudeau’s visit could not make any positive impact on the Indians. The viral memes made on him managed to impress India more than the entire ‘Mimic the Native’ theme of the visit could.

Trudeau has been trolled relentlessly over social media for the weird choice of Indian attire during the course of his visit. The Trudeaus tried to strike a positive chord with the Indian people by dressing in traditional Indian attire but ended up looking more Indian than what Indians look like in weddings. The Trudeaus’ outright gaudy and flashy costumes displeased most Indians with some even considering it as an act of cultural appropriation. They even managed to upstage the Bollywood stars at the party they hosted for the Trudeau family. But this is not the first time that he has been in controversy for something like this. In a Toronto Gay Parade, he showed his support by wearing rainbow socks that had Eid Mubarak written on them ( Some Muslim countries are known to violently persecute gay people) to celebrate the month of Ramadan. His critics have stated that his over enthusiastic liberal attitude often misses to address the complexity of the issues. Something similar happened in his recent visit to India. Justin Trudeau’s over the top antics can be used to draw parallels with another fellow Canadian  Justin’s overhyped gig last year. Both failed to live upto the hype.

Trudeau wore Eid-themed socks to a pro-Pride church service.

On the top of that, Government of India left no stone unturned to snub the Canadian PM. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself receives the world dignitaries upon their arrival in India; but this time around, putting the protocol aside, a junior agricultural minister received the Trudeaus at the airport while PM Modi was busy campaigning in Nagaland. Our social media savvy  PM did not even post a welcome tweet for them until five days into the trip. It got even worse when the Trudeaus visited Agra . They were not received by the Chief Minister of the state of Uttar Pradesh or even by any junior minister, but by district officials.

So why did India display this rude attitude towards Canada?

India has often accused Canada of sheltering the Sikh Separatists rooting for the separation of Punjab from India and the subsequent formation of an independent Khalistan. The violent Khalistan Movement in the 1980’s wreaked havoc in Punjab. India managed to suppress the militancy. But after the Indian Army cleared the Golden Temple of militants , PM Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her own Sikh bodyguards in 1984 leading to anti sikh riots in which thousands of Sikhs were killed across the country. The next year the militants had blown up an Air India plane flying from Canada to Mumbai.

Even though a minority group in Canada, Sikhs form a voting block for Trudeau’s Liberal Party. In fact , the sikh vote bank matters so much to the party that he even attended a Khalsa Day parade organised by a radical  Gurudwara in Toronto. Some Gurudwaras in Canada have barred the entry of Indian diplomats .Trudeau publicly boasts of having more sikh ministers than Modi. All four of his Indian origin ministers are sikh who have been accused of having sympathies with Canadian sikh extremists .

Moreover, Trudeau’s attendance at the Canada-India Business Summit was overshadowed by reports that the Canadian High Commission in India had issued an invitation to the businessman Jaspal  Atwal who has been convicted of trying to assassinate a politician in 1980s.

Canada maintains that it cannot curtail the freedom of expression of its sikh citizens whereas New Delhi maintains the stance that while Canadian citizens do have a right to support Khalistan or any group they identify with, the Canadian ministers do have a choice when it comes to associating with them. India demands that Trudeau publicly distance himself from the supporters of the secessionists. The issue had not been resolved till the visit as Canada refused to comply. Hence, the royal snub meted out to the Canadian contingent.

 

The effects of the visit on Canada-India relations:-

As for the outcomes of the visit, India-Canada relations remain frozen in time as Canada has little to offer in terms of assisting India with objectives including China, Pakistan, maritime security in Indian Ocean and in the subcontinent. Canada is reluctant to engage in such issues. Then there are trust issues regarding the Khalistan secessionist groups. India is afraid they might re-instigate Sikh separatism in the country and cannot rely on Canada for it’s prevention.

 

Trudeau’s over the top enthusiasm and sparkly costumes have failed to mask the epic fail that his India visit has been, drawing flak from all over the world. Moreover, Trudeau could not use this opportunity to bring content or continuity into bilateral relations with India. However the final joint statement does indicate that both countries are keen to expand strategic co-operation on several issues like Bilateral Foreign Investment  Promotion , economic partnership, electricity and renewable energy efficiency. Efforts will continue on the civil nuclear front.

Trudeau has said in his statement that Canada supports “One United India” and has been all praises about India’s diversity and Pluralism. This is definitely not going to go down well will the Sikhs back in Canada. On the other hand, the revelation about Canada’s invitation to Jaspal Atwal has proved the linkage between Canadian ministry and the sikh extremist groups. Trudeau and his Canadian contingent’s actions have been suggestive of heir ulterior motif of securing their sikh vote bank through the visit. He has been trying too hard to keep everyone happy. Mr.Trudeau wants to appease his sikh vote bank and India at the same time. He can’t have both. And this time, his visit has been nothing but a messy failure as he has managed to displease  both the Canadian sikh community and India . In an attempt to appease the two opposing parties, he has lost the confidence of both. His image has deteriorated back home as well as internationally. The Canadian PM did not only lose a great opportunity to strengthen ties with India but he missed out on warm Modi hugs too!!

 

Meanwhile, India’s stance on the issue is to be appreciated. India sent out a strong message that it will not be welcoming those who promote secession. It will definitely mount pressure on Canada to stop sheltering the Sikh extremists if Canada hopes on fruitful bilateral relations with India.

Right In, Left Out in Tripura

Posted on by Shreya Sikarwar

The results of the Tripura Assembly polls conducted on 18th Feb were released on Sunday and BJP –IPFT alliance has emerged as the winner with a clear majority of 43 out of 60 seats. BJP won 35 seats and IPFT won 8 out of 9 seats that it contested. BJP backed by the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura handed a crushing defeat to the Manik Sarkar led Left front CPM, who had been ruling over the state for 25 years. BJP rose from a non-entity party to chief opposition party in Tripura in the last four years. With Tripura under its wing, BJP will now rule over six of the seven north eastern states with the exception of Mizoram. The north east which was mostly cut off from the mainland politics until now, has been taken over by the Saffron wave that prevails over the country with the exception of very few states.

Let us have a look at the factors that actually led to the historic victory of BJP in Tripura:-

The people of Tripura voted for CPM in elections after elections for 25 years and still could not see any development or scope of improvement in the conditions of the poor. Despite being in power for such a long time, the Left has not been successful in uplifting the tribal population of the state. Basic facilities still elude a large chunk of the tribal population. They are still poor and many families cannot send their children to school. Drinking water continues to be an issue as tribals still drink water from rivulets. Also, the unemployment rate in the state is one of the highest in the country. Local CPM leaders were accused of providing the benefits of government schemes to their own people only. So basically, the people of Tripura gave up on the Left and were looking for a better option to dislodge the state government. All these years, there was no such strong opposition option available to them apart from Congress. With the extensive BJP-RSS campaigning in the state for the last two years, BJP was able to create a vote base for itself as the population turned in its favour. A lot of Congress supporters too converted to BJP. The Bengali majority of the state was a loyal vote block for the Left but this time, they too got lured into BJP’s call for change.

ROSE VALLEY CHIT FUND SCAM:-

Kolkata company Rose Valley Hotels and Entertainments Limited has been accused of running a scam and cheating investors of more than Rs.17000 crores across the eastern states of Assam, Tripura, West Bengal and Bihar. It is one of the biggest chit fund scams of India. A large number of poor people in Tripura who were among the investors, lost their money in the fraud. BJP used the Rose Valley scam issue to not only intimidate the Left but also gained the confidence of the people by promising them thorough investigation of the scam and justice for the victims on coming to power in the state. BJP also promised to work out a mechanism to compensate the 14 lakh people cheated by the Rose Valley company. In the past two years, BJP has managed to bring out a lot of big names associated with the Manik Sarkar government who were involved in the scam with the help of CBI.

Unemployment in Tripura is a major issue of concern. The state has nearly 7 lakh unemployed youth. The Bangladeshi immigrants managed to infiltrate into the state and somehow procure all necessary documents, taking up the few employment opportunities that are available while the youth of Tripura continue to suffer. The Manik Sarkar government has been suspected of encouraging the Bangladeshi infiltration. With BJP coming to power, the people are hopeful of generation of more employment opportunities and overall development of the state.

The shifting of the loyalties of the tribal and backward class voters (considered the vote bank of CPM) towards BJP turned the tide in its favour. BJP’s masterstroke was the striking of an alliance with the regional party IPFT, an agenda it has followed in all the north eastern states. The common goal of the alliance was the formation of a government with representatives from centre, state and the indigenous community for better addressal of the tribal issues. This move by BJP helped it procure the votes of even those areas which were not aware of the party owing to their trust and loyalties to IPFT.

The Seventh Pay Commission has not been implemented in Tripura yet. State government employees continue to draw salaries on the basis of the Fourth Pay Commission. BJP has promised to implement the Seventh Pay Commission which would lead to an approximate doubling of salaries of the government officials. A majority of the 2.5 lakh government employees of the state voted in favour of BJP.

While large parts of rural Tripura are yet to be provided with electric supplies, the state continues to supply electricity to Bangladesh. This issue is a major source of discontentment among the people.

Post-election Scenario in Tripura:-

Tripura State BJP president Biplab Kumar Deb and BJP general secretary Ram Madhav

After the BJP victory in Tripura, Lenin statues were brought down by the BJP workers. The Left has accused the BJP of violence against its cadres. Currently, section 144 has been implemented in the state. The violent acts have drawn criticism across the country after which BJP issued a warning that any party worker who was found to be involved in such activities would be arrested and expelled from the party. While Biplab Deb, the state president of BJP in Tripura is being considered for the post of the Chief Minister, IPFT has raised demands for a tribal CM for the state and proportionate representation at respectable positions in the ministry. The IPFT continues to stand firm regarding its demand for a separate state for the tribals . It would be interesting to see how BJP manages to handle the sensitive issue.