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THE RADICAL CONTENTS : Page No. HUMANIST Editorial : Vol. 81 Number 11, February 2018 Gujarat Assembly Elections: 4 A Win-Win Situation for All Mahi Pal Singh Monthly journal of the Indian Renaissance Institute Devoted to the development of the Renaissance Movement and to the promotion of human Articles and Features: rights, scientific temper, rational thinking and a Those Who Want Modi’s Removal on 7 humanist view of life. Any Terms Ignore the Fact that Founder Editor: He Is A Symptom, Not A Cause M.N. Roy Hartosh Singh Bal Advisor: Dr. Narisetti Innaiah Modi: Foe or Friend of Corruption 10 Editor: Prabhakar Sinha Mahi Pal Singh Master of the Roster and Judicial Norms Editorial Board: 12 Ramesh Awasthi, Rekha Saraswat, N.D. Pancholi N.D. Pancholi, Dipavali Sen In order to protect one man, 14 Printer and Publisher: the Judicial system has singularly failed Satish Chandra Varma - Sr. Adv. Dushyant Dave Send articles and reports to: Murali Krishnan Mahi Pal Singh at E-21/5-6, Sector 3, Rohini, Delhi- 110085. (M) 09312206414, 09015020456, 07042548234 'Had the SIT not balked, 18 Modi would have been facing a trial' or E-mail them to: Prasanna D Zore [email protected] or [email protected] Who Wants Probity in Public Life? 22 Please send Subscription/Donation S.N. Shukla Cheques in favour of The Radical Humanist to: Gandhi and Roy: The Interaction of 28 Satish Chandra Varma, Treasurer IRI, Ideologies in India A-1/103, Satyam Apartments, Vasundhra Dennis Dalto Enclave, Delhi- 110096. (M) 9811587576. Email ID: [email protected] Humanists' Section : Please Note: Authors will bear sole accountability Stalin’s Young Man: M.N. Roy and 32 for corroborating the facts that they give in their the Russian Revolution - 3 write-ups. Neither the IRI/the Publisher, nor the Editor of this journal will be responsible for Need of the Day is the Philosophy of testing the validity and authenticity of statements 35 & information cited by the authors. Also, Humanism sometimes some articles published in this journal Ramesh Korde may carry opinions not similar to the Radical Humanist philosophy; but they would be Aanvikshiki (Philosophy) - 1 entertained here if the need is felt to debate and 40 discuss them. Professor K. Venkateswarlu February 2018 THE RADICAL HUMANIST 3 Editorial : Gujarat Assembly Elections: A Win-Win Situation for All Mahi Pal Singh Although the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) desperately wants to make the Prime Minister has been able to retain power even after of the country, can be happy that he has at least remaining in power in the state for the last 22 one electoral success to boast of after a long years, Gujarat Legislative Assembly election list of failures and utter failures in the past 2017 results have not let down even the including the failure in the Himachal Pradesh Congress party. In fact, it is a win-win situation elections held simultaneously where the for all. The BJP can still be happy that it has Congress lost its government to the BJP by 22 retained power by winning 99 seats, although it to 46 seats. Those in the Congress who would has failed to reach anywhere near the declared like to give the credit of winning 77 seats in target of 150 seats in an assembly of 182 seats Gujarat to Rahul Gandhi should not undermine as declared by Amit Shah, the party president. the role of Hardik-Jignesh-Alpesh trio, who were It can also be happy that in spite of falling short against the anti-people policies and actions of of the tally of 115 seats it had in the outgoing the BJP government at the centre and in the assembly by 16, in terms of the vote percentage state and also campaigned vigorously against it has gained 1% above the previous tally it had the BJP in the Gujarat elections. in the 2012 elections despite the demonetisation The people of Gujarat can feel satisfied that of high currency notes of Rs. 1000 and 500 they have issued a strong warning to the BJP, denomination in November 2016 which had Amit Shah and Narendra Modi, their local boys, resulted in the closure of lakhs of businesses by reducing the number of their seats and giving and rendered crores of people jobless and the them a strong opposition in the Assembly, that implementation of Goods and Services Tax they cannot win the 2019 Parliamentary (GST) which has further deteriorated the elections merely on the basis of ‘Jumlebazi’ position of businessmen and traders. The BJP (‘slogan mongering’) and must really fulfil their has already declared its happiness that it now electoral promises to retain the support of the rules in 19 states, in more than even what Indira people. Gandhi did when she was at the height of her The other parties opposed to the BJP must popularity. be feeling happy that in spite of not losing power The Congress Party can be happy that it has in Gujarat, it is not invincible, as Amit Shah and won 77 seats, the highest in the last 22 years Narendra Modi would have us believe, as the and also increased its vote percentage by 2%, Gujarat elections also show that the BJP would 1% above the BJP. Mrs Sonia Gandhi, and all have lost the elections but for Narendra Modi’s the sycophants in the party who have to depend rhetoric of being a local boy and playing the on the Nehru-Gandhi family’s name for getting victim card of abuses at the hands of the popular votes simply because on their own they opposition and making it a question of the pride cannot win their own seats even as they have and honour of all the Gujarati people, instead of broken contact with the people completely, will pronouncing the word ‘vikas’ (‘development’) be happy that her son, Rahul Gandhi, who she even once in the whole election campaign with 4 THE RADICAL HUMANIST February 2018 which he had come to power in 2014. The Prime the Congress and also that in electoral politics Minister even brought in ‘Pakistan conspiracy the votes of one ally do not necessarily get to defeat his party in Gujarat’, a highly transferred to the other ally whereas the blame irresponsible remark made on the basis of one of the misdoings of one ally takes away the votes or two diplomats of Pakistan attending a party of even those voters who would otherwise vote at the residence of Mani Shankar Aiyar, a for the party. Such alliances are sometimes, former diplomat and leader of the Congress, in even if by the opponents, called ‘unholy’ which former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan alliances and punished accordingly by the voters. Singh and many other guests were present. The actual hope of defeating the BJP in the It is also clear from these elections that in a next general elections in 2019 rests with the bipolar election other non-Congress secular state level parties, particularly where they have parties can defeat the BJP if even the Congress a bipolar contest against the BJP. In the run-up Party, which had been rejected badly by the to the general elections, there are going to be people earlier, can give a strong fight to the BJP state assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, as it has done in Gujarat. The people are fed up Rajasthan and Karnataka. The BJP rules in the with the BJP and its indulgence in non issues first two and the Congress in the last one and like cow and beef, divisive agenda of Hindutva, there are no other parties worth the name. It anti Muslim and anti Scheduled Caste stance will thus be a direct bipolar election between manifested in various incidents, killing dissent the BJP and the Congress. In spite of all the in every form and calling all dissenters anti- infirmities, the Congress will be the beneficiary nationals, banning books, films and speeches of the discontent against the BJP and of the which do not subscribe to the Hindutva ideology anti-incumbency factor in Madhya Pradesh and of the RSS etc. instead of devoting their energies Rajasthan as it is the only opposition party in in governing the country in accordance with their both these states, and in Karnataka the fight slogan of ‘sabka saath, sabka vikas’. At the will be between the anti-incumbency against the same time people continue to be averse to the central government led by Narendra Modi and Congress because of its ‘corrupt’ tag, even after against the state government led by some of its leaders having been acquitted in Siddharamaiah of the Congress. The outcome cases like the 2G spectrum allocation. People of the elections of these three states in 2018 have also not accepted Rahul Gandhi, the last will be very crucial and will project to a large dynast of the Nehru-Gandhi family in politics, extent the outcome of the general elections in as a capable and deserving leader to lead the 2019. For the Congress, and also for Rahul country although he is being projected as the Gandhi, the results of elections in these three Prime Ministerial candidate of the Congress. states will determine whether they will survive In fact, even Akhilesh Yadav, the previous Chief or perish politically, almost completely. Minister of U.P. whose Samajvadi Party lost to After the very hard fought, and won the BJP in the last Assembly elections very badly, marginally, the election in Gujarat left many has declared his intentions to contest the next bruises on the face and heart of the BJP.