NPR row: Did Arundhati Roy make an irresponsible statement?

After protests over CAA, NRC continue to make news headlines, this time it’s a fresh row over National Population Register (NPR) and what has highlighted this issue even more is the recent statement made by Arundhati Roy over NPR. Arundhati Roy is a well-known writer, Booker Prize winner and an activist.

In 2015, she had joined the league of writers and filmmakers who had returned their awards as a protest against the growing intolerance in the country. A case was filed against her, in 2010, for sedition for saying Kashmir was not an integral part of India. In her defence, Arundhati claimed that she “spoke about justice for the people of Kashmir who live under one of the most brutal military occupations in the world”.

Roy, a booker prize winner, even accused the Narendra Modi-led government of “promoting Brahmanism” in the name of “Hindu Rashtravad”.

On Wednesday, the writer-activist Arundhati Roy, urged Indians to furnish wrong information to the government when it asks for data for the National Population Register (NPR). Arundhati Roy said, “Whenever the officials come to collect your information for NPR, you can give wrong names like Rabga-Billa or Kungfu-kutta and also give wrong address like 7, Race Course Road.”

Her comments over NPR haven’t gone down well with the BJP leaders. Former Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chauhan slammed the writer and said, “If this is the kind of intellectuals we have in this country, then we should first get a register of these people… Arundhati Roy should be ashamed of herself. If such statements are not betraying the nation, what is?”

Firebrand BJP leader Subramanian Swamy has demanded arrest of the author under National Security Act (NSA). Swamy said that Roy’s comments over NPR amount to sedition and called her a danger for the society.

BJP leader Uma Bharti too, in one of her tweets, slammed the author for using Ranga and Billa names, who were hardcore criminals, instead of men like Ashfaqullah Khan or Ramprasad Bismil.

The Goddess of bizarre statements has drawn criticism for her irresponsible statement, across the political spectrum. This time even the Congress party, which had been opposing the current BJP led govt on issues such as NRC, NPR and CAA, has hit back at author Arundhati Roy, over her remarks on NPR.

Congress media panelist Shama Mohamed in one of his tweets, said, “What nonsense is Arundhati Roy speaking! It’s one thing to ask people to refuse to participate in the NPR, but to ask them to give out incorrect details is completely wrong. Who does she think she is! We don’t need unsolicited advice from someone who insults our Indian Army.”

The National Population Register, introduced by the UPA government in 2010, is a register of citizens in the country that will contain demographic and biometric details. On Tuesday, funds of more than Rs 3,900 crore were approved by the Union cabinet to update the register. On the same day, Amit Shah denied any link between the NPR and the NRC and said their databases could not be used for the other.

Who are Ranga and Billa?

In August 1978, Kuljeet Singh alias Ranga Khus and Jasbir Singh alias Billa, murdered two teenagers (Geeta and Sanjay), children of a senior naval officer, after subjecting them to sadistic torture. The two kidnappers were convicted and sentenced to death. The execution was carried out in 1982.

The Ranga-Billa comment made by Roy has created a stir in the country. Internet users trolled Arundhati Roy for her recent remark. However, this is not the first time Ranga and Billa’s name has been used. In 2019, even Congress leader P Chidambaram’s counsel while seeking bail in the INX Media money laundering case had brought up names of Ranga and Billa.

At home, though, Arundhati is ridiculed as a terrorist sympathiser, a Naxalite, a communist, and secessionist. The lady never skips any opportunity to take an anti-govt stand, whenever the Indian govt comes under scanner. Though, questioning the Government is not at all an easy task as it requires a lot of sacrifice and courage, but criticism just for the sake of criticizing is also not an appreciable thing to do. It is unacceptable for an author like Arundhati Roy, who enjoys such a high stature, to say such things in public.

The writer-activist should be cautious with the usage of her words. It is highly required for our politicians, activists, intellectuals and writers to first think before they speak out anything in public. Criticism should be constructive and this should not be confused with any kind of manipulation. One should always question the Govt of the day in a healthy democracy, and in a country like India we as citizens are empowered enough to accept and oppose any decision of our elected representatives.

CAB: हिंदू पाकिस्तान बनने की राह पर भारत!

source: https://www.molitics.in/article/624/npr-row-did-arundhati-Roy-make-an-irresponsible-statement

How civil society, opposition & students responded to the CAA

Amidst growing uproar over the Citizenship Amendment Act across the country, the police on Saturday, arrested the Bhim army chief Chandrashekhar Azad, outside the Jama Masjid in Delhi. Though Azad was denied a permission to protest, he was spotted in a huge crowd which gathered in front of Jama Masjid after the Friday prayers. During the protest the dalit leader was seen holding the photograph of B R Ambedkar. Slogans of ‘Jai Bhim’ rang out from the steps of Jama Masjid.

Recent crackdown by police officers on peaceful protesters is uncalled for in a healthy democracy. Earlier to this several protests and the subsequent arrest of the protesters took place in the National Capital region.

Days have passed, however, the anger against the contentious law doesn’t seem to calm down. On Friday, eleven persons were killed in several clashes between protestors and police in parts of Uttar Pradesh. Several other States which include Karnataka, West Bengal, Assam, Kerala and Gujarat remained hotbed for protests against the CAA.

After incidents of violence were reported in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister on Thursday, said that his govt will take ‘revenge’ on those involved in violence over the amended Citizenship act by auctioning their properties to compensate for the losses. Whether, this warning will act as a deterrent for those protesting against the act, is yet to be seen.

The current situation in our country compels us to ask whether the Govt has failed in discharging it’s duties and is this govts failure that scores of students are forced to come on streets to protest against the controversial bill, which is believed to be against the Indian Constitution.

One cannot deny the fact that from day one, the Modi govt was aware of the fact that the CAB once passed will lead to widespread protests in the country. However, to its failure it did not take any precautionary measures to ensure proper law and order situation in the Country. Debates over whether the CAA is an attempt by BJP to build ‘Hindu Rashtra’ have already taken place and nothing more can be said or written about the same.

Opposition is also at blame since it miserably failed to show some responsibility towards maintaing peace of the land, irresponsible/inciting speech given by our elected representatives worsened the situation further. Coming to the students role on the whole issue, it is always appreciable that the youths of our country are enlightened enough to raise their voice, whenever they feel that the Govt is misleading them.

However, the way the studenst of Jamia Milia University have protested and indulged in a large scale violence has no place in a civilized society. Students setting ablaze the buses and two wheelers and resorting to stone pelting on security persons is highly condemnable. The matter is now lying before the Supreme Court and it is now the Court that will decide the constitutional validity of the Citizenship Amendment Bill.

The apex court has scheduled January 22, as the date to conduct hearing on nearly 60 petitions challenging the Act. Nonetheless, law and order should be maintained at all costs and no one should be allowed to take law in its hands.

source: https://molitics.in/article/622/how-civil-society-opposition-students-responded-to-the-caa

Why is there an uproar over Citizenship Amendment Bill?

What actually is CAB, Citizenship Amendment Bill?

The Citizenship Amendment Bill 2019, seeks to give citizenship rights to non-muslim refugees from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. The Bill seeks to amend the definition of illegal immigrants for Hindu, Sikh, Parsi, Buddhist and Christian immigrants from these three countries who have lived in India without documentation.

The Bill has already been passed in Lower house of Parliament, though a lot of hue and cry was made by the opposition parties and social activists over its passage. If the bill is successfully passed in the Rajya Sabha, it will fast track the citizenship process as the duration will be reduced from 11 years to just six years.

Debates over the introduction of this Bill are making rounds on social media as few say it is against the interest of the minority Muslim community. However, Bhartiya Janta Party is firm on its stand as it maintains that its part of the party manifesto.

Does BJP have the required numbers for the successful passage of CAB in the Upper House?

Based on the stand taken by various parties in Lok Sabha, it appears that the ruling party will have a narrow lead in Rajya Sabha. The parties which are likely to support BJP and their respective strength in the upper house goes like this: BJP (83), AIADMK (11), JD-U (6), SAD (3), AGP (1), BPF (1), LJP (1), PMK (1), RPI (1), Nominated (3), Independents (4).

The sum totals to 115, which suggests BJP will secure the support of these political parties in the Rajya Sabha.

With 5 seats lying vacant, the strength of the house is 240 and thus the halfway mark is 120.

Parties opposing the Bill :

UPA: Congress (46), DMK (5), IUML (1), Kerala Congress (1), NCP (4), RJD (4), MDMK (1), Nominated (1). Total: 63

Non-UPA parties opposing the Bill: TMC (13), SP (9), TRS (6), CPM (5), CPI (1), BSP (4), AAP (3), PDP (2). Total: 43

Thus, parties opposing the Bill have 106 MPs in the Rajya Sabha. Besides, two Independent MPs – MP Veerendra Kumar and Ritabrata Banerjee – are also more likely to go against the Bill. This takes the number of those opposing the Bill to 108, which is 12 less than the halfway mark.

source: https://www.molitics.in/article/615/Why-is-there-an-uproar-over-Citizenship-Amendment-Bill