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India has ‘decentralized’ Emergency: Shourie
Kolkata, Jan 26 (IANS) Describing the current political situation in India as a “sort of decentralized Emergency”, renowned journalist and former Union Minister Arun Shourie on Friday said there is a “climate of fear” and “helplessness” in the country.
“The immediate circumstances are that today we have not a centralized Emergency but sort of decentralized Emergency… There is climate of fear and a sense of helplessness which I did not see during the Emergency,” he said at the Tata Steel Kolkata Literary Meet here.
“Forces that are to battle against this situation are divided. I have been long saying that you have to recognise the mortal danger that (Narendra) Modi and others represent to the country,” he added.
According to Shourie, there has been over the last 30-40 years a decline in the quality of persons in public life.
“The decline … is the great problem. Even you look at the persons who were involved in the fight against the Emergency, their quality and the quality of persons today. There is a vast difference… That is the central problem for India today.”
He also questioned the system of selecting rulers in India. “This is not the way to select rulers for a billion people.
Asked to spell out the constructive steps to ensure that better quality persons come to public life, he said: “We can think of stricter qualifications for persons who enter the legislature.”
“Whoever is in office controls the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation)… The CBI and others are instruments of the rulers. The CBI was the instrument of that (Manmohan Singh) government as three inquiries were conducted against Arun Shourie and they did not find anything. The difference is Modi’s small group of two-three persons have no shame, no limit to the use of such instruments.”
The former World Bank economist also criticized the Modi government over non-performing assets in the banking sector.
“The bad loans have become such a mountain that the government, instead of dealing with that, is putting money into a bottomless well. Therefore, they can’t have enough money and Provident Funds are being invested in stock markets, insurance companies are investing in stock market. It boosts the stock market but endangers our savings,” he said.
Attacking the media, he said over time the media had become “the part of establishment” and “the instrument of rulers”.
“This has happened in many ways. One is the ingress of large corporate houses into the media. We would have thought that these people have deep pockets and therefore they can stand up to state better. Actually, they have varied business interest.. .and they do not stand up to the state.
“That is one of the principal reasons on account of which we are not getting the whole truth today,” he said.
He also said that the ideology of the media had changed.
According to Shourie, earlier the media’s passion was public issues while “today the passion is to make money”.
–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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