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DMK president M. Karunanidhi
Renewing
his demand for abolishing death penalty, DMK chief M. Karunanidhi on
Saturday made a fresh pitch for a state cabinet meeting to adopt a
resolution recommending commutation of the death sentence awarded to
three convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case.
“Our stand
is that capital punishment should be abolished and should be taken off
the law book,” Mr. Karunanidhi said, recalling his remarks that the
death sentence of Murugan, Santhan and Perarivalan should be commuted
on humanitarian grounds.
“If the
state government has to approach the problem truly, it should not just
stop after adopting resolutions in the Assembly, but pass a resolution
in a cabinet meeting and send it to the Governor,” the DMK patriarch
said.
His
statement comes a day after the Supreme Court dismissed death row
convict and Khalistani terrorist Devinderpal Singh Bhullar’s plea for
commutation of his death sentence in a judgement that can have a
bearing on the fate of over 20 convicts facing execution, including
those held guilty in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination.
On the apex
court’s observation that commutation of death sentence to accused
cannot be done in the case of terrorists or those involved in mass
killings on the ground of delay in deciding their mercy plea, Mr.
Karunanidhi said in a statement “it has come as a very big shock to
many expecting the verdict as well as our thinking.”
Mr.
Karunanidhi cited the example of Thyagu, whose death sentence, he said,
was commuted during his government’s tenure. “When we see that Thyagu
has now become a writer and essayist, is publishing books and has
become a respectable man in society, we should give a life to Murugan,
Santhan and Perarivalan and should use them for society,” he said.
The DMK chief has been repeatedly pressing for abolition of capital punishment.
His earlier
comments in this regard came against the backdrop of the hanging of
26/11 Mumbai terror attack convict Ajmal Kasab and Parliament attack
accused Afzal Guru which triggered a fresh debate on the death penalty
issue.
He had also
virtually backed the demand for a CBI probe into the 1993 Palar
landmine blast case in which four aides of sandalwood smuggler Veerappan
are facing the gallows.
The four
got a temporary relief in February this year with the apex court
staying their execution on their plea seeking commutation of the
sentence citing delay of eight years in disposal of their mercy
petition by the President.
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Sunday, April 14, 2013
#Karunanidhi reiterates # demand for abolishing death penalty#
#Kunda DSP murder: CBI arrests key accused#
Pratapgarh (UP), April 13, 2013
A CBI team visits the Balipur village to probe the killing of DSP Zia-ul-Haq at Kunda in Pratapgarh district. File photo
CBI on Saturday arrested a key accused in DSP Zia-ul-Haque murder and claimed to have cracked the case.
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Babloo
Yadav, son of slain village head Nanhe Yadav who allegedly shot Haque
dead using a country-made gun, was apprehended here, CBI sources said.
The sources
said CBI has detained two brothers of Nanhe Yadav and members of his
domestic staff in connection with the DSP’s murder and is likely to
arrest them soon.
The sources
claimed Babloo, who is over 19 years of age, has, during intense
grilling by CBI officials, confessed to have shot the police official.
The officials were able to reproduce the complete chain of events
which took place on March 2, 2013.
Asked about
role of UP minister Raghuraj Pratap Singh, alias Raja Bhaiya, in the
murders, they claimed the probe in the larger conspiracy is still on.
CBI sources
claimed Haque, who was posted as Deputy Superintendent of Police at
Kunda, had reached the house of Nanhe Yadav after getting the news of
his murder.
By the time
he approached the site, the news of Yadav’s murder had spread and a
large crowd gathered outside his house which was angry at the alleged
apathy of the police and protested the police’s alleged failure to
stop the murder.
At the
house of Nanhe Yadav, Haque met a mob which entered into a scuffle
with him while his fellow policemen allegedly deserted him, the sources
said.
In the
crowd was Yadav’s brother Suresh who was armed with a rifle. As the
scuffle was on, Suresh was killed after his gun accidentally went off,
they said.
CBI sources
claimed that enraged by the killing of his father and uncle Suresh
Yadav, Babloo Yadav, who had a country-made gun, came out of his house
and shot Zia-Ul-Haque dead who was being beaten up by a mob.
The sources
claimed role of other suspects -- brothers of Nanhe Yadav and his
domestic help -- is also under probe and they are being questioned by
the agency.
The sources said agency has recovered the weapon, allegedly used in the killing Haq, from Babloo.
The agency
has already arrested alleged killers of Yadav -- Ajay Pal and Vijay
Pal -- both sons of Kamta Pal who is also a suspect in his murder and is
absconding, they said.
The Pal family was having land dispute with Nanhe Yadav’s family which resulted in village head’s murder, they claimed.
The case
was handed over to CBI on a request of slain DSP’s wife Parveen Azad
who accused Raghuraj Pratap Singh of having a role in the murder of her
husband. She had also filed an FIR in this regard naming Raja Bhaiya
and his close aides in the murder.
After
getting the case, the agency constituted a team of 10 officers led by
DIG Anurag Garg and SP Rakesh Rathi to investigate the case.
The team
had recently made some important recoveries which included a
blood-stained ammunition belt from a box concealed in a house of Suresh
Yadav, one of the deceased, a bloodstained wooden rod from another
area in the village and service revolver of Haque.
Kunda circle in Pratapgarh district comprises four police stations -- Hathigavan, Manikpur, Kunda and Nawabganj.
CBI has
registered four cases pertaining to the three murders in village
Balipur, police station Hathigawan in Kunda tehsil which included FIR
registered by Haque’s wife Azad who had named five persons as accused
in the murder of her husband.
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UPA #vulnerable after DMK pullout, elections around the corner: Pawar#
UPA #vulnerable after DMK pullout, elections around the corner: Pawar# |
Key UPA ally NCP chief Sharad
Pawar on Saturday said the Centre's ruling coalition had become
"vulnerable" after DMK's pullout and that elections were around the
corner.
Pawar, Union agriculture
minister, also said since Congress was the majority party in the UPA,
his party would respect its view on the alliance's prime ministerial
candidate.
"UPA's position has become
vulnerable after DMK's pullout. We have to prepare and plan for
elections. I have suggested to the UPA chairperson to convene a
meeting to discuss this and she is also of the same view," Pawar told
reporters.
Amid conflicting voices on
who should be the UPA's candidate for prime minister's post, Pawar
said the coalition's spearhead Congress would have to take a call.
"Compared to the last time,
UPA has shrunk. It is only the Congress, NCP and National Conference.
Majority party has to take the call. We will respect the majority
party's view," he said.
Pawar's statement follows
similar hints by Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav, who had
last month asked his partymen to gear up for a mid-term poll, citing a
"confidential" report.
"I have come to know about a
confidential report which says that elections will be held in
November. You people start preparing for them," he had said addressing
party workers in Lucknow.
The Samajwadi Party with 22
MPs and BSP with 21 are providing crucial outside support to the
government and bailing it out in times of crises.
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#1993 blasts convict Yakub Memon awarded Master's degree in # English Literature#
Press Trust of India | Updated: April 13,
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Yakub
Memon, the only convict in the 1993 Mumbai blasts case whose death
sentence was confirmed by the Supreme Court, has been awarded a master's
degree in English literature by Indira Gandhi National Open
University (IGNOU).
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Memon is lodged in the Central Prison in Nagpur. Alongwith him, seven other convicts, who are serving life-terms, were awarded IGNOU degrees yesterday. The main convocation was held in New Delhi while a simultaneous function was held at the university's Regional Centre in Nagpur. Memon, however, could not attend the convocation as police authorities refused him permission.
Dr
Shivswaroop, Regional Director, IGNOU, told PTI that if the jail
authorities permitted, he would like to hand degree certificate to Memon
personally.
Memon, a qualified chartered accountant, cleared the MA examination with second division last year.
News sourced by
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Saturday, April 13, 2013
#CBI's 'coalgate' probe report vetted by govt, BJP demands SIT# probe
By PTI | 13 Apr, 2013
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Photo
caption:Arun Jaitley also charged the govt with "interference in the
administration of justice" by not allowing CBI to acquaint the apex
court with the full truth.
NEW DELHI: The coal
scam resurfaced today following reports of alleged government
interference in CBI investigations with the BJP demanding an SIT probe
into it but the Congress firmly rejected the charge and also ruled
out the resignation of Law Minister Ashwani Kumar.
Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley targeted the UPA by accusing it of being a "rogue government" that will not allow CBI to function independently and demanded constitution of a Special Investigation Team. He also charged the government with "interference in the administration of justice" by not allowing CBI to acquaint the apex court with the full truth in the case. "CBI cannot find out the truth and even if some honest officer in the CBI tries to find out the truth, the UPA is a rogue government which will not allow it to operate independently," Jaitley said. His Lok Sabha counterpart, Sushma Swaraj, criticised the government for "vetting" of the CBI report and said it is part of "an attempt to save Prime Minister Manmohan Singh". JD(U) spokesperson Shivanand Tiwari also termed the reports as "very serious", saying this is contempt of court. "Supreme Court is asking CBI to submit its report and government is toning it down. This is for the first time to my knowledge that such a thing is happening." The Opposition's attack on the issue came in the wake of reports that Law Minister Ashwani Kumar summoned CBI Chief and the report was changed and toned down after the meeting. Unfazed by the attack, Congress rejected the charge of interference in the preparation of CBI report in the coal scam for the Supreme Court and ruled out resignation of Law Minister Ashwani Kumar in this regard. "There is no question of resignation of Law Minister Ashwani Kumar. Supreme Court has already asked CBI to file an affidaviat in this regard. CBI will file its affidavit and truth will come out," party spokesperson Rashid Alvi said. The CAG, in its report last year, had estimated a loss of Rs 1.86 lakh crore in allocation of coal blocks since 2004.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/cbis-coalgate-probe-report-vetted-by-govt-bjp-demands-sit-probe/articleshow/19526578.cms
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#Civil Services main exam to be held in #Nov-Dec 2013
New Delhi:
The Civil Services (Main) examination will be held in November or
December this year and applications for it will be called in August or
September, according to a notification issued by the Union Public
Service Commission (UPSC).
The UPSC, which
conducts the prestigious examinations to select IAS, IPS and IFS
officers among others, has in a recently issued public notice dropped
the mandatory English language paper from the main test.
It has also
restored the earlier practice of two qualifying papers, the marks
obtained of which will not be counted for ranking.
"The papers on
Indian languages and English will be of matriculation or equivalent
standard and will be of qualifying nature only. The marks obtained in
these papers will not be counted for ranking," it said.
The UPSC had on
March 05 issued a circular giving more weightage to English language.
The move had led to an uproar inside and outside Parliament forcing
the government to keep it in abeyance on March 15.
"It may also be
noted that there is no change in the pattern of Civil Services
(Preliminary) Examination, which will be held on May 26, 2013," it
said.
The last date for filling online application for Civil Services preliminary examination is April 04.
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# Why not honour Mirza Ghalib with Bharat Ratna after death? asks# Markandey Katju
PTI | Apr 13, 2013
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New Delhi: Classical Urdu and Persian poet Mirza Ghalib should be honoured with the country's highest civilian award Bharat Ratna, PCI Chairman Markandey Katju has said.
"There has been injustice with Urdu in the country. People associate a particular religion with this language. This is a 'divide and rule' policy. A few people know that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh writes his speech in Urdu.
"I believe Mirza Ghalib should be given Bharat Ratna posthumously. If Sardar Vallabhai Patel and B R Ambedkar can be given awards after their deaths, why can’t Ghalib be given?" Katju said at the 15th edition of 'Jashn-e-Bahar', an Urdu poetry symposium attended by poets from India, Pakistan, the US and other countries, here last night.
Union Minister Kapil Sibal, known for his penchant for poetry, read out two of his poems at the event.
"Urdu, if propagated, will spread love and peace. India will be incomplete if it doesn't take Urdu in its stride. Urdu is not a language of the intellectuals; it is of the common man. I believe English, Hindi and Urdu should be taught in every school.
There should be Google (version) in Urdu, also mobile handsets should have Urdu letters," Sibal said.
The open-air seating against a candle-lit stage with modern calligraphy by late painter M F Husain, was in sync with the mood of the evening. Among the foreign participants who drew wide applause were Max Bruce (the US) and Hiroji Kataoka (Japan).
Veteran Urdu poets believe such mushairas (poetic symposiums) help in flourishing the language. "In fact, non-Muslim families are helping a great deal in the process. It is time that Muslim families make their own children learn Urdu," poet and Vice-Chairman of National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language, Waseem Barelvi said.
JBT founder Kamna Prasad echoed similar views.
"It is time to come together and petition the government that Urdu teaching be made compulsory at least till Class V. We can only suggest. But it's our responsibility to make sure that our coming generations are familiar with our composite culture," she said.
The event witnessed a youth, affiliated to Hindu Yuva Vahini, shouting slogans against the participation of Pakistani poets. He was taken out of the venue by police.
http://daily.bhaskar.com/article/NAT-TOP-why-not-honour-mirza-ghalib-with-bharat-ratna-after-death-asks-markandey-katju-4234473-NOR.html
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Pak# witness identifies one accused in Mumbai attacks Case#
Islamabad, April 13, 2013 |
Photo caption:The Hindu Fire at Taj Hotel in Mumbai in this November 27, 2008 picture. Photo: Vivek Bendre
A witness on
Saturday identified one of seven Pakistani men charged with
involvement in the 2008 Mumbai attacks as the person who had bought
inflatable boats used by the terrorists involved in the assault on
India’s financial hub.
Prosecutors
said the witness, whom they did not name for security reasons, had
identified accused Shahid Jamil Riaz during proceedings conducted behind
closed doors at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi by anti-terrorism court
Judge Chaudhry Habib-ur-Rehman.
The witness
told the judge that Riaz and 10 other people had bought 11 inflatable
boats, saying they were to be used for fishing. The witness further
told the judge he had never seen these persons returning from sea with
any fish.
A total of four private witnesses testified during the hearing.
Another
witness told the judge that he had sold the accused a Yamaha boat
engine for Rs 1.6 lakh and yet another witness said he had sold the
accused six pumps, prosecutors told PTI.
The witnesses
also identified 10 men, including Amjad Khan and Atiqur Rehman, who
were allegedly involved in planning and executing the Mumbai attacks on
November 26, 2008 that left 166 people dead.
These 10 men were earlier declared “proclaimed offenders” or fugitives by the anti-terrorism court.
“The 10
proclaimed offenders were either trainers or facilitators of the
accused who launched the attacks in Mumbai,” chief prosecutor Chaudhry
Zulifqar Ali told PTI.
One witness
told the court that Amjad Khan had obtained from him a “port clearance
certificate” for Al-Hussaini, a fishing boat used by the terrorists.
Amjad Khan was also involved in purchasing the inflatable boats, another witness said.
Though Chief
prosecutor Ali identified the four private witnesses as Hamza Bin
Tariq, Muhammad Ali, Mohammad Saifullah Khan and Umer Draz Khan, he
refused to go into details of their individual testimony for security
reasons. All the witnesses belong to the port city of Karachi.
Additional
Director Altaf Hussain of the Federal Investigation Agency, who played
a key role in probing the Mumbai attacks, was present during the
hearing but the judge did not allow him to testify as a defence lawyer
argued that Hussain should record his statement after the private
witnesses.
Prosecutors
said the cross—examination of the four private witnesses could not be
conducted as the main defence lawyers did not attend the hearing.
In the past
too, the defence lawyers have held up proceedings by exploiting legal
loopholes and posing hurdles for the proceedings, officials said.
The judge adjourned the case till April 27, when the four witnesses are expected to be cross—examined.
“The witnesses protested against being summoned for the next hearing as it will result in a lot of expenses for them.
They demanded an allowance for travelling back to Rawalpindi from Karachi,” chief prosecutor Ali said.
Amjad Khan,
the fugitive identified by the witnesses, is a shadowy LeT organiser
and financier from Karachi who figured in a majority of dossiers
provided to Pakistan by India.
Khan, who hails from Multan, played a key role in arranging and providing funds to the ten terrorists who attacked Mumbai.
Khan is one of 20 suspects in the Mumbai attacks who are yet to be traced by Pakistani investigators.
These 20
suspects were named in a chargesheet filed in the anti-terrorism court
in 2009. They were all accused of playing a key role in facilitating
the Mumbai attacks.
Pakistani
authorities have so far arrested seven suspects, including LeT
operations commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi. They have been charged with
planning, financing and executing the attacks.
Their trial has progressed at a snail’s pace due to repeated adjournments and various technical delays.
Nine of the terrorists involved in the attack were killed by Indian security forces.
The only surviving attacker, Ajmal Kasab, was hanged in Pune jail on November 21 last year.
Keywords: Mumbai terror
attacks, 26/11 attacks, Mumbai attacks case, Pakistani
court, Pakistan witness, inflatable boats, 2008 Mumbai attacks
Courtesy:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/south-asia/pak-witness-identifies-one-accused-in-mumbai-attacks-case/article4614137.ece
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U.S. will never accept a nuclear-armed North Korea: Kerry
South Korean President
Park Geun-Hye (L) and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry shake hands
before their talks at the presidential Blue House in Seoul April 12,
2013.
Credit: Reuters/Kim Jae-Hwan/Pool
By Arshad Mohammed and Jack Kim
SEOUL | Fri Apr 12, 2013 8:07am EDT
(Reuters) - U.S.
Secretary of State John Kerry dismissed as "unacceptable by any
standard" weeks of bellicose warnings of impending nuclear war by North
Korea and said Washington would never accept the reclusive state
becoming a nuclear power.
Kerry,
addressing reporters after talks with South Korean President Park
Geun-hye and leaders of the 28,000-strong U.S. military contingent in
the country, also said the United States would defend its allies in
the region if necessary.
"The
rhetoric we are hearing from North Korea is simply unacceptable by
any standard," Kerry said. "We are all united in the fact that North
Korea will not be accepted as a nuclear power."
North
Korea has issued weeks of shrill warnings to the United States and
South Korea, including of waging thermonuclear war, after the
imposition of new U.N. sanctions in response to its third nuclear arms
test in February.
Kerry's
visit coincides with preparations for the anniversary on Monday of
North Korean state founder Kim Il-sung's birth date, a possible pretext
for a military show of strength.
Speculation
has mounted that Pyongyang may launch a medium-range missile after
reports in South Korea and the United States that missiles had been
moved into suitable locations.
Kerry said North Korean leader Kim Jong-un would be making a "huge mistake" if he proceeded with a launch.
He
also said that China, the North's sole diplomatic and financial ally,
has the ability to make a difference on influencing North Korea's
policies.
Hours
before his arrival, a U.S. government agency said North Korea had a
nuclear weapon it can mount on a missile, adding an ominous dimension to
discussions in Seoul.
However,
the assessment by the Pentagon's Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA)
was swiftly dismissed by several U.S. officials and South Korea.
Asked if war was imminent, a U.S. official in South Korea said: "Not at all".
YOUTH, INEXPERIENCE
Washington's
greatest concern, the official said, was the possibility of
unexpected developments linked to 30-year-old Kim Jong-un.
"Kim
Jong-un's youth and inexperience make him very vulnerable to
miscalculation. Our greatest concern is a miscalculation and where that
may lead," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
"We
have seen no indications of massive troop movements, or troops massing
on the border, or massive exercises or anything like that that would
back up any of the rhetoric that is going on."
Park,
meeting officials from her ruling Saenuri Party before her talks with
Kerry, struck a conciliatory note by suggesting Seoul should at least
listen to what North Korea had to say.
"We
have a lot of issues, including the Kaesong industrial zone," local
media quoted her as saying. So should we not meet with them and ask:
"Just what are you trying to do?'"
The
president was referring to North Korea's closure this week of the
jointly run Kaesong industrial park, with the loss of 53,000 jobs.
In
Washington, Republican Representative Doug Lamborn quoted the DIA as
saying it had concluded with "moderate confidence" that North Korea had
developed a nuclear bomb that could be fitted on a ballistic missile,
but added such a weapon would probably be unreliable.
North Korea has conducted three nuclear tests, but it was not believed to be near weapons capability.
In
Pyongyang, Rodong Sinmun, the mouthpiece of the ruling Workers' Party,
said North Korea would never abandon its nuclear weapons program, made
necessary by the "invariable ambition of the U.S. to militarily
invade" North Korea.
South Korea's Defence Ministry maintained it did not believe North Korea could mount a nuclear warhead on a missile.
Despite
the DIA report, the Pentagon's spokesman and the U.S. national
intelligence director both said it was "inaccurate" to infer Pyongyang
had the proven ability to launch a nuclear missile.
The
DIA was criticized after the start of the Iraq war in 2003 for being
too bullish in predicting Baghdad might have weapons of mass
destruction.
Its conclusion about North Korea follows more than a month of rising tension on the Korean peninsula.
Asked
about the U.S. reports that Pyongyang may have developed a nuclear
weapon, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said: "China upholds
the maintenance of peace and stability on the Korean peninsula and
pushing for its denuclearization via talks and consultations. No
matter what changes there are in the situation, we will uphold this
direction."
U.N.
sanctions sparked a furious response from Pyongyang. The North has also
called annual military drills between U.S. and South Korean forces a
"hostile" act.
North
Korea has stationed as many as five medium-range missiles on its east
coast, according to defense assessments by Washington and Seoul. South
Korean and U.S. officials believe it is preparing to launch a Musudan
missile, whose range of 3,500 km (2,100 miles) or more would put Japan
within striking distance and may threaten Guam, home to U.S. military
bases.
(Additional
reporting by Jack Kim and Daum Kim in SEOUL, Sui-Lee Wee in BEIJING,
John Ruwitch in SHANGHAI, and Patricia Zengerle, Mark Hosenball and
Jeff Mason in Washington; Writing by Ronald Popeski; Editing by Nick
Macfie)
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/12/us-korea-north-idUSBRE93408020130412
Please visit www.amityindians.com for resourced news from India.
News are posted in the interest of readers only
Gotabaya remarks on India’s role unacceptable: Narayanasamy
Deadly twin bombings outside Iraq mosque
U.S. will never accept a nuclear-armed North Korea: Kerry
I apologise for vandalism in Presidency University: Governor MK Narayanan
Akhilesh Yadav snubs the Gandhis, withdraws VIP status from Amethi, Rae Bareli
WikiLeaks: Bizman's offer to sell India's uranium set alarm bells in the US
SC rejects Bhullar's plea for commuting death penalty to life term on grounds of delay
Social media to impact Maharashtra most in 2014 Lok Sabha polls, says study
Sreesanth slapped, not elbowed by Harbhajan: Nanavati
Veteran Bollywood actor Pran to get Dadasaheb Phalke award
Software engineer from Andhra Pradesh who went missing in US found dead
Two Indian-origin persons jailed in US
Gotabaya remarks on India’s role unacceptable: Narayanasamy
http://www.amityindians.com/Deadly twin bombings outside Iraq mosque
http://www.amityindians.com/U.S. will never accept a nuclear-armed North Korea: Kerry
http://www.amityindians.com/I apologise for vandalism in Presidency University: Governor MK Narayanan
http://www.amityindians.com/Akhilesh Yadav snubs the Gandhis, withdraws VIP status from Amethi, Rae Bareli
http://www.amityindians.com/WikiLeaks: Bizman's offer to sell India's uranium set alarm bells in the US
http://www.amityindians.com/SC rejects Bhullar's plea for commuting death penalty to life term on grounds of delay
http://www.amityindians.com/Social media to impact Maharashtra most in 2014 Lok Sabha polls, says study
http://www.amityindians.com/Sreesanth slapped, not elbowed by Harbhajan: Nanavati
http://www.amityindians.com/Veteran Bollywood actor Pran to get Dadasaheb Phalke award
http://www.amityindians.com/Software engineer from Andhra Pradesh who went missing in US found dead
http://www.amityindians.com/Two Indian-origin persons jailed in US
http://www.amityindians.com/Friday, April 12, 2013
Nationalism, Kingdoms and Kings
Looking at Shivaji and Rana
Pratap
Ram Puniyani
The legend of some of the
kings continues in different forms and is used by different political
formations. These political formations draw their identity from the past and project
it on the present. These sectarian streams have been using the names of
different kings and glorifying them in various ways. There is a hidden message
of a politics behind such efforts, as they eulogize the pre-colonial period for
their political agenda. While the incidents and events are the same, the way
they are looked at by different streams and different schools of historiography
are very diverse.
Recently in Mumbai one play
is making rounds, ‘Shivaji Underground in the Bhimnagar Mohalla’. (September
2012). Similarly in Rajasthan at various places the big hoardings of Maharana
Pratap have appeared. These hoardings proclaim him as the first freedom fighter.
This play on Shivaji seems to be a major contribution to the theater on Shivaji
after the much hyped and publicized play on Shivaji, ‘Jaanta Raja’ (Enlightened
King) by Babasaheb Purandare. Purandare’s Shivaji is an anti Muslim King, with
a mission to establish Hindu kingdom, he the protector of Brahmins and Cows (gobrahmin
pratipalak). This is a theme song of Hindu nationalism propounded by
RSS-Shiv Sena, where Kings like Shivaji fighting against Muslim Kings were the
brave warriors committed to the cause of Hindu nation. Here the anti Muslim
stance and pro Brahmin stance merges and upholds Cow, the identity used by
Hindu nationalist’s time and over again.
The play ‘Shivaji underground…’ takes a
totally different stance. Here Shivaji is neither pro Cow Brahmin, nor an anti
Muslim hero. It upholds the identity of dalits and targets the Brahmins. The
struggle between Dalits on one side and Hindutva, upper caste, politics on the
other has been manifesting in Maharashtra from quite some time. Many an events
like attack on Bhandarkar Museum, banning of James Lanes book on Shivaji, which
doubts the paternity of Shivaji, are few instances of this. The Braminic,
Purandare version, of Shivaji gives all the credit to Dadaji Kond Dev, a
Brahmin, who is supposed to have mentored Shivaji. The dalit version of Shivaji
opposes this and it is due to this that the statue of Dadaji Kond Dev was desecrated
recently in Maharashtra.
As such the interpretation
of Shivaji goes far back in our history. Phule, the dalit icon of tall stature,
called Shivaji as Raja of ryots (poor peasants). Tagore praises him as ‘king of
kings’. It was Tilak who saw him as symbol of Nationalism and organized a
festival in his name. Purandare’s play
has been made immensely popular and its popularity runs parallel to the rise of
Hindu nationalist politics. The ‘Shivaji underground…’ play points out that
Shivaji was not for Hindu rule in any way. He was not anti Muslim at all. The
highlight of the play is its focusing that Brahmins were clerks in the courts
of Muslim as well as of Hindu Kings. The play does give it a total anti
Brahminic slant. This play is the first major attempt to challenge the current
narration about Shivjai which is constructed around his being a great Hindu
patriot. Nathuram Godse, from Hindutva; RSS-Hindu Mahasabha stable, in his
book, ‘May it please your honor’, which is his statement of his defense of
murdering Mahatma Gandhi in the court, states that Gandhi was a pigmy as for
his nationalism was concerned. The real nationalists have been Shivaji, Rana
Pratap and Guru Govind Singh. This is the line of thinking of RSS-Hindu
nationalism.
In this ideological
understanding of RSS, all the kings who fought against Muslim rulers are Hindu
nationalists. It’s a total distortion of understanding of history as kings did
not fight for religion; their fights were for power and wealth. And kings of
same religion also had running battles with each other.
Rana Pratap, being projected
as the First Freedom fighter by communal forces is against the truth. The kings
before the British rule were fighting to expand or protect their empires. The era of Kingdoms is not comparable with
freedom movement. Just fighting against Muslim King is not being a freedom fighter.
Freedom struggle was against British rule, when India was coming to become ‘a
nation in the making’ due to industrial, educational and social changes. The
era of Kingdoms and logic of Kings can in no way be compared with the Indians
coming together to fight the British Empire. Even these kings be it Shivaji or
Rana Pratap were neither ruling for religion not for Hindus. Their administration
was having both Hindus and Muslims. Their armies were also mixed ones with
Hindu and Muslim Generals both, with Hindu and Muslim soldiers both. Rana
Pratap had Hakim Khan Sur on his side and Shivaji was having Siddi Sambal and
Rustam-e-Jamaan amongst others. Shivaji’s confidential secretary was Maulana
Haider Ali. Shivaji had reverence and
respect for the holy people like Hazrat Baba and Ambrose Pinto.
Rana Paratp’s battle against
Akbar was not for religion. It was on the issue of Mansabdari (status in the
administration). Rana Pratap was asking for a Das hazari, (ten Thousand)
Mansab) while Akbar was offering only Panch Hazari. (Five thousand). Interestingly
Akbar never came to Haldi ghati where the battle took place. It was Akbar’s
commander in Chief Raja Mansingh, assisted by Shahjada Salim, who fought against
Rana Pratap. By no stretch of imagination it is anywhere close to a Hindu
Muslim battle or a struggle for nationalism. As a matter of fact Tilak and the
later genre of Hindu nationalists associating Shivaji with nationalism are
totally off the mark as the term nationalism is a recent one coming up with the
rise of nation states. The confusion between Kingdoms and nation states opens
the window for communalism to infiltrate in a big way.
In Shivaji’s case now a new
frontier of presentation has been opened up. This is that of Dalit-OBC on one
side and Brahmins on the other. This is an interesting aspect reflecting the
current struggle between these two social groups. The play, ‘Shivaji underground…’
is veering more around this theme while equally powerfully quashing the
communal interpretation of Shivaji. One observes that dalit bahujan version and
Brahminic versions are polar opposites. Dalit The role of Brahmins against
Shivaji is particularly worth its mention. One does recall that the local
Brahmins had refused to coronate Shivaji on the grounds that Shivaji is a
Shudra. It was the priest from Kashi, Gaga Bhatt, who coroneted him with the
little toe of his left foot, the organ in the body which is lowest in the hierarchy,
as per Braminic norms. This play
highlights the role of Krishnaji Bhaskar Kulkarni, an official with Afzal Khan.
But again it is not a question of this or that religion; Brahmins were working
for most of the kings, irrespective of their religion. So while Shivaji and Rana
Pratap have to be seen in the proper light, as kings with valor, the other interpretations
of nationalism, freedom fighters, anti Muslim Kings are all constructs emerging
from the communal historiography and need to be dumped. Also what needs to be
brought in the arena of the history is the pain and pleasure of average women
and the men. What needs to be projected is the interaction of cultures which
were the foundation of human progress, cutting across religions.
It is India’s arrested
transition to a democratic society due to which the Kings are being brought to
glory and identified with. Whatever the virtue of king of any religion, in
current times we need icons who were part of India’s freedom movement, a
struggle running parallel to the struggle for caste and gender equality. While
projecting the kings as heroes, we do need to remember that it was the system
of peasants’ exploitation, which was the base of kingdoms. Surely kingdoms are
no systems to emulate today and so need to rethink this iconization of Kings!
--
Issues in Secular Politics
II April 2013
response only to
ram.puniyani@gmail.com
Contents of the article rest on the author.
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