My Opinion

For the last two weeks there have been angry protests by Rajput outfits over Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s period drama film ‘Padmavati’. Threats have been made against the director and lead actress Deepika Padukone. There have been debates in TV studios, but one thing was missing: none of those who were protesting or debating had seen the entire film. I saw the entire film minutely on Friday, keeping in mind the objections that had been raised. I had also some own questions in mind. I hail from Rajasthan, my ancestors were from Chittor. Since childhood we knew (more…)

Except for MIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi and some leaders of his own ilk, most of the leaders, both Hindu and Muslim, have welcomed Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s Ayodhya initiative. They respect his stature and sincerity. The Ayodhya dispute is almost 500 years old. Legal cases have been pending since last 150 years. There have been hundreds of incidents of violence. There have been thousands of rounds of negotiations. A solution should have come out through negotiations by this time. This is not an issue that concerns some individuals or organisations. This is an issue of faith. Most of the Hindus want that a Ram temple should be built. But there is no unanimity among Muslims. It is true that most of the peaceloving Muslims want this festering dispute to end and a temple be built, but some Muslim individuals and organisations are not in favour of an out-of-court settlement. Many of these individuals are rich and influential. Since one side is opposing out-of-court settlement, the final decision will now rest with the court, and the court’s decision shall be final and binding. The only way out now is for all sides to wait for the apex court’s judgement. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s efforts will at least help to tone down tempers and narrow down the gulf that exists between both sides on this vexed issue.

Maulana Abdul Latif Qasmi, a cleric of Madarsa Darul Uloom Nishwah, has recently stated that the holy Hindu shrine at Badrinath belongs to Muslims. The cleric claims, the place was earlier called Badruddin Shah or Badri Shah. According to him, it was a Muslim shrine several centuries ago and it should be handed back to Muslims. The maulana has written letters to the Prime Minister and UP chief minister. The cleric should know that Darul Uloom literally means a Place of Learning. Darul Uloom of Deoband is respected all over the world, but clerics like Abdul Latif have opened similarly sounding institutions to fool gullible people. I would appeal to all Muslim scholars and clerics to pay attention to this aspect. Such objectionable comments tarnish the image of the entire Muslim society at large and raises questions.

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Rani Padmavati of Chittor has been, for centuries, the symbol of Rajput pride, not only in Rajputana, but almost the whole of India. The legend of the ‘johar’ (self-immolation) committed by the queen has been the staple of stories recounted in the homes and hearths of Rajasthan. In my childhood, I used to listen at home stories of valour by Rani Padmavati and other brave queens. One should have a sense of pride when a classic film is being produced on the life and times of Rani Padmavati.  Our young generation will learn a lot from this film. Without viewing this film, one should not pass comments to say that the film portrays the Rajput community and their brave queen in a negative light. My advice to all those who are protesting: please have patience, watch the film and then react. Circulating rumours about the film creates a negative atmosphere, and this is what has happened with this film. To give due credit to the painstaking efforts put in by the artistes and makers of this film, one should first watch the film and then decide.

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The National Green Tribunal on Monday capped the number of pilgrims visiting the famous Mata Vaishno Devi shrine daily to 50,000. Additional pilgrims will be stopped at Ardhakuwari or Katra town, the NGT said. The tribunal said that Vaishno Devi Bhavan cannot accomodate more than 50,000 pilgrims at a time.

It also directed that horses or mules should not be allowed on the new route to the shrine, and they should be removed gradually from the old route as well. Mata Vaishno Devi shrine is visited by lakhs of pilgrims every year. During peak season, the number reaches 40,000 to 50,000, while during lean season, it hovers around 6,000. Crores of Hindus revere this shrine. The path to the shrine was modernized during the tenure of Jagmohan, the then Governor of Jammu and Kashmir. Horses or mules are used for the benefit of old and infirm pilgrims who find it difficult to walk, and the NGT should reconsider its order. Hundreds of porters and mule owners make their living by transporting old and infirm pilgrims to the shrine. It seems nobody has thought about putting their livelihood in jeopardy. Moreover, the influx of tourists and pilgrims provides employment to thousands of people who are residents of Kashmir.

One should understand that the Mata Vaishno Devi Trust not only looks after the shrine, but also runs Mata Vaishno Devi University, nursing college, gurukul and Vaishno Devi Narayan Hospital. The daily earnings amount to Rs 40 lakhs and the annual earnings go up to Rs 500 crore. If the number of pilgrims is capped, it will adversely affect the earnings. Probably the NGT was not told that the Trust itself stops issuing entry permits when there is a large influx of pilgrims, in order to ensure safety for all. The NGT should holisitically re-examine its directions.

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Of late, there have been protests against Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s film Padmavati, in Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra, and objections have been raised about Rajputs being shown in a bad light. I want to dwell on three points.

First, none of the protesters has yet seen the entire film Padmavati in which Deepika Padukone is playing the central character and yet too many unnecessary comments are being made about the film.

Secondly, had Bhansali shown his film, was there any guarantee that the film would have been allowed to be exhibited in theatres?

Thirdly, I do not understand why there are protests when Bhansali in a video statement made it quite clear that there is no dream sequence in the film and nothing objectionable has been shown about Rani Padmini. He has completely denied any distortion of history.

Those opposing the film first alleged that there was a dream sequence involving Padmavati and Allauddin Khilji. After this charge was found baseless, the outfits have now alleged that Rani Padmini has been shown dancing in the film, and this amounts to insult of the community. Well, the queen has been shown dancing in a song sequence.

One of my friends Mahavir Singh, who has seen the entire film, told me that there is nothing in the film which amounts to insult of Rajput community. On the contrary, he said, Rajputs will respect Bhansali once they watch the film. It would be better if both sides sit again and iron out the issues. There is no need for nationwide protests that may lead to violence, which should best be avoided.

Air pollution level in Delhi-National Capital Region is currently 100 times more than that of London and Tokyo, and 85 times more than that of Paris. The argument that we have a burgeoning population does not hold water, because Beijing, teeming with population, has brought about 5 pc improvement in air pollution level in the last five years. On the other hand, air pollution level in Delhi-NCR rose by nearly 13 pc.

Face-saving measures like the ban on crackers on Diwali night or odd-even rules for plying of vehicles will not do. None of the state governments tried to stop burning of stubble in fields of Delhi, Haryana and Punjab. No stern measure was taken to stop pollution from nearly 20,000 factories. No water was sprinkled on 40,000 tonnes of dust that emanated from construction sites. Not a single among the one lakh odd trucks and 89 lakh vehicles that enter the capital daily was stopped.

In a belated move, the Lt. Governor of Delhi on Wednesday imposed a ban on entry of all trucks, except those carrying essential goods, into Delhi and all construction activity inside the capital. But these are not permanent solutions. It appears that the government takes decisions only when a big crisis occurs. The government only wakes up when it finds its citizens facing trouble even to breathe. The air in Delhi will not become clean through such ad hoc measures. We need to change our overall attitude.

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Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh has revealed that the Pakistani spy agency ISI had “hatched a major conspiracy to fan communal disturbances in the state” by killing RSS and other Hindu leaders recently. This, he said, came to light with the arrest of members of a “terror module’ comprising Sikh separatists from abroad. Capt Amarinder Singh needs to be praised for acting with patience and he refrained from making a political issue out of this. Those killed belonged to RSS, BJP and Shiv Sena and were opposed to Congress. It is a matter of concern that the ISI, after being frustrated in its attempts to foment violence in Kashmir, has now shifted its attention to Punjab, ruled by Congress party. The motive behind this was to create communal tension between Hindus and Sikhs. The people of Punjab clearly understand this nefarious game of our enemies and our security agencies are on alert. We should not be complacent and be on our guard against such despicable attempts to create disturbances, whether it is Punjab or Kashmir.

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The Centre on Monday announced a multi-agency probe, involving Income Tax, Enforcement Directorate, Financial Intelligence Unit and RBI, into the ‘Paradise Papers’, which are leaked documents, running into millions, that allegedly show offshore dealings by hundreds of Indians. These documents have been revealed by an international collective of journalists, who pored over them for months, to sift details. The multi-agency group will match the information in the Paradise Papers to ascertain cases of tax evasion. The government has made it clear that there are several cases in which investigation is already being carried out, and the new cases will be added to the probe. The chairman of Central Board of Direct Taxes will head the multi-agency group. I hope the investigations will be carried out speedily, questions that are agitating the minds of people will be answered, and action will be taken.

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One of the co-founders of Trinamool Congress in West Bengal, Mukul Roy, on Friday joined the BJP. Roy is a known face in West Bengal politics, a politician having grassroot support. He had left the Congress along with Mamata Banerjee more than two decades ago and formed the Trinamool Congress. He was number two in the party hierarchy, next to Mamata Banerjee. He was the party general secretary, its vice-president and was member of Rajya Sabha twice. It was Mamata who made him the Railway Minister to replace Dinesh Trivedi. The two fell out a few months ago, after Mukul Roy was named in the Saradha scam and Narada sting operation. Mukul Roy resigned from the party after he was sidelined by Mamata Banerjee. His joining BJP is a big loss to the Trinamool supremo. On the other hand, the BJP, which lacked a big political heavyweight in West Bengal, was more than eager to get Mukul Roy in its fold. It is true that whenever BJP will raise the Saradha and Narada scam issues, Mamata Banerjee will naturally question why BJP admitted Mukul Roy into the party. I do not know whether the BJP has prepared its answer to this inevitable question.

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Rajput outfits, particularly Karni Sena, has given a bandh call in Rajasthan’s Chittorgarh over Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s film Padmavati. The Karni Sena members had earlier ransacked shooting sets and had assaulted Bhansali and his crew. The Rajput outfits allege that Queen Padmini and the Rajput community has been shown in a negative light in the film, but Bhansali has outrightly rejected such charges as baseless. The film will hit the theatres on December 1, and presently dubbing work is in progress. The Rajput outfits have demanded that the film be shown to them, but the producers say that the film is still not ready. The question is: unless somebody has seen the film in its entirety, how can a charge of distorting history can be made? It would be better if the matter is resolved through negotiations and the controversy should be put to rest.

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The Maharashtra ATS has prevented nearly 120 Muslim youths from joining the Islamic State outfit and has utilized the services of Maulanas to “deradicalize” them and bring them into the mainstream. Police also took the help of the family members of these youths. This is a commendable step, both by police and the Islamic clerics. Legally, it was easy for the police to file cases against these youths, but the officials opted for the difficult path of persuading these misguided souls. Security agencies in Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala and Telangana should emulate this model because most of the Muslim youths who have been caught while joining ISIS belong to these states. This is how terrorism can be nipped in the bud.

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