English हिन्दी
Connect with us

Latest Politics News

Armed Forces Veterans, Former Bureaucrats To Hold Conclave Against Distortion of Hinduism

Published

on

Armed Forces Veterans, Former Bureaucrats To Hold Conclave Against Distortion of Hinduism

[vc_row][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Armed forces veterans and retired civil servants, coming out against growing intolerant hyper-nationalism, authoritarianism and majoritarianism, have joined civil society, media persons and other citizens to collectively fight the threat to fundamental rights and free speech in the country.

“We believe that as a quintessential Hindu but supremely a humanist and universalist, Gandhiji would be horrified at the way Hinduism is being twisted and distorted for political gain,” they said, inviting eminent citizens to a conclave on “Hinduism and Hindutva” to be held on the occasion of Gandhiji’s death anniversary on 30 January 2018.

The event will be chaired by Air Marshal Vir Narain (Retd) and the speakers include Professor Ram Puniyani (Retd), Ashok Vajpeyi, IAS (Retd) and Swami Agnivesh.

The move is one of the many protests in the country against the increasing attempts to impose a narrow concept of uniform, north Indian upper caste Hindu practices on the country. Its significance, however, lies in the fact that the prime movers and organisers of the event come from the very organisations that form the vanguard of government and the state that is pushing the Hindutva project.

The event also marks a strengthening of the alliance of its two constituents – organisations of armed forces veterans and former bureaucrats – which had initially started off on this route separately.

On 10 June 2017, sixty-five retired civil servants had written an Open Letter regarding the general spirit of religious intolerance, vigilantism, the propensity to crack down on student groups or universities that express dissent, a witch-hunt against certain NGOs if they oppose the State, systematic trolling to intimidate those who disagree with the dominant ideology, hyper-nationalism, authoritarianism and majoritarianism that all threaten free speech and other fundamental rights – that pervade the atmosphere in India today. The petition urged the reinstatement of reasoned debate, discussion and dissent and calls upon all public authorities, public  institutions and Constitutional bodies to defend the spirit of the Constitution of India.

On 30 July 2017, over 100 Veterans of the Armed Forces addressed a letter to the Prime Minister, chief ministers and LGs pointing out that the ethos of Armed Forces is that of ‘a family’ irrespective of caste, creed, language or culture and that what is happening today in our country is negation of the concept of ‘Unity in diversity’ and Constitutional rectitude. Dissent should not be equated to treason. The Veterans therefore urged the powers that be at the Centre and States to take note of their concern for the morale of our Armed Forces and urgently act to uphold our Constitution both in letter and spirit.

As a next step, the two groups  came together and held a Conclave on October 10 2017 in New Delhi. The subject was “A Fractured Polity – the Relevance of Gandhi today.” The Chair was Justice AP Shah. Ramachandra Guha and Mrinal Pande were the other panelists. There were participants from both groups, civil society and the media.

This time, they have chosen the occasion of Gandhiji’s death anniversary on 30 January to hold another Conclave on the theme of “Hinduism and Hindutva” at the  Indian Social Institute (ISI) on Lodi Road from 3 pm – 6.30 pm.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

India News

Opposition raises uproar in Delhi Assembly as 12 AAP MLAs suspended over CAG report

12 AAP MLAs, including Atishi, were suspended from the Delhi Assembly over a protest regarding the CAG report and a photo controversy in CM’s office.

Published

on

Delhi Assembly protests over CAG report and CM office controversy

The Delhi Assembly witnessed high drama as 12 opposition MLAs, including former Chief Minister and current Leader of the Opposition, Atishi, were suspended for the day amid protests over the Comptroller and Auditor-General (CAG) report on the alleged liquor policy scam.

Senior AAP leader Gopal Rai was also among those ejected, following heated exchanges with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The Speaker, Vijender Gupta, then adjourned the House until noon.

CAG report fuels political storm

The much-anticipated CAG report, one of several alleging corruption during AAP’s tenure, was tabled in the Assembly. It reportedly criticizes the liquor policy implemented under Arvind Kejriwal’s leadership, stating that the “actual implementation was sub-optimal and objectives were not achieved.” The report also flagged concerns regarding the scrutiny of business entities awarded liquor licenses, calling for accountability and stronger enforcement mechanisms.

Another report under scrutiny is related to the ‘Sheeshmahal’ controversy, where taxpayer money was allegedly misused to refurbish the Chief Minister’s residence with luxury fittings.

These allegations have been central to political discourse in Delhi, especially after Kejriwal and his former deputy, Manish Sisodia, faced corruption charges in the run-up to the election.

AAP protests photo swap in CM’s office

Adding to the turmoil, AAP MLAs raised slogans of ‘Jai Bhim’ in the Assembly to protest the alleged removal of photographs of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh from the new Chief Minister Rekha Gupta’s office. The party claimed these had been replaced with an image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

However, the BJP dismissed these allegations as misinformation, releasing a video showing that Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh’s portraits had been shifted to the side walls, making way for those of Mahatma Gandhi, President Droupadi Murmu, and PM Modi.

Despite BJP’s clarification, Atishi vowed to continue her protest until the original placement of the photos was restored.

AAP MLAs stage sit-in protest

Following their suspension, the ousted MLAs, led by Atishi, staged a sit-in outside the Delhi Assembly, waving placards and chanting slogans against the new BJP government. AAP MLA Sanjeev Jha accused the ruling party of disrespecting Dr. Ambedkar, stating, “They hate Dr. Ambedkar, but the country will not accept this.”

As the political battle escalates, more intense protests are expected in the coming days, especially as discussions on the CAG report continue in the Assembly.

Continue Reading

India News

Trouble for AAP Government in Punjab: Congress drops hints

Congress leader Pratap Singh Bajwa hints at the possible collapse of the AAP government in Punjab. With BJP’s alleged involvement and corruption claims, the political tension in the state is rising.

Published

on

Pratap Singh Bajwa, leader of the opposition in Punjab, has sparked major political speculation, hinting at a possible collapse of the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government. Bajwa claimed that more than 32 MLAs of the AAP are in contact with him, and some may even be in touch with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). However, he stressed that the Congress will not be responsible for toppling the government. Instead, he pointed fingers at the BJP, suggesting it would orchestrate the downfall.

In an exclusive interview, Bajwa made it clear that the Congress, despite its claims, will not take steps to destabilize the AAP government. He explained that Congress wants the AAP to complete its five-year term so that the public can judge its performance. “The BJP will handle the rest,” Bajwa said, distancing his party from any direct involvement in the collapse.

Bajwa also accused the AAP of being involved in corrupt practices, with allegations of money laundering through hawala channels. He claimed that crores of rupees have gone to foreign destinations such as Australia under the AAP’s rule. Additionally, the Congress leader alleged that the Delhi model employed by AAP encourages looting.

In a strong rebuttal, the AAP accused Bajwa of already securing a ticket to join the BJP. AAP leader Neel Garg alleged that Bajwa had met senior BJP leaders in Bengaluru and warned Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to keep a close eye on him.

The AAP government has come under intense scrutiny since its defeat in Delhi earlier this month. Amidst this, the Punjab government has ramped up its anti-corruption initiatives, dismissing 52 police officers for corruption. Senior officers, including Varinder Kumar and Rajesh Tripathi, have also been suspended or reassigned as part of the government’s effort to clean up corruption in its ranks.

Continue Reading

Latest Politics News

Arvind Kejriwal wants to listen to PM Modi’s Mann Ki Baat: IIT Kanpur’s exam question goes viral

After all, who knows? The next question might involve calculating the voltage drop across Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra route or designing a heat sink for Smriti Irani’s fiery speeches.

Published

on

In a move that’s equal parts genius and cheeky, IIT Kanpur has turned the spicy political rivalry between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal into a brain-tickling engineering question. Forget boring old circuits and resistors—this exam question is all about political shade and FM radio frequencies.

The question sets the stage for Kejriwal’s crushing defeat in the Delhi elections and his now limited funds (ouch!). It then dives into the real challenge: Kejriwal wants to tune into PM Modi’s Mann Ki Baat on 105.4 MHz, but there’s a catch. He needs to design a filter that lets him listen to Vividh Bharti while blocking out two neighbouring FM channels—Radio Nasha (107.2 MHz) and FM Rainbow Lucknow (100.7 MHz)—by at least -60 dB. Oh, and thanks to his election campaign spending spree, he’s on a tight budget and can only afford a 50-ohm resistor, a variable inductor, and a variable capacitor. Tough luck, Kejriwal.

The question then asks students to help the AAP chief design this filter and calculate (a) the quality factor (Q) and (b) the values of inductance and capacitance needed. Because, apparently, even in hypothetical exam scenarios, Kejriwal can’t catch a break.

As the question went viral, IIT Kanpur was quick to clarify that this wasn’t a political jab—just a creative way to make engineering problems more engaging. “This is a common practice employed by many teachers to keep students interested. The mention of the reference in the question was intended to make the topic more relevant,” the institute said in a statement. Sure, IIT Kanpur, we believe you—but we also see what you did there.

Meanwhile, students are probably wondering if they should brush up on their politics along with their circuit designs. After all, who knows? The next question might involve calculating the voltage drop across Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra route or designing a heat sink for Smriti Irani’s fiery speeches.

In the end, this hilarious yet brilliant question proves one thing: when politics meets engineering, even exams get a dose of drama.

Continue Reading

Trending

© Copyright 2022 APNLIVE.com