April Ank 2018 Curve
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THE RADICAL CONTENTS : Page No. Editorial : HUMANIST The Indian Taliban is at it Again 4 Mahi Pal Singh Vol. 82 Number 1, April 2018 Articles and Features : Can statue breakers and skull breakers ever 7 dream of achieving these things! Monthly journal of the Indian Renaissance Institute Sankara Narayanan Devoted to the development of the Renaissance Movement and to the promotion of human Both Nehru and Patel were 8 rights, scientific temper, rational thinking and a the need of hour in 1947-48; humanist view of life. Justice (Retd.) Rajindar Sachar Is a federal party possible? 10 Founder Editor: Kuldip Nayar M.N. Roy BJP Ideology and Future of 12 Scientific Enterprise in India Advisor: Ram Puniyani Dr. Narisetti Innaiah Charles Darwin Editor: 14 Vinod Jain Mahi Pal Singh Why Modi has forgotten the middle class 15 Editorial Board: Shekhar Gupta Ramesh Awasthi, Rekha Saraswat, “We, the sovereign people of India” and 18 N.D. Pancholi, Dipavali Sen Our Elected Representatives K. Pratap Reddy Printer and Publisher: Bhanubhai’s Charred Body Is Proof 19 Satish Chandra Varma That Casteism Remains a Burning Issue Anirban Bhattacharya Send articles and reports to: Against Deification Mahi Pal Singh at E-21/5-6, 22 Maryam Hussain Sector 3, Rohini, Delhi- 110085. (M) 09312206414, 09015020456, 07042548234 IHEU Board member Gulalai Ismail accused of 25 ‘blasphemy’, takes accuser to court for or E-mail them to: “Criminal Intimidation” [email protected] or IHEU Admin [email protected] “Unsure Israel Seeks Peace with Palestinians” 27 Jawaharlal Jasthi Please send Subscription/Donation Why is the West praising Malala, but ignoring Ahed? 29 Cheques in favour of Shenila Khoja-Moolji Where Canvas is Human Value - 1 The Radical Humanist to: 31 Dr. Ashok K. Choudhury Satish Chandra Varma, Treasurer IRI, A-1/103, Satyam Apartments, Vasundhra Students’ and Researchers’ Section: Enclave, Delhi- 110096. (M) 9811587576. Marital Rape 35 Email ID: [email protected] Nipun Laroia Book Review Section: Please Note: Authors will bear sole accountability Fair and Unfair 36 for corroborating the facts that they give in their Dipavali Debroy write-ups. Neither the IRI/the Publisher, nor the RHA instead of LPG 38 Editor of this journal will be responsible for Dipavali Sen testing the validity and authenticity of statements Sharm Inko Magar Nahin Aati: Yet They Do Not Feel Ashamed 40 & information cited by the authors. Also, 1. You value a rape at Rs 6,500? SC rebukes Madhya Pradesh over ‘charity’ sometimes some articles published in this journal 2. Indian Minister challenges Darwin's theory at an official function! may carry opinions not similar to the Radical 'Eddie' via Bharat Chintan Humanist philosophy; but they would be 3. Caught on Camera: BJP MLA, son thrash toll plaza employee entertained here if the need is felt to debate and discuss them. Rationalist and Humanist Activities: Andhra Pradesh 42 April 2018 THE RADICAL HUMANIST 3 Editorial : Mahi Pal Singh The Indian Taliban is at it Again When vandals of the Bharatiya Janata Party burn offices and properties but they cannot kill (BJP), the Shiv Sena and the Vishwa Hindu thoughts and ideologies. We may disagree with Parishad entered the premises of the Babri what great leaders like Lenin thought and did, Masjid at Ayodhya, climbed on top of its domes but we cannot erase them from history and the armed with heavy iron rods and hammers in minds of the people. But it is too much to expect hundreds and demolished it on 6th of December street goons to know that the thoughts of Lenin 1992 their act was no different from the act of had inspired the spirit of revolt against repression the Taliban in Afghanistan when it demolished and servitude and to be masters of their own the two giant Buddha statues carved into the destinies in crores of people belonging to half hillside nearly 2,000 years ago, busy erasing all the world. They have proved that they really traces of a rich pre-Islamic past, first with tank belong to the BJP and the RSS which represent shells, and when even they did not have much the forces not of creation but destruction. They effect, by tying explosives on the bodies of the are destroying democratic institutions by statues and blowing it with remote control. The subverting them and imposing their own ideology valley, visited by Buddhist pilgrims for hundreds on the educational, literary and cultural of years, was closed to foreigners a month institutions by stuffing them with ignorant but before this demolition. In both the cases the loyal followers of the Hindutva ideology of the vandals erased historical structures which did RSS; killing constitutional values of secularism not fit into their plan and ideology, completely by inciting communalism; scientific and rational disrespecting those who considered them thinking by introducing and promoting subjects important and holy. The two incidents also like astrology in place of astronomy. The list of reflected intolerance of the ruling dispensation BJP’s failures, broken promises, retrograde of everything belonging to and held in esteem steps and anti-people policies is long, too long. by ‘others’. In Tamil Nadu the followers of the BJP/RSS The uneducated vandals of the B.J.P. were started damaging the statues of E.V. Ramasami again at their destructive best when they pulled Periyar, who promoted the principles of down the statues of Lenin with the help of bull- rationalism, self-respect, women’s rights and dozers at Belonia and Sabroom in Tripura in the eradication of caste and in Muzaffarnagar in wake of the results of the Tripura Legislative U.P. and elsewhere, those of Dr. B.R. Assembly elections declared on 3rd March 2018 Ambedkar, one of the most respected Dalit icon, showed that the BJP had won the election by who inspired the Dalit Buddhist Movement and 43 seats against the tally of 16 won by the left, campaigned against social discrimination against dislodging the 25 years old rule of the CPI (M). Dalits, while also supporting the rights of women Celebrating an election victory is wholly justified and labour. There was instant reaction and for any political party, but the BJP goons went expression of outrage not only from their on a rampage throughout the state attacking followers belonging to the Scheduled Castes but people, their houses, burning CPI (M) offices also from intellectuals and Dalit and Human etc. These rampaging crowds do not know that Rights activists. In the case of Tripura they can pull down statues of great icons and demolition and burning incidents, the top BJP 4 THE RADICAL HUMANIST April 2018 leadership did not issue any statement of that can happen to it, the SP and the BSP have condemnation, but in the latter case fearing large decided to fight it together in U.P. If they had scale reaction and backlash from Dalits and joined hands against the BJP in 2014, the party consequent vote loss for the party, both the BJP would have lost more than half the seats it won. president, Amit Shah and Prime Minister, Given the disenchantment of the people with it, Narendra Modi, came out with statements the BJP will not be able to win more than 20-25 advising their workers not to indulge in such seats at its best in 2019. And in view of its likely incidents. The move was, obviously, aimed at loss in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, it will damage control. not be able to reach a tally of even 150 seats. However, the irreparable damage had been Mamata Banerjee is trying to bring together done. The BJP’s utter negligence of the various parties ruling in states and form a federal Scheduled Castes and other marginalised front to challenge the BJP in a concerted sections, including the minorities, accentuated manner. That should further worry the BJP by incidents of their beating and lynching, was party bosses. It is quite possible that they are already turning these sections against the BJP. seeing the shape of things to come in 2019 but Vandalizing the statues of their icons further pretending to be self confident, which is nothing exposed the real character of the saffron brigade more than self-deceit. and added to their anger. This anger found its So far as their poll performance in various expression in the coming together of the Socialist state elections are concerned, in many of them Party led by Akhilesh Yadav and the Bahujan they have been able to come to power through Samaj Party led by Ms. Mayawati which manipulations. In Tripura they have had a resulted in BJP’s crushing defeat in the U.P. resounding victory. The verdict of the people bye-elections for the Phulpur and Gorakhpur must be honoured. Now the people of Tripura Parliamentary constituencies held in March have given themselves a BJP government. 2018, the latter which was earlier held by Yogi Whether they have taken a wise step by Adityanath, the present Chief Minister, who had defeating an honest and performing government won from there five times, by a margin of 21,916 led by a thoroughly honest person as Chief and the former held earlier and vacated by Minister will be known after a few years. They Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, deserve the government which they have by a margin of nearly 60,000 votes. elected, good or bad in the same manner as the The defeats of the Bharatiya Janata Party people of the country deserved the BJP in all the parliamentary bye-elections one after government led by Prime Minister Narendra another from Alwar and Ajmer in Rajasthan, Modi, even though they gave him only 31 % Araria in Bihar and the two VIP seats in Uttar votes in 2014.