National
Modi’s silence doesn’t augur well for India’s democracy (Comment)
By Saket Suman
Even as camera-friendly and Internet-savvy Prime Minister Narendra Modi waxes eloquent on his “Beti Padhao Beti Bachao” campaign, the right-wing fringe elements openly threaten a leading actress — an inspiration and role model for thousands of young Indian girls — under his government’s nose. Modi and his government have done nothing but maintain silence, ultimately amounting to indirect approval and further encouraging these elements.
The volunteers of Shri Rajput Karni Sena had earlier physically assaulted “Padmavati” director Sanjay Leela Bhansali on the sets of the movie. It’s deja vu as they are out on the streets again, mocking the “law and order” that Modi claims to have improved.
While the controversy around the movie may be looked at from different lenses — that of creative freedom and sentiments of a large community — Mahipal Singh Makrana, president of the Rajasthan unit of the outfit, shamed his community as well as the country when he stated that they would not hesitate to chop Deepika Padukone’s nose like Shurpanakha, a character in the “Ramayana” whose nose was chopped off by Lakshmana.
His comments show the deeply rooted patriarchal views at the core of his outfit’s thinking. It’s more than just the controversy over the movie and many would argue that the boiling “Rajput blood” of Makrana couldn’t resist a woman openly asserting her creative freedom. It’s that sick feeling when a man from the Stone Age has no heart to listen to a woman. Makrana is not the only one — our proud country is testimony to open barbs of many like him. The Prime Minister’s grooming too has been under an organisation with similar views — the RSS.
What is sad is the Prime Minister has not to put aside the motivations of his ideological parent and placed “India first” in his actions, as he does in his words.
And it is not an isolated instance, but the new order of the day. It seems just yesterday when Paresh Rawal, a BJP parliamentarian, had openly threatened Booker-winning author Arundhati Roy. Rawal had kicked up a storm by his tweet that urged violence against the much-acclaimed author of “The God of Small Things”. That was in sharp contrast to the otherwise comic personality he was thought to adorn.
In 2015, when leading writers returned their Sahitya Akademi awards to protest growing intolerance, many from the ruling dispensation, including Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma, had spewed venom against them.
The Modi government, as it is today, remained a mute spectator to all of these instances.
The open threat against Deepika Padukone is in gross violation of several laws and the state’s silence over it does not augur well for any thriving democracy. The government has before it the task of taking strong measures and control these outfits if we are not to turn into a banana republic of sorts.
(Saket Suman is a Principal Correspondent at IANS. The views expressed are personal. He can be contacted at [email protected])
–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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