Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath openly spoke on a sensitive issue which politicians in India normally avoid. Yogi spoke on the religious law text Manusmriti. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi at his Pune rally had hit out at Manusmriti saying that Indian women should break the shackles of patriarchy. Yogi chose Rahul’s constituency Rae Bareli.
He said, there should be a comprehensive debate on Manusmriti. “Let the portions which appear to be bad be pointed out, but at the same time, portions which are good for society should not be overlooked”, he added. Yogi alleged that by appealing to women to “break free from the shackles” of Manusmriti, Rahul Gandhi is harming India’s age-old family system. He is making incorrect interpretations of the text, he said. In Pune, Rahul Gandhi had said, Manusmriti preaches that “as a girl, she should obey and seek protection of her father, as a young woman her husband, and as a widow her son”. Rahul described this as shameful.
Yogi said, Manusmriti defines the duties of all persons who live in society. “It may be that some rules may appear to be bad in today’s world, but it is also a fact that there cannot be a family without a woman. “Can a son exist without his mother? Can a daughter exist without her father? Can a husband exist without his wife?”, Yogi asked.
What Rahul Gandhi raised is based on Chapter 9 of Manusmriti. This chapter refers to protection of women. It clearly says, women should remain under the control of men, right from birth till death. In another ‘shloka’ of this chapter, it says, “a woman should remain under the control of her father during childhood, under her husband after marriage, and under her son in old age.”
There is controversy over whether these ‘shlokas’ are there in the original Manusmriti. Some scholars claim, an English philologist added these ‘shlokas’ in Manusmriti. If some incorrect things have been added in a religious text, there is no problem in opposing them. But Rahul Gandhi selectively quoted some portions. Manusmriti has 12 chapters and 2,664 ‘shlokas’. It contains the entire code of ethics and political system. It also explains the duties of a king and his subjects.
There are some portions relating to women and ‘varna’ (caste) system in Manusmriti, which are untenable in today’s age. That is why Yogi said, it is not justified to make Manusmriti a political tool by quoting half-truths. It is a fact that politicians have been making remarks about Manusmriti and describe it as a Brahminical text which is anti-woman and anti-Dalit. Manusmriti has been used by politicians to incite women and Dalits. But it is also a fact that in Sanatan Dharma, there is the famous quote, ‘Yatra Naryastu Pujyante, Ramante Tatra Devata’. It means, gods reside in places, where women are worshipped.
We must speak about the modern age. BJP leader Sudhanshu Trivedi points out that during Narendra Modi’s rule, 3 crore new homes were handed over to women as owners, 16 crore toilets were built for women, 10.5 crore LPG connections were given to women under Ujjwala, more than 32 crore Jan Dhan bank accounts were opened for women so that they can get digital transfers easily.
If these facts are correct, Rahul Gandhi cannot allege that women did not get their rights during Modi’s rule. The law for 33 per cent reservation for women in Lok Sabha and state assemblies remains to be applied. All these achievements reflect the pro-woman mindset of Modi government.
Bihar govt hospitals : Mafia rule the roost
Bihar Health Minister Nishant Kumar, son of former CM Nitish Kumar, was surprised during an inspection of Sitamarhi Sadar Hospital. He found almost all doctors and most of the nursing staff absent. Several patients complained to the minister that middlemen were active in the hospital through a well-oiled network. They used to refer patients from govt hospitals to private hospitals for treatment and get their cut.
The 50-bed Sitamarhi Sadar Hospital has 22 doctors, but most of the doctors remain absent. The poor conditions of government hospitals in Bihar is not a secret. According to government statistics, every two out of three persons die in Bihar either due to medical negligence or lack of proper treatment. Nearly five lakh people die in Bihar every year in this manner.
The CAG 2024 report says, buildings were provided and x-ray and ultrasound machines were given to government hospitals, but these devices have rusted because of lack of technicians. Doctors are sent to villages, but most of them are unwilling to go. In most cases, doctors prefer to do practice in cities and towns, but they manage to log their attendance in village health centres.
Bihar government has now raised the health budget to Rs 21,270crore. By the end of this year, 3,200 new health centres will be set up, but all such planning will go waste in the absence of doctors and technicians. Conditions of hospitals in Bihar can improve only through intervention on a large scale.
Maharashtra : Give time to auto, taxi drivers to learn Marathi
A section of auto drivers in Mumbai began a three-day strike from Monday against the Marathi language requirement for commercial passenger vehicle drivers. Drivers said, RTO officials are asking them questions in Marathi, which are out of syllabus.
This has led to harassment and threats for drivers who are not proficient in Marathi. Auto and cab drivers said, they are willing to learn Marathi, but they need more time. The enforcement drive began on August 20, after a three-month grace period, which ended on August 15.
Drivers from North India who live in Mumbai and other towns of Maharashtra said, those who are old find it difficult to learn Marathi. The drivers want a three or six month extension for learning Marathi. It is surprising that cab and auto drivers who have been living in Maharashtra for last three generations have not learnt Marathi.
Out of 1.85 lakh auto drivers, nearly 1.65 lakh have learnt Marathi. Only 15 per cent remain. If they need more time, the state government is willing to extend the time limit.
At the same time, the state government must keep the feelings of auto and cab drivers in mind. They belong to Maharashtra. They must not be treated as outsiders.