May we sue God Ramchandra for the Genocides committed on his name?
This Ramsetu project whether violets or not the sanctity of God Ram, it surely violets srilanka`s freedom and sovereignty. Becuse the ram sdetu project endangers the very existence of Srilanka which is prone to Tsunami.
Palash Biswas
Contact: Palash C Biswas, C/O Mrs Arati Roy, Gosto Kanan, Sodepur, Kolkata- 700110, India. Phone: 91-033-25659551
Fatwa against Salman Khan for attending Ganesh puja
Zee News - 3 hours ago
New Delhi, Sept 20: Fresh out of Jail in the Chinkara poaching case, the perpetual ?bad guy? of Bollywood Salman Khan is in trouble again.
Salman & Sonu attend Ganpati pooja Times of India
How Bollywood celebrated Ganesh Chaturthi Sify
CNN-IBN
Appeal against Lalu's acquittal in DA case maintainable: Patna HC
TopNews - 7 hours ago
Patna, Sept 20 The Patna High Court today said that a Bihar Government's petition challenging the acquittal of Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav and his wife Rabri Devi in a disproportionate assets (DA) case was maintainable.
Bihar govt's appeal against Lalu's acquittal maintainable: HC Hindu
High Court Admits Petition against Lalu's Acquittal in DA Case Patna Daily
May we sue God ramchandra for the Genocides committed on his name?Though UPA wants to review Ram Setu project, T R Baalu says its no rollback.
The astronaut Sunita Williams will attend a prayer meeting at Gandhi's Sabarmati Ashram.
India is isolated in this geopolitics bacause Indian Polity is too busy to save the interests of Galaxy Post Modern Manusmriti order.
Ramsetu controversy also involves Srilanka. The very srilanka whaich was lit on fire by the Great hanuman and Conquered by God Ram to punish the Brahmin Raksas king Ravan for Kidnapping good Sita. it is the same Srilanka which is torn in civil war and rajiv Gandhi interfered in Jafna! Now neither the DMK ruling the state of Tamilnadu, nor the Government of India does care the srilancan version of the episode. This project whether violets or not the sanctity of God Ram, it surely violets srilanka`s freedom and sovereignty. Becuse the ram sdetu project endangers the very existence of Srilanka which is prone to Tsunami. The project disturbs the ecosyatem and marine life in srilankan Sea. But the Hindu Brigade neglects this vital environmental point and launches an Anti dramuk, anti Black Untouchable movement to polarise the Hindu Vote bank. Karunanidhi and the UPA government in centre oblige. As the Brahminical Hegemony is quite dependent on anti DMK sentiment,Islamophobia and intense dalit hatred.
Culture Minister Ambika Soni sounded despondent after meeting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday to brief him about a government affidavit that has sparked a huge row by questioning the existence of Lord Ram.
"I have explained to the Prime Minister the course of events. I have submitted all the papers. He heard me patiently. I am content with the meeting," Soni told reporters after her nearly 30-minute talks at Singh's official residence here.
A day after the controversial affidavit on Ram Setu affidavit was filed in the Supreme Court, Culture Minister Ambika Soni got a call from an angry Congress President Sonia Gandhi and was reprimanded by her.
AFP reports from WASHINGTON: A court in Nebraska is being asked to cast judgement on the ultimate judge -- God.State lawmaker Ernie Chambers filed a lawsuit Friday against the Almighty -- acknowledging he/she goes by numerous aliases -- for causing "fearsome floods, egregious earthquakes, horrendous hurricanes, terrifying tornadoes, pestilential plagues" and other alliterative catastrophes.The suit, Chambers vs God, asks the court for a "permanent injunction ordering defendant (God) to cease certain harmful activities and the making of terrorist threats" which affect innumerable persons, including Chambers's constituents.It asserts that God is "the admitted perpetrator" of such acts and said that God's omnipresence gives the local Douglas County District Court jurisdiction in the suit, adding that God's omniscience eliminates the need to issue a formal notice of the lawsuit.
Chambers told local media he filed the suit to make a point about frivolous lawsuits frequently seen in US courts, citing a recent one against a judge.He asked the court to award him an unspecified summary judgment against God, or, in the alternative, issue a permanent injunction against God engaging in the damaging acts cited in the filing.
Neither God nor his/her spokespersons could be contacted for comment.
In a significant change in the stand, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK President M Karunanidhi today indicated that he would not mind if the Sethusamudram Shipping Channel Project (SSCP) was implemented without demolishing the controversial ''Ram Sethu''.
Talking to newspersons at party headquarters Anna Arivalayam here, after chairing a high-level party meeting, he said the SSCP, which was a 100 year old dream of the Tamils, should be implemented with or without demolishing ''Ram Sethu''.Asked whether it would be acceptable to him if the project was implemented without causing damage to ''Ram Sethu'', the Dravidian patriarch said ''it was never their stand that the bridge should be demolished,. and they only wanted the Sethusamudram project to be implemented''.
This was a 100 year old dream of the Tamils and the implementation of the project would bring prosperity, not only to Tamil Nadu, but the entire Southern states, he said.
Mr Karunanidhi said experts and economists have also opined that the project, once implemented would considerably reduce the shipping time, besides increasing the trade activity and bring prosperity.Turning down Bhratiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L K Advani's demand that he retract his remarks against Lord Ram and Ramayana, Mr Karunanidhi said he had only quoted saint Valmiki, the author of Ramayana, while making the remarks.
On Mr Advani taking exception to his questioning the existence of Lord Ram, saying that one could question the miracles of Jesus Christ and Moses, and not their existence, Mr Karunanidhi reiterated he had only quoted what Valimiki had said about Ram.
Lord Ram it seems is the chosen one for all controversies this season.
After the Sethusamudram project gave BJP a chance to attack the Centre for its controversial affidavit denying the existence of Ram, the party has come out with another venture in Madhya Pradesh called Rampath Project.
Under this, the state government will join the places in the state through which Lord Ram is believed to have carved his way down South
According to the Ramayan, while travelling towards the south, Ram passed through Satna, Mandla and Balaghat in Madhya Pradesh.
The state government has asked the archaeological department to gather concrete evidence on Ram's journey. It plans to transform the route Ram took into a religious site.
The war of words over the Ram Setu degenerated into a bitter slander match on Thursday with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi calling Lord Ram a ?drunkard? and a ?big lie?.
Karunanidhi reacted with these bitter words after senior BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani on Thursday asked him to withdraw his statement about Ram, saying ?people at the helm of affairs do not force contempt on others as far as religious affairs are concerned.?
?I want the Tamil Nadu CM to withdraw his statement about Ram. I respect Karunanidhi for being an atheist. But people at the helm of affairs do not force contempt on others as far as religious affairs are concerned,? Advani, the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, said.
He pointed out that even the PM was upset about the Ram Setu controversy.
Karunanidhi shot back in no time, saying he remains firm on his stand. ?I will not withdraw my statement."
Ram is as big a lie as big as the truth of the existence of the Ganges and the Himalayas," he said. The TN Chief Minister even went on to call Lord Ram a 'drunkard'.
"Even Valmiki has said that Ram was a drunkard. I urge Advani to get into a debate with me after reading Valmiki's Ramayana," Karunanidhi said.
In the wake of the Ram Setu controversy, Karunanidhi had described Lord Ram as a ?mythical hero? and vowed to not go back on the Sethusamudram project.
?Is there any proof of Ram having built the bridge, or that he had the engineering expertise? There was no person in the name of Ram. The story of Ram is authored by Valmiki in Ramayana. There are so many things that Valmiki has said about Ram," Karunanidhi said.
On Tuesday evening, Karunanidhi daughter Selvi's house in Bangalore was attacked by unidentified miscreants in a development that was seen as a fallout of his comments. Karunanidhi slammed the attackers, saying "they showed the culture of Ram Bhaktas (worshippers). I treat these things like a speck of dust. I welcome such opposition.?
''The Ram Sevaks have proved their culture. I reiterate what I had said. There is no historical proof that Rama existed or of the bridge been built,'' he said.
Advani, who was at Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu on Thursday, described DMK as the second 'destabilising force' in the UPA Government after the Left, and alleged that the party was making its own interpretations and issuing statements on the 'Ram Setu.'
?After the Left, the DMK had become the second destabilizing force in the government,? he said and demanded Karunanidhi to withdraw his remarks on Lord Ram and the Ramayana.
He also urged the Centre to fix ministerial responsibility on those who filed the affidavit on Ram Sethu and appropriately penalise them.
Predicting mid-term elections in early 2008, Advani told a press conference that he foresaw a ?radical political change? in the country after the next General Elections.
Full coverage: Ram Sethu controversy
http://sify.com/news/fullcover.php?event_id=14526974
"I am a loyal Congress worker and would abide by the decision of the party president," she said, when asked if she would put in her papers over the issue that has embarrassed the ruling party.
Congress leaders Jairam Ramesh, who is also the Minister of State for Commerce, and R K Dhawan had suggested that Soni should step down over the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) affidavit. The ASI has since withdrawn the affidavit, and Ramesh has regretted his public remarks.
A visibly upset Soni maintained that she was not hurt by the attacks from within her party.
"There is no such thing (as feeling hurt) in politics. One has to learn and go ahead," she said, sounding despondent.
"I have been honest. But I realise that it is tough to be honest and it is not enough. You may have to do other things also," she said.
Although Soni had been trying to meet the Prime Minister for the last few days to explain her position, she could not do so as Manmohan Singh was advised rest after his prostate surgery last weekend.
The Minister had cancelled plans to attend the IncredibleIndia@60 festival in New York, pending the meeting with Manmohan Singh.
Soni, who expressed her willingness to quit over the row, had earlier met Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
The ASI functions under Soni's Ministry of Culture. The affidavit was filed to justify the government plan to build a canal in the sea dividing India and Sri Lanka.
Thousands of people from across the United States descended on a small town in central Louisiana on Thursday to protest what they say is injustice against six black teenagers charged over a high school fight.
Protesters arrived in buses and cars from cities as far away and apart as New York, Atlanta, Los Angeles and New Orleans for a rally in support of the "Jena 6."
The case has become a symbol for many African Americans of a wider struggle against racism and perceived discrimination against black males by the criminal justice system.
"I feel like it (injustice against blacks) has been happening for years and ... (the "Jena 6" incident) is just one of those things that gets national attention," said Esau Dorrough, a retailer who took two days off work and travelled nine hours by bus from Atlanta to attend the protest.
The case has its origins in an incident in August last year when three nooses were found hanging from a tree at the high school in the town of 3,000 northwest of New Orleans.
Black residents said that incident stoked tension in the town and in December the teenagers were charged with assault after a white schoolmate was beaten up.
Charges against some of the boys were later raised to attempted murder, drawing accusations from protesters that they had been excessively charged. Those charges have since been reduced.
For many blacks the "Jena 6" has attained the status of a modern-day version of the incidents that punctuated the U.S. civil rights movement in the 1960s.
Word about it has spread through the black community partly through syndicated radio shows by civil rights leader Al Sharpton and popular disc jockey Michael Baisden but the case has remained little known among the wider U.S. public.
Thousands of people from across the United States descended on a small town in central Louisiana on Thursday to protest what they say is injustice against six black teenagers charged over a high school fight.
Protesters arrived in buses and cars from cities as far away and apart as New York, Atlanta, Los Angeles and New Orleans for a rally in support of the "Jena 6."
The case has become a symbol for many African Americans of a wider struggle against racism and perceived discrimination against black males by the criminal justice system.
"I feel like it (injustice against blacks) has been happening for years and ... (the "Jena 6" incident) is just one of those things that gets national attention," said Esau Dorrough, a retailer who took two days off work and travelled nine hours by bus from Atlanta to attend the protest.
The case has its origins in an incident in August last year when three nooses were found hanging from a tree at the high school in the town of 3,000 northwest of New Orleans.
Black residents said that incident stoked tension in the town and in December the teenagers were charged with assault after a white schoolmate was beaten up.
Charges against some of the boys were later raised to attempted murder, drawing accusations from protesters that they had been excessively charged. Those charges have since been reduced.
For many blacks the "Jena 6" has attained the status of a modern-day version of the incidents that punctuated the U.S. civil rights movement in the 1960s.
Word about it has spread through the black community partly through syndicated radio shows by civil rights leader Al Sharpton and popular disc jockey Michael Baisden but the case has remained little known among the wider U.S. public.
France's lower house National Assembly adopted an immigration bill on Thursday containing plans to demand DNA tests from immigrants which have sparked opposition inside President Nicolas Sarkozy's government.Sarkozy, who made national identity a major theme of his presidential election campaign earlier this year, has promised to crack down on illegal immigration.But several members of his new government have criticised the new bill, which includes language tests for would-be immigrants and DNA tests to verify the ties between immigrants and relatives they want to bring to France.The left-wing opposition voted against the bill, which the Senate, the upper house, will debate next month.An amendment proposing the DNA tests passed easily, but
Ref: - Great implications of Ram Setu controversy on Babri Masjid dispute & on future of SAARC.- This time, Sangh Parivar should not be allowed to get away.-
Tuesday September 18 2007 11:16:30 AM BDT
Hem Raj Jain, India
When in late eighties Ram Janmbhoomi ? Babri Masjid (RJBM) dispute came to the fore, Hindus (motivated / persuaded also by their Saints) in great numbers joined this movement in favor of retrieving Babri Masjid site to built a Ram Mandir over there which is claimed to be the birth place of Lord Rama. Many Hindus in great numbers also joined Hindutva political parties BJP (a member of Sangh Parivar comprising RSS, Vishwa Hindu Parishad etc.) and Shiv Sena in order to contribute politically for the realization of this mission.
Without going in to the merit of sub-judice matter whether or not the Babri Masjid is - the birth place of Lord Rama / constructed over demolished Rama temple, this RJBM dispute powerfully struck a chord in most of the Hindus because Muslims (under their past invaders and rulers) have been widely portrayed in Hindu psyche as demolishers of large numbers of Hindu temples (including of Jains) and committers of huge violence and cruelty to Hindus.
This grudge of Hindus is further compounded by widely held Hindu belief that: -
(a)- Muslims were (as always, as per Hindu's belief) already on the run by the time of early eighteen century (end of Aurangzeb era) and but for the intervention of Britishers Hindus would have driven out most of the offending Muslims and their rulers from India.
(b)- The only mother land of Hindus (India) was partitioned in 1947 by Muslim.
Therefore also in view of the section 5 of The Places of Worship (Special Provision) Act 1991, where the status quo (as on August 15, 1947) of all religious places is to be maintained except of sub-judice RJBM, Hindus (including Jains) saw in RJBM dispute (and in Mandir movement) an opportunity to symbolically and non-violently take a revenge (retributive justice) against the said historic excesses of Muslims (by reconstructing Ram Mandir over there by getting Babri Masjid demolished through the due process of law).
In this Mandir movement it was given to understand that if judiciary does not grant Babri Masjid to Hindus for making Ram Mandir over there then Hindus would resort to legitimate political remedy of filling the jails in millions in order to secure (through Parliament) this relief (similarly as Gandhiji filled jails non-violently in order to secure India's independence from Britain).
Here it is in context to add that this non-violent approach was adopted also due the realization that the Muslims of contemporary India has nothing to do with the historical excess of Muslim rulers and invaders. Therefore symbolic revenge was considered to be enough to heal the deep emotional scars of Hindus inflicted by Muslims of yore.
It became increasingly clear by 2001 that judicial relief is not forthcoming at least in foreseeable future. Hence people of India [who brought Hindutva parties of NDA which were responsible for unethical demolition of Babri Masjid in 1992 (triggering Mumbai riots & other riots 1992-93 and Mumbai blast 1993) in power at center on Mandir movement] stared pressurizing Hindutva parties for filling the jails in millions as envisaged & promised.
But Sangh Parivar being comfort loving and anti State declined to do so and instead started relying on illegal & unethical methods which not only did not bring any relief to the protagonists of Mandir movement but also culminated in Godhra carnage & Gujarat pogrom 2002 in which about hundred of innocent Hindus and thousands of innocent Muslims were killed. (Here it is in context to mention that whether a political party is pro or anti State is decided not so much by its behavior when it is in opposition but mainly when it is in power).
The amount of sufferings and dishonor undergone by the people (who got associated with this Mandir movement) due to this betrayal of Hindutva political parties (which shirked from non-violent political approach of filling the jails in millions) can be gauged by only those who have experienced it.
Therefore now in this Ram Setu controversy (where Supreme Court has granted three months time to Government of India to file fresh affidavit) and where Sangh Parivar is again whipping up the religious sentiments of Hindus, it should be ensured by people of India that: -
(1)- Sangh Parivar ask Hindus to apply at appropriate authority to claim Ram Setu as their religious place and Hindus should maintain and control it as such (in case this prayer is not granted then Sangh Parivar can fill up the jails in millions in order to get the intended relief from Parliament).
(2)- Without either Hindus getting Ram Setu as their religious place or Government of India declaring it as Protected & Ancient monument, Secular Indian State should not allow Hindu religious frenzy to dictate its decisions, conduct and behavior while deciding Setu Samudram project (navigation canal) between India and Sri Lanka.
Supreme Court of Hindu majority 'secular' India has already burnt its fingers in RJBM dispute where it's secular credentials is widely perceived to have been compromised seriously (whether, despite Article 141, 142 & 144 of The Constitution, it is the failure of restoration of status-quo-ante of Babri Masjid which was demolished in presence of Supreme Court's observer or partiality in favor of Hindus against Muslims in prosecuting accused of (post Babri Masjid demolition) Mumbai riots vis-?is Mumbai blast or inordinate delay in ensuring the judgment of the title suit in RJBM dispute or in punishing the accused of Babri Masjid demolition etc.)
Therefore in this Ram Setu controversy, which has great implications also on: -
(i)- Sub-judice RJBM dispute.
(ii)- Future of "Federation / United States of Democratic Secular SAARC countries" which is bound to become a reality sooner than later in view of the great strategic interest being taken by powerful international community in South Asia in the back drop of - growing economic importance of this region, political problems / instability going on in most of the SAARC countries around India and unresolved Kashmir problem between contending nuclear powers.
- It is leally expected that Supreme Court of India (which took suo-motto cognizance of widely televised mass agitation, led three months back by Gujjar community, demanding their reservation in Schedule Tribe category) will also take suo-motto cognizance of widely televised larger mass agitation led by Sangh Parivar on September 12, 2007 which was primarily meant to pressurize Indian State to jettison constitutionally mandated secularism and to acquiesce to communal pressures of Sangh Parivar.
Yours truly
Hem Raj Jain
India
On India : Setu Samudram & Politics
Wednesday September 19 2007 14:21:16 PM BDT
Tanveer Jafri , India
http://www.bangladesh-web.com/view.php?hidRecord=171510
A fter giving air to the issue Ram Janm Bhumi-Babri Masjid at Ayodhya & after demolishing that place forcibly on December 6, 1992, the rightist organizations got the power to rule in India once. Now again the parties known as rightist organizations are trying to give a colourful feeling to the issue of Setu Samudram. After being defeated in 2004 as the Indian voters didn't favour Ram Mandir issue, the right organization didn't have any sensitive issue to win the public opinion. Now the Bhartiya Janta Party & its associates, who were in search of a sensitive issue got a chance to raise the Setu Samudram issue. Surprisingly today these rightist parties who are opposing the India's UPA government of the centre & trying to prove it as anti-Hindu by opposing Setu Samudram project. In reality, the Bhartiya Janta Party along with the NDA was in power in the previous years, this project was recommended under the term of then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. At that time these devotees of Lord Ram didn't raise a finger against it when their party was an associate of the government.
The sea that looks like a link bridge between India & Sri Lanka is 48 kilometers long & its geographical construction is somewhat strange. A lot of it is under deep water whereas some parts are under about 3 feet to 10 feet water. Some part is open where a person can have a walk. The scientists are of the view that this 48 kilometers long structure that looks like a link bridge is not a manmade structure. It is only a mixture of limestone & sand. It has come into existence by movements of the sea water. Under the Setu Samudram project, 300 meters wide & twelve meter deep part of it is to be cleared. The aim of this Setu Samudram project is to cut short the present long route of the ships that move between the East & West Coast of India. After completion of this project, the ship will be able to save 36 hours in their voyage time & their voyage will be 780 kilometers less. After the completion of this project, the distance will become short & fare will be less. The cargo will also reach the destination earlier by saving 36 hours. For these reasons the government is linking this project with the economic development of the country.
It is not so that all the results of this project are positive. Some of its results may be negative, as is being stated. It is said that if the depth of sea is increased at this place, there may be high tides in the sea & sea coasts may gradually erode. It is also feared that the fisher men will be in trouble in this area as the availability of the fishes in this area may decrease. Some experts are of the view that production of nuclear elements may be inversely affected. So some people are opposing this project because of its bad after effects. But Bhartiya Janta Party who previously gave recommendation for this project is at present opposing it only on the basis of sentiments. So these devotees of Lord Rama are of the view that this link bridge shouldn't be demolished because this is the bridge that was prepared by the Vanar Sena of Lord Rama. After crossing this bridge Lord Rama reached Lanka along with its army & got victory over Ravana. Now the question may arise why this project was cleared when there was rule of Vajpayee, if the faith of the people is so deep for this historical link bridge & the devotees don't want to harm this ancient bridge having so much religious & historical importance.
But the reference is that the archeological department of the Central government gave an affidavit in the Supreme Court in which it has denied the existence of Lord Rama & war between Rama & Ravana. This is strongly condemnable. In fact, the religious traditions of a religion can't be put on scientific arguments. Religions are completely based on faiths. These are so deeply based on faiths that blind faiths come out of it. The religious faith can't be confined in limits & it crosses all the limits & even it directly associates itself with the personal feelings of a person. So a person or an organization or a department has no right to hit the faith of a religion with its arguments. Especially in South Asian countries it needs special care on it where political organizations are ready to wait for such issues so that they could have an issue to propagate.
Anyhow the Indian archeological department has suspended its two officials for submitting this objectionable affidavit. These officials were responsible for giving & preparing this controversial affidavit. But instead of finishing the issue, it is being strongly propagated. The persons & organizations who had already recommended this project, are now trying to catch the power through this Setu. In 2004, they were looking at the slogan 'India Shining' because of these projects & these organizations were making the people 'Feel Good.' But now when this project is being given a constructive form by the National Development Policy, these people are obstructing it.
Certainly nobody is allowed to hurt the religious feeling of others & nobody should be allowed. If anybody tries, he should be punished. But nobody should be allowed to take benefit by inciting the people for its selfish motives. Nobody should be allowed to make ill use of the religious feelings. Lord Rama can't be limited to a political party because he is worshipped by most of the Indians. It is giving a wrong direction to the politics by polarization of votes on the basis of inciting the religious feelings of the people. Now the need is to be watchful on the issue of Setu Samudram & beware of the people who are misguiding in the name of religion.
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About the Author:Author Tanveer Jafri is a columnist based in India.He is related with hundreds of most popular daily news papers/portals in India and abroad. Jafri, Almost writes in the field of communal harmony, world peace, anti communalism, anti terrorism, national integration, national & international politics etc.He is a devoted social activist for world peace, unity, integrity & global brotherhood. Tanveer Jafri is also a member of Haryana Sahitya Academy & Haryana Urdu Academy (state govt. bodies in India). Thousands articles of the author have been published in different newspapers, websites & newsportals throughout the world. He is also a receipent of so many awards in the field of Communal Harmony & other social activities. Email : tanveerjafriamb@gmail.com
Stop this slide into medieval barbarism, protest against BJP's blackmail
by Asit Das
Every day our rulers and media moghuls bombard us with the news of the arrival of India as new economic powerhouse contributing to the global march towards high modernity. But let us look at the flip side of our great sub-continent with tall claims of a civilization thousands of years of old and as the guru of the world. Two hapless middle level bureaucrats of Archeological Survey of India have been suspended for stating the obvious that Rama is mythological character, not a historical character. And no modern government, it doesn't matter what is the religious of its majority population, has to go by professional advice based on scientific and rational inquiry. All of us know the difference between myth and reality.
A nation boasting of having third highest numbers of scientists and technicians in the world and our pride of providing highest number of software engineers to the Silicon Valley can't be blackmailed by medieval religious bigots and especially the fascist Hindu Sangh Parivar to take the entire nation for a ride for its retrograde, regressive, obscurantist and fascist designs. This applies both to the Hindu and Muslim fundamentalists. Both Hindu and Muslim Talibanism are the two sides of the same coin. They are basically anti-women, anti-dalit and are poised to roll back all the democratic achievements after centuries of struggle, including the lofty ideals of the French Revolution and the big claims of the Indian Constitution.
Whatever happened since past few months shocks every rational, democratic mindset. Some religious leaders attacked Taslima Nasrin and later pass a fatwa to kill her. A group of mad Muslim clerics pass a fatwa that girls and boys cannot sit together in the same bench in the Kerala schools. Every month the newspapers report us a dalit woman is being paraded naked, jati panchayats punishing couples, no right thinking person can forget the Roshani incident two years ago. Eve teasing, bride burning and rapes are an every day experience of Indian women. So much to say for our great Indian civilization, much trumpeted by the Sangh Parivar.
We are yet to recoil from the gory days of NDA government's experimentation with education, saffronizing the text books and introducing stupid irrational subjects like Vedic Mathematics and astrology. What happened in the Rama Setu incident is quite medieval obscurantism. Even the NASA pictures and studies by the colonial government enshrined in the Gazetteers clearly say that the so-called Rama Setu is a natural coral reef. Any modern government should respect this fact. Thee sheer capitulation of Congress-led UPA government shows the dual character of the Congress party. We should not forget that it is the same Congress under Rajiv Gandhi's leadership passed the Muslim women's bill in the wake of the Shahbano controversy to appease the Muslim fundamentalists with the greedy eye on the Muslim vote bank. Thus sealing the fate of the democratic aspirations of Muslim women and their struggle for equal rights. They opened the Babri Masjid doors and provided an issue to BJP on a platter. Congress party's soft communalism gives BJP a bigger weapon to communalise the country and implement their fascist design.
We appeal to all the democratic and progressive organizations and individuals to demand the revocation of the two ASI officials and pressurise the government of India not to pamper to communal outfits and Hindu and Musl
