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Created on Sunday, 02 October 2022 07:25
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( Baba Amte's Jodo Bharat Abhiyan. Screenshot from Youtube)
“Jat Paat Ke Bandhan Toro, Bharat Jodo Bharat Jodo” (Break free from castes & sub-castes; Unite India).This is not a clarion call from Rahul Gandhi, who is leading Bharat Jodo Yatra (BJY) of the Congress Party. This slogan has also not germinated from the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2021 vision “Bharat Jodo Andolan” (BJA).
This was one of the key slogans of an earlier KanyaKumari to Kashmir (KtoK) march led by late Baba Amte, a great social reformer, in 1986.
And there hangs a tale of many steps to unite India through long marches from South to North and From East to West over the decades. The other steps include initiatives to knit India through national policies, central and centrally sponsored schemes, pan-India projects and forums.
Mr. Modi has crafted alliterations, acronyms and rhymes to articulate ‘Bharat Jodo’ theme. A notable instance in point is GST-related “One nation. One Tax. One Market.” Another example is 'One Nation. One Ration Card'. And one in the works is 'One Nation. One Fertilizer'.
The Bharat Jodo story is also riddled with counter-currents that can be collectively dubbed as Bharat Todo (Divide India) mission.
Every ‘Knit India’ movement including BJP’s 1992 Ekta Yatra (Unity March) & 2006 Bharat Suraksha Yatra (India Security March) have failed to rein in fissiparous forces.
The key divisive, dangerous factors are: communalism, casteism, regionalism, parochialism & inter-state fights. More of this later in the column.
No significant political party would ever launch mass movement against such Bharat Todo tools. Can Congress or BJP embark on national padayatra (foot march) with a call to citizens to ‘Give up Caste’, ‘Give up Rituals’ and ‘Give up job Reservations’? Can any party come to power without playing caste and communal politics?
Read more: Revisit Constitution to Craft Bharat Jodo in Spirit and not via Symbolism
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Created on Thursday, 25 August 2022 11:36
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('Developed Nation by 2020' is not a daydream - Vajpayeeji 15Aug2003 - Image Courtesy: PMO)
“In politics, one should have the courage to tell the truth to the public, but we see that in some states there is an attempt to avoid it,” stated Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 30th July 2022. Mr. Modi said this while admonishing the States to clear dues of power generation companies.
Alas, our beloved PM himself missed a golden opportunity to show the courage to tell the truth on ‘Developed India’ resolve on 15th August 2022. He avoided the honour to use “Tricolour as the witness”, to borrow a recurring phrase from his Independence Day (ID) Speeches.
The National Flag at the Red Fort witnessed twice Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee vow to make India a ‘Developed Nation’ by 2020.
Similarly, President A. P. J. Abul Kalam articulated Mr. Vajpayee’s vision on two different solemn occasions. Mr. Modi lacked courage to disclose to citizens that BJP fought 2004 Lok Sabha polls with ‘Developed Nation’ promise embossed on the cover page of its manifesto.
And there hangs a long tale of quest to see India leap into league of rich nations – an idea that dates back to the Nehru era.
As Scientific Adviser to Defence Minister, Dr Kalam, was perhaps the first high-ranking Govt representative to expound the concept of Developed India with specifying any timeline. He did it during October 1998 while delivering the Sardar Patel Memorial Lecture-1998 organized by All India Radio.
Read more: Tricolour & Parliament are Witness to Illusion named ‘Developed India’
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Created on Monday, 31 January 2022 14:35
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(A 1973 Tableau. Image Courtesy: indianrdc.mod.gov.in)
“One great country, One great people” (OGC-OGP). This is not the latest call fished out from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s treasure trove of visionary ideas. This is a slogan of the 1960s. It was the “central theme” of Ministry of Information & Broadcasting’s tableau for the 1966 Republic Day Parade (RDP).
OGC-OGP’s implementation can help us resolve the raging, avoidable politics over rejection of tableaux of several States and Union Territories (UTs) - a practice whose origin dates back to 1953.
Denial of permission to participate in RDP is a vestige of permit-quota-licence (PQL) raj. It has been whittled down in phases beginning 1991 in economy but kept intact in management of cooperative federalism.
PQL in tableaux arena conflicts with PM’s vision -Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas & Sabka Prayas (SS-SV-SV-SP). Absence of dozen or more States and UTs in RDP in any given year pours cold water on Team India vibrancy.
Let OGC-OGP be revived to turn RPD into a golden platform for showcasing cooperative federalism. Let 28 States and 8 union territories be made eternal part of RDP. It should reflect Unity in Diversity and not Unity in Discord.
Read more: Reinvent Republic Day Parade as Cooperative Federalism Pageant
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Created on Thursday, 20 January 2022 08:36
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(Image Courtesy: PIB)
The difference is clear. The BJP’s charismatic votes-seeker Narendra Modi recently spun this phrase in Hindi to market Yogi Government’s performance as compared to earlier UP regimes. Did he realize that this slogan would boomerang on him?
Yes, Fark Saaf Hai between him and all previous prime ministers especially Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Rajiv Gandhi. Mr. Vajpayee faced three security breaches in a span of 11 days during January 2003 in Delhi.
At that time, he didn’t have a dig at Delhi Chief Minister (CM) Sheila Dikshit. And the BJP didn’t burst into unprecedented hysteria. NDA Government acted professionally: It took appropriate action against five personnel of Delhi Police and CRPF.
At that time, the mainstream media didn’t drum up conspiracy plot. Godimedia, however, now loves to play up names such as ISI, China, Khalistan, Toolkit plot and Congress High Command with hints from powers that be. It does not ask the Government/BJP to show concrete evidence to prove the allegations of their hand in the plots to either spoil Mr. Modi’s image or harm him.
Mind you, Khalistan’s link in assassination of Mrs. Indira Gandhi in October 1984 was found bogus after rigorous probes. This is clear from Government’s action taken report on Justice Takkar Commission and Special Investigation Team’s reports laid in Parliament during late eighties.
This narration should not be misconstrued as an attempt to belittle PM’s security that has a direct bearing on the national security. Moreover, any harm to PM can create social unrest including riots. PM’s security should, however, not be politicised, thereby derailing truth.
Unfortunately, underlying issues in Mr. Modi’s security breach were ignored by all stakeholders. The web of unaddressed security issues, some lingering for two decades, thus require separate analysis.
Read more: VIP tales-from 1954 Tilpat scare to 2022 PM’s Security Alarm
