National
Proto-fascist force in power at the centre, says Teesta Setalvad
Kolkata, Oct 31 (IANS) Terming the central government a proto-fascist force, human rights activist Teesta Setalvad on Tuesday said the freedom of speech and right to question to the established set-up is being immensely curtailed under the present regime.
“We have a proto-fascist force in power at the centre. It is not the BJP government at the centre, it is the RSS government at the centre that fundamentally believes in overthrowing the constitutional norms and establishing an aggressive Hindu state,” she said at a seminar organised on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Communist Party of India-Marxist’s Bengali mouthpiece ‘Ganashakti’ here.
“So much space for talks has already been lost. The politics has reached an all time low. It is time for intense reflection at so many levels. Every structure of our democracy has got further hegemonic rather than becoming more democratised, be it our judiciary or the education system,” said Setalvad, who moved the Gujarat High Court against the state’s BJP government for filing an FIR against her.
Coming down heavily on the Election Commission for not taking steps to make election funding more transparent, she said the entire election process in the country is rigged by money at present.
“The EC only counts what an individual spends in his constituency, not what the party spends in that constituency. Therefore it is a completely hypocritical set up. Why does the EC not look at what a party spends on the whole and then decide whether it is balanced election or not?”
She also appealed to the opposition to find a way to have a fair and democratic election where money plays a transparent role.
The activist alleged that the government was deliberately cutting down the scholarships at the post graduate level to squash the voice of dissent rising from the young students and claimed that the issue needs “huge political mobilisation”.
“The kind of cut backs in the PG seats that UGC is doing needs to be a matter of huge political mobilisation which it has not become. 25,000 UGC scholarships were cut back last year while 35,000 scholarships are likely to be cut back now and that means the government does not want this section to come up and question the set up,” she alleged.
Setalvad said a section of the society gets benefited by multiple pay commissions while 93 percent of the nation’s population is still languishing in the unorganised sectors. She alleged there was hardly anyone interested to talk about dignity of labour or minimum wages for the unorganised sectors.
Setalvad, who has worked for over 30 years in the area of minority rights, said the minority communalism in the country should be tackled with equal intent as majority communalism since both feed on each other.
“We have Hindu Mahasabha at one hand, the Muslim League on the other and then there is RSS that is actually asking for a religion based nation. All three are equally dangerous. The majority communalism does have the capacity to bring in proto fascism but the minority communalism is equally harmful for the nation,” she added.
–IANS
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Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.
The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.
Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.
Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.
For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.
During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.
Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.
Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .
Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.
In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.
In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.
He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.
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