Godmen in and out of jail, the Bilkis Bano case, ‘narrative terrorism’ and more | Political Line

(The Political Line e-newsletter is India’s political panorama defined each week by Varghese Ok. George, senior editor at The Hindu . You possibly can subscribe right here to get the e-newsletter in your inbox each Friday.)

Jail diaries, and what it says about Indian democracy  

Godman and Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, who’s serving a jail sentence in a Haryana after being convicted for homicide and rape, has been granted parole for 40 days – and this coincides with the Adampur bypoll in BJP-ruled Haryana, which is scheduled to be held on November 3. He had conveniently walked out on parole for earlier elections too. Quickly after launch, in a video message from the sect’s Uttar Pradesh ashram on Saturday, he requested his followers to not train their free will and observe the instructions of the sect’s elders. “It’s a must to act as instructed by the sect elders. Don’t train your free will. Don’t trigger stampede. Please observe this. You at all times adhere to what you’re instructed. We’re pleased with you. We’re pleased with our youngsters,” Singh stated, including that he would proceed to work together together with his followers whereas on parole.

The Gujarat authorities is strongly defending its choice to launch 11 individuals who have been convicted of rape in the course of the 2002 riots. Upon launch, the convicts have been garlanded and felicitated of their village. A Gujarat authorities affidavit within the Supreme Courtroom confirmed that the Particular Choose and the CBI in Mumbai opposed the untimely launch of 11 convicts sentenced to life within the Bilkis Bano gangrape case whereas the Centre and Gujarat authorities went forward and accredited the proposal to set them free early. Gujarat goes to the polls quickly, and the BJP needs to make some political good points from its generosity in the direction of these rape convicts.

Letting some individuals out is politically gainful, whereas preserving some others inside jail might need the identical impact. The Supreme Courtroom of India acted with alacrity to and suspended the operation of a Bombay Excessive Courtroom judgment discharging G.N. Saibaba and others in an alleged Maoist conspiracy case. The Hindu editorial factors out that’s “fairly uncommon and raises vital questions.” 

‘Narrative terrorism,’ and who will get to inform our tales  

We have now heard of varied sorts of terrorism, and now there’s a new one – “narrative terrorism.” Or so we’re instructed. The J&Ok State Investigation Company (SIA) not too long ago filed a chargesheet in a case of a “narrative terrorism,” describing journalist and editor Fahad Shah and scholar Aala Fazili as “contaminated and compromised media individuals.” In response to the SIA, the duo was indulging in “narrative terrorism”, as a part of a prison conspiracy to unfold terrorism and create a false narrative. “Their (Shah and Fazili) finish goal was to create, maintain, and unfold disaffection, hatred and enmity towards the Indian State. Their interim goal was to protect Pakistani affect by manipulating and taking part in with info, subtly or openly, by placing data with out context or out of context or selective reporting or selective exaggeration or underplaying or muting others and by craftily and cunningly invoking the authorized rights to press freedom and political dissent assured by the very Indian State which they wished to undermine,” the SIA assertion stated. 

Controlling the narrative is a vital a part of politics – and state management. It’s noteworthy right here that the SIA is claiming the precise to resolve what’s ‘reality.’ The battle over narrative is commonly premised on who decides what’s reality and what’s not. ‘Reality checking’ is a brand new subject of journalism, and parallelly the state asserts its proper to have the ultimate say on what certainly is reality.

Who tells our tales? About 90% of management positions within the Indian media are occupied by higher caste teams with not even a single Dalit or Adivasi heading Indian mainstream media, in keeping with a brand new report. The second version of Oxfam India-Newslaundry’s Report ‘Who tells our tales issues: Illustration of Marginalised Caste Teams in Indian Media’ reveals that round 90% management positions in print, TV, and digital media are occupied by normal caste teams with no Scheduled Caste (SC) or Scheduled Tribe (ST) heading mainstream media shops, as reported by companies.

Federalism Tract  

Sourav Ganguly – the mascot of Bengali nationalism  

Cricketer Sourav Ganguly didn’t a get a second time period as chief of BCCI, resulting in reactions in West Bengal on the premise of regional pleasure. Mr. Ganguly was seen transferring near the BJP and Union Dwelling Minister Amit Shah, who visited his house for a meal some months in the past. Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Santanu Sen was the primary one to identify this slight to Bengali pleasure. He took to Twitter to name it political vendetta and identified that Mr. Shah’s son Jay Shah was retained as Secretary of BCCI. Mr. Ganguly stays a hero of Bengalis and he has proven an ambition to unfold his wings past cricket. However the BJP appears to be carried out with him, at the very least for now. Later, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee stated the Centre ought to sponsor Mr. Ganguly as a candidate to move the ICC, and now the BJP is on the defensive within the State the place it was pushed again in final 12 months’s Meeting elections by an upsurge of Bengali regionalism. This isn’t the primary time that Mr. Ganguly turns into the flagbearer of Bengali nationalism, although he could not have instantly sought to be so. It might be recalled that in 2005, when Mr. Ganguly was dropped from the Indian group, political events in West Bengal made it right into a status challenge. The CPI(M) which was supporting the UPA authorities from outdoors, made public statements towards the exclusion of Mr. Ganguly from the group.  

Counting heads, and votes  

Infiltration and conversion are inflicting a inhabitants imbalance in India and to manage the identical, the nation wants a complete inhabitants coverage, in keeping with the overall secretary of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Dattatreya Hosabale. “Infiltration and conversion are additionally the principle causes behind the inhabitants imbalance. The legal guidelines made to stop this must be carried out successfully,” he stated. 

Connecting Tamils to Varanasi  

We mentioned the facility of the narrative earlier on this e-newsletter. The Union Authorities has introduced a brand new scheme to convey 2500 Tamils for a cultural tourism of Varanasi which is a part of the New Schooling Coverage. The programme is to “strengthen” and “rekindle” the cultural and civilisational bond between Tamil Nadu and Varanasi, in keeping with the federal government. Named the ‘Kashi-Tamil Sangamam’, the programme could be held from November 16 to December 16 this 12 months. The tour would come with seminars, lectures, group conferences and visits to the Kashi Vishwanath temple and centres of vital Tamil cultural heritage in Varanasi. The “360 diploma” cultural connectivity would additionally embrace a slice of the culinary traditions of Tamil Nadu.

In the meantime, the Tamil Nadu Legislative Meeting adopted a decision urging the Centre to not implement the suggestions made within the report of the Parliamentary Committee on Official Languages, submitted by its chairman to the President of India. 

Dalit Muslims and Dalit Christians  

Just lately, the Union authorities fashioned a three-member Fee of Inquiry headed by former Chief Justice of India, Justice Ok.G. Balakrishnan, to look at whether or not Scheduled Caste (SC) standing will be accorded to Dalits who’ve over time transformed to religions aside from Sikhism and Buddhism. Here’s a dialogue on the query, with Sukhadeo Thorat, former chairman of the College Grants Fee and Professor Emeritus at JNU; Subhajit Naskar, Assistant Professor at Jadavpur College.