My Opinion

A five-judge bench of the Supreme Court on Thursday in a unanimous landmark judgement legalized consensual sexual relations among gay adults, hitherto considered a crime under Section 377 of Indian Penal Code. The apex court thus declared a two-judge bench decision in 2013 prohibiting gay sex as “arbitrary, fallacious and retrograde”. The apex court clearly said “history owed an apology to LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer) members and their families for the wrongs inflicted on them”.

Homosexuality, gay, same sex and lesbian, you call it by whatever name, is not a disease. One can call it a genetic flaw or a hormonal disorder. It could be different from heterosexuals, but you cannot blame anybody for that, nor should one hate anybody because of that, and neither should one make fun of such people. In today’s modern society, we cannot force any homosexual rom hiding the person’s sexual proclivity.

The Supreme Court has rightly said that homosexuality is not a crime, and societal morality cannot violate the fundamental rights of even a single individual. Justice Rohinton Nariman said, ‘Persons who are homosexuals have a fundamental right to live with dignity..We further declare that such groups (LGBTQ) are entitled to the protection of equal laws, and are entitled to be treated in society as human beings without any stigma attached to any of them.”

I believe this is easier said than done. Our society has certain preconceived notions about homosexuality, and the apex court’s verdict may be difficult to implement in society by force. We may need more time for society to understand the need for equal rights of homosexuals, and the law cannot be enforced with a stick. Justice Nariman has rightly said that the verdict needs to be widely publicized in society.

Homosexuals should also understand that our society presently does not allow excessive sexual permissiveness in public places. They will have to exercise patience and caution. And the most important thing is: Homosexuals should accept that their sexual choice is purely a personal matter, and it is better that if they avoid indulging in consensual gay sex in public places. Otherwise, such an act can come under the purview of law that disallows obscenity in public places.

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As details of the gangrape, savagery and murder of the nine-year-old girl in Uri, Kashmir, by her stepbrother, stepmother and and three others emerged on Wednesday, people in general were stunned. The heinous act was committed by the stepmother who was jealous that her husband doted more on his second wife and nine-year-old daughter, and then conspired with her teenager son, two of his friends and a male to carry out this crime, according to police.

All five accused have been arrested, and forensic tests have revealed that the minor girl was raped by the perpetrators of the crime. She was then strangled and struck on the head with an axe by her stepbrother, her eyes were gouged out and acid was sprayed on her body.

I would like to thank the police officers who cracked this case fast and collected vital evidences. This bloodcurdling act is a blot on humanity in general, and there is no way out, except to hand out death sentence to all the perpetrators of this heinous crime. My heart cries out for the little girl, who suffered inhuman torture at the hands of her own relatives.

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Prices of petrol and diesel have spiralled for the tenth day in a row on Tuesday because of constant rise in international crude prices. The common man has been badly affected by rising fuel prices, and in an election year, such a situation could cause worries for the ruling party.
India is dependent on oil producing countries for its fuel requirements. Crude production in Iran has decreased sharply due to sanctions imposed by the US.
India and China import almost 18 lakh barrels per day from Iran, and with reduced production, prices of international crude has shot up to 85 US dollars per barrel. It has been reported that Iran’s oil production may decline to 10 lakh barrels per day by November this year, when the US sanctions will fully be in place. This will further lead to huge rise in crude prices.
It is also true that in recent years the central excise duty on petrol has increased by about 105 per cent to Rs 19.48 paise per litre, and the hike in diesel price has been nearly 331 per cent. Many state governments levy ad valorem tax in order to garner more revenue.
Last year, the Centre made a modest reduction in taxes on fuel and five state governments promptly followed the lead, in order to give relief to the common man. Now that the economy has registered an 8.2 per cent growth in GDP, the Centre can afford to reduce fuel taxes and persuade BJP-ruled states to follow the same path. This can give great relief to the common man, and can also fuel economic growth. This is a short-term measure, but the permanent solution to this is to bring all petroleum products under the purview of Goods and Services Tax (GST). This will bring uniformity in fuel prices across the country, and the Centre can then persuade the states in the GST Council to reduce the tax rate.

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Three days ago, terrorists released 11 relatives of Kashmiri policemen whom they had abducted 24 hours earlier from Anantnag, Pulwama, Shopian and Kulgam. This happened only after there was a major outcry in the media from the common man in the Valley. People who are in the know about ground realities say, the common man in Kashmir is fed up of being caught in the crossfire and sincerely wants peace.

On Monday, India TV reporter Manish Prasad interviewed Mohammed Maqbool, a father, who had three sons, of whom two are working in J&K Police and the third Zubair was abducted. Zubair was released 24 hours later after public pressure. He described how Zubair was kept blindfolded alongwith 10 other captives on an open ground. Maqbool pointed out how it was a big challenge for his two sons who are working in the police.

If one listens to the family members of those who are at the receiving end of the attacks from terrorists, one thing is clear: the common man does not want his son to become a terrorist. Security forces have been conducting operations in several of the militant-infested pockets, and have so far killed 142 terrorists. The remaining terrorists are now desperate, and they want to forcibly recruit more by abducting and brainwashing youngsters.

With the state panchayat bodies elections slated to begin soon, security forces have intensified cordon and search operations, and terrorists are now clearly on the run.

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Congress President Rahul Gandhi has embarked on a 12-day pilgrimage to Kailash Mansarovar in Tibet via Nepal. Today he also paid obeisance at the famous Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu. Rahul had announced at a rally in Ramlila Maidan in Delhi on April 29 that he would be going on pilgrimage to Kailash Mansarovar, because, he said, the thought first occurred to him after he had a ‘near-death’ experience when his chartered plane plummeted down by 8,000 feet and a big mishap was avoided in a matter of seconds. He was campaigning for the Karnataka assembly elections and was flying from Delhi to Hubli on April 26.

On Friday, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation came out with its inquiry report which stated that the pilot acted in the nick of time and controlled the technical snag Had it been delayed by 20 seconds, the aircraft would have crashed. Rahul and his associates were miraculously saved.

Any person would have been scared in such a critical situation. It was then that Rahul decided to undertake the pilgrimage to Kailash Mansarovar. On Friday, the BJP questioned why the Counsellor of the Chinese embassy sought an entry pass to Delhi airport to “see off” Rahul Gandhi. The party spokesman alleged that there were political connotations to this.

Since this pilgrimage is a matter of personal faith and belief for Rahul Gandhi, it would be better if this remains a personal one, and one should not make it a political issue.

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On Thursday, Congress President addressed a press conference and clubbed demonetization with Rafale deal to allege that these were ‘scams’ meant to favour what he called ‘crony capitalists’ close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP. He said, “the intention (behind demonetization) was to help his (Modi’s) 15-20 crony capitalist friends, who have massive non-performing assets, by taking money from common man to fill their pockets.”

Rahul repeated this charge several times during his brief press conference, but he did not name a single “crony capitalist” friend. Nor did he give details of how much money these industrialists got and in what manner. Rahul had been making such allegations several times in the past at his public rallies. It would have been better if as the president of a national political party, he should have given facts, cited logic, to give a sheen to his charges. Nothing of the sort happened.

Contrast this with the blog that Finance Minister Arun Jaitley wrote on demonetization and its impact. Citing facts and figures, Jaitley sought to establish that the main purpose behind demonetization was not to unearth and destroy black money in currency. According to him, just because most of the demonetized currency flowed back into banks does not mean that demonetization has failed. Jaitley believes, the larger purpose of demonetization was to move India from a non-tax compliant society to a tax complaint one. Post-demonetization, he wrote, more than 1.8 million depositors have been identified by the tax department for inquiry. Tax and penalties have been levied on them.

There has been a phenomenal increase, Jaitley wrote, in the number of people who have filed tax returns. From 3.8 crores in March, 2014, the number of tax returns filed in 2017-18 is 6.86 crores. There has been an increase of 19 pc and 25 pc in the number of tax returns filed in the last two years. Advance tax returns filed in the first quarter of this financial year has increased by 44.1 pc. Income Tax collections have increased from Rs 6.38 lakh crores in 2013-14 to Rs 10.02 lakh crores in 2017-18. According to Jaitley, the positive impact of demonetization has been: more money has come into the system, there has been more formalization of the economy, and this has led to higher tax revenue, higher expenditure and higher growth.

As far as the Rafale deal is concerned, I have already written that this is a highly strategic issue. Everybody admits that the Indian Air Force badly requires Rafale aircrafts to enhance its strike capability. It would be better if we avoid unnecessary political shadow boxing on such a sensitive issue. The lesser, the better.

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On Wednesday, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in his blog on Facebook posed 15 questions to Congress President Rahul Gandhi on the Rafale aircraft deal. Jaitley replied to most of the allegations made by Rahul Gandhi and his party during the last several months. There can be no reply more clear and transparent than this.

It must be remembered that this is an Inter-Governmental Agreement, and both the countries are bound by the confidentiality clauses mentioned in the agreement. Had Mr Jaitely disclosed more details about the deal, the Congress leaders still have raised questions. Reason: Congress leaders are sniffing electoral advantage from this Rafale deal issue.

Rahul Gandhi did not reply to a single question posed by Jaitley. Rather, in order to obfuscate matters, he promptly demanded a Joint Parliamentary Committee to go into the deal. He set a 24-hour deadline for Mr Jaitely. to respond, and the latter did, by pointing out at the JPC fiasco that took place during Rajiv Gandhi’s regime when Bofors issue was the talk of the town.

Why did Rahul demand a JPC to probe Rafale deal? Reason: If the JPC is formed, ministers and bureaucrats will be summoned, and the Congress and other opposition parties can merrily go around the town raising an issue which has no legs to stand upon. The same allegations couldl be repeated ad nauseum. Congress leaders will then continue to demand that the government reveal the exact price at which the Rafale aircrafts were purchased. The Congress can then continue to allege that the government was trying to hide facts related to the deal.

On Wednesday, the Congress party responded to Jaitley’s questions by alleging that ministers in the Modi government are reacting to issues that are not related to their ministries. The party said that the Defence Minister was the right person to reply to allegations.

The Congress has nothing else to say because it has simply no cogent reply to the questions raised by Jaitley. The party has no answer to Jaitley’s question as to why the UPA government delayed the acquisition of Rafale aircraft by eleven years, thereby compromising national security considerations. The party has no answer to Jaitley’s question as to why the negotiation on acquiring Rafale aircraft that was shortlisted in 2007, began five years later, in 2012. The Congress has no answer to Jaitley’s assertion that the basic price at which NDA government acquired the Rafale aircraft was 20 per cent cheaper than what was approved by the UPA regime.

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In simultaneous raids in seven cities across India, Pune police on Tuesday arrested civil rights activist and writer P Varavara Rao, lawyer Vernon Gonsalves, human rights activist and lawyer Arun Ferreira, activist and lawyer Sudha Bharadwaj and human rights activist Gautam Navlakha in connection with the violence at Bhima Koregaon early this January, in which one person was killed and there was widespread arson and rioting. The violence took soon after a rally organized by Elgar Parishad which was addressed by Dalit and pro-left leaders.

Soon after the nationwide raids, there was a loud outcry on social media and both the Congress and CPI(M) denounced the move. While probing the violence, Pune police had found a mail from the computer of a suspect, who had mentioned about a conspiracy to eliminate Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his roadshows. Since this issue has sinister implications, the authorities had to swing into action and take these pro-left extremists into custody for further questioning.

Pune police claims that it has concrete evidence about the left-wing conspiracy and it hopes to unravel more after questioning the suspects.

My view in this matter is clear. In criminal cases like this, one should avoid politicking and wait for the outcome of police investigation. The investigators will have to produce evidences in court, and it is the court which will finally decide who is guilty and who is not.

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Congress President Rahul Gandhi’s remark in London that his party “had no role” in 1984 anti-Sikh riots that claimed more than 3,000 Sikh lives, has rekindled a fierce debate in India. Both the BJP and Shiromani Akali Dal have criticized the Congress President for trying to absolve his party of the sins of 1984 Sikh massacres. Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh has said that Rahul was 14 year old at that time and only some Congress leaders were involved in the massacres.

The question is not about Rahul Gandhi’s involvement in 1984 riots, but about the connivance of his party in the massacres of Sikhs.

It is a historical fact that former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her two Sikh bodyguards, and this led to widespread riots in Delhi and other cities. As a reporter during those days, I have been an eyewitness to how Sikhs were killed by rioters. There is no iota of doubt that several Congress heavyweight leaders were involved in those massacres. It was only after the massacres were over that the new Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi made the infamous remark that ‘when a big tree falls, the ground beneath the tree does shake’.

It was because of their involvement in massacres that the Congress party later sidelined its stalwarts like Har Kishen Lal Bhagat, Jagdish Tytler, Sajjan Kumar and Dharam Dass Shastri. It was because of the sins of 1984 that Dr Manmohan Singh, after becoming Prime Minister, went to the Golden Temple and offered public apology. Even Rahul Gandhi, in an interview four years ago, had confessed that some leaders of the Congress were involved in the riots. Despite all this, Rahul’s assertion that the Congress party “had no role” in 1984 riots is surprising, and it does not hold water.

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Curfew had to be imposed in a small town called Malpura in Rajasthan’s Tonk district after communal clashes took place for two days consecutively. A group of Muslims attacked Kanwariyas who were carrying holy Ganga water to temples. There was stoning and some vehicles were set on fire, after the Kanwariyas passed through a Muslim-dominated locality. Fifteen Kanwariyas were injured. The situation is now under control. Similarly, in UP’s Bareilly district, tension arose after Kanwariyas insisted on passing through a Muslim-dominated locality. The local BJP MLA sat on dharna demanding that Kanwariyas be allowed to pass through the locality.

Kanwar Yatra takes place every year, when pilgrims carry holy Ganga water on foot to temples for worshipping Lord Shiva in the month of Shravan. For Hindus in northern India, this yatra carries significance. The kanwariyas pass through localities which have temples, mosques and gurudwaras. They pass through both Hindu- and Muslim-dominated localities. If members of one community insists that they would not allow them to pass, and then indulge in stoning, this is unacceptable.

Such incidents have led to local Hindu leaders in Bareilly and Tonk threatening not to allow ‘tazia’ processions during Mohurram. They have also threatened not to allow Muslims to offer namaaz prayers in the open. Both these tendencies are not good. This can weaken our fabric of social unity. Leaders of both Hindu and Muslim communities should understand that they must co-exist peacefully and allow others to bring out processions and perform prayers.

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On Tuesday, the Mohali Police in Punjab alongwith district health authorities raided an unlicensed factory at a village near Mohali-Kharar Road and seized 2,060 kg of spurious cheese alongwith 3,375 kg of skimmed milk powder made from ‘synthetic’ milk, 89 kg of butter and 360 litres of sulphuric acid. The owner was arrested and the illicit factory was sealed. Samples of all these milk products were sent to a lab in Kharar for testing.

Synthetic milk and products made from it are sheer poison, whether it is cheese, butter, khoya or paneer. It leads to a slow death for consumers. Several years ago the Centre had promised to bring a law to give death sentence to those who adulterate food products and sell fake medicines.

Time has come for the government to enact such a stringent law to act as deterrent for such people who play with the lives of people. In most of the countries of the world, food adulteration is considered a heinous crime, and a similar legislation should be enforced in India too.

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On Wednesday, as the nation was celebrating Eid Al Adha, a despicable act was being committed at the famous Hazratbal mosque in Kashmir valley.

The chief patron of National Conference Dr Farooq Abdullah was preventing from offering namaaz prayers by a bunch of hoodlums posing as separatists and followers of Zaaqir Musa, the self-styled Islamic State leader in the valley. Their objection: Dr Abdullah had chanted ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ and ‘Jai Hind’ slogans at a condolence meeting in memory of Late Atal Bihari Vajpayee ln New Delhi. The hoodlums were shouting anti-Indian slogans, and they shoved and pushed the devouts in order to prevent Dr Abdullah from offering prayers.

The same day, terrorists went on a spree killing four persons, including a BJP worker. The BJP worker had come to his home in Pulwama to celebrate Eid.

Clearly, separatists and terrorists in the valley are acting out of frustration. They are doing un-Islamic acts. They do not have any regard for Insaaniyat (humanity), Kashmiriyat or Islam.

One should note that the number of hoodlums at Hazratbal was few, while most of the devouts wanted to offer namaz on Eid day. The people of the Valley wholly disapprove such un-Islamic acts, and this is a fact. These terrorists do not deserve to be called Islamic. They are inhuman and they have no sensitivity towards any religion.

Those who were killed in the Valley on Eid day were Kashmiris and Muslims. These terrorists only work on orders from their masters sitting across the border in Pakistan. They are shedding the blood of innocent Kashmiris. Time has come to liquidate these terrorists. We need to follow a ‘bullet for bullet’ policy, and the message should go to them that the only consequence of such acts is: death.

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