BJP sought caste census during UPA rule: OBC Morcha chief
Bhopal: The BJP on Friday mounted its attack on the Congress for taking credit for the Centre’s decision to carry out a caste census, saying the main opposition party intends to “mislead people for vote politics”. “The decision taken for the caste census is a historic step. The Congress is today spreading the propaganda that the Modi govt took the decision of caste census under the pressure of Rahul Gandhi,” BJP OBC Morcha national president K Laxman said here on Friday. “I want to ask Rahul Gandhi and Congress leaders that for decades they were in power in the country and three members of the Nehru-Gandhi family were prime ministers. Why did Rahul Gandhi not demand a caste census at that time? Today, when he is in the opposition, he is talking about caste census to mislead people for vote bank politics,” he said at a massive workshop of the party’s OBC Morcha. Laxman said during the Manmohan Singh govt, BJP demanded a caste census. The workshop was also addressed by BJP state president VD Sharma, state BJP organisational general secretary Hitanand Sharma, state BJP backward classes front chief Narayan Singh Kushwaha, and cabinet minister Krishna Gaur. Laxman said caste census has been taking place in the country since the British era, but after the independence of the country, the first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru stopped the practice of caste census through the Central Census Act. “Pt Nehru shelved the report of the Kaka Kalelkar Committee. OBC Commission was not formed. Later, the govt of Morarji Desai constituted the Mandal Commission. The govt of Indira Gandhi also maintained silence on it, and the govt of VP Singh implemented it,” Laxman recalled. He said in 1961, Pt Nehru wrote a letter to the chief ministers of the states and said that reservation should be done on an economic basis. Laxman claimed that the BJP never backed down from the matter of caste census. “When the Modi govt was formed in 2014, the then Union home minister Rajnath Singh said that we will do the census by adding castes, but due to the Covid crisis, it could not be possible,” he said. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https://timesofindia.com/ and is for use by the non-military/non-commercial community, especially those in the human rights sector.
Transgender person beaten to death over family dispute in UP
Muzaffarnagar (UP), (PTI) A 25-year-old transgender person was allegedly beaten to death and two others were seriously injured in a clash between family members over a house dispute on Thursday in a village here, police said. The deceased was identified as Muskan, police said. Circle Officer (CO) Gajendra Pal Singh said that a dispute broke out when Muskan and her sister-in-law confronted each other over the distribution of a house in Manwada village. However, it soon escalated and turned violent. Muska was allegedly beaten to death in the clash while two other suffered injuries, Singh said. A case has been registered and further investigation is underway, Singh added. PTI COR CDN HIG HIG This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content. Courtesy : The Print Note: This news is originally published on https://theprint.com/ and is for use by the non-military/non-commercial community, especially those in the human rights sector.
Renovated public toilet in Sector 22 PwD & trans-friendly
Chandigarh: Municipal commissioner Amit Kumar Friday inaugurated the renovated public toilet at the booth market in Sector 22B. It can now be easily accessible for PwDs, the visually impaired, and children. Besides, it has a dedicated transgender washroom and a sanitary vending machine for women. The renovation was undertaken on a special demand from the market association and was completed in accordance with the latest Swachh Bharat Mission guidelines. tnn Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https://timesofindia.com/ and is for use by the non-military/non-commercial community, especially those in the human rights sector.
‘Habit of surrendering’: Rahul Gandhi takes shot at PM Modi on caste census; questions his silence on Trump’s ceasefire claim
NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday doubled down on his “surrender” jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that the prime minister has a habit of “surrendering”. Speaking at a gathering in Bihar’s Nalanda, Rahul said, “My aim is caste census. In Lok Sabha, in front of Modi ji, I told him that caste census would be conducted. And you know he has a habit of surrendering.” “And I knew that the day we put a little pressure, they would completely surrender,” the leader of opposition in Lok Sabha further said. “I am fighting for the caste census to save the Constitution and for the overall betterment of the country. Wherever we form government in future, we will remove the 50 per cent cap on reservation. It will start from Bihar,” he further said. — INCBihar (@INCBihar) He also questioned PM Modi’s silence over US President Donald Trump’s claims about resolving tensions between India and Pakistan. “PM Modi is silent on US President Donald Trump’s claims of brokering peace between India, Pakistan,” Rahul said. Rahul added that Trump has made the same statement many times. “Trump has said 11 times, 11 times, that I made Narendra Modi surrender. He has said it publicly 11 times. Narendra Modi is unable to respond. Narendra Modi is unable to say that Trump is lying because it’s the truth.” Targeting the government over the caste census issue, he said, “They will never get a genuine caste census done because the day they get it done, their politics will end.” He also raised questions about the structure of the census exercise. “Doubtful if the government can conduct caste census properly with no officers from OBC, tribal community finalising questionnaire,” he said. Earlier, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has also attacked the Centre on Tuesday, alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave in to pressure from the United States during Operation Sindoor. Targeting PM Modi, the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha said, “Trump gave a sign from there. He (Trump) picked up his phone and said, ‘Modiji, what are you doing? Narendra … Surrender.’ And PM Modi complied,” Rahul Gandhi said while addressing a gathering in Madhya Pradesh’s Bhopal. Further, he also targeted the Bharatiya Janata Party, and its ideological parent, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), saying that they “surrender” whenever put under the slightest pressure. “I am well aware of the BJP and RSS people. Apply a little pressure on them, give them a slight push, and they run away in fear,” Gandhi said. He also took to social media to reiterate his charge, saying: “Trump called, and Narendra Modi surrendered. This is the history and character of BJP-RSS. In 1971, despite American threats, India split Pakistan. The lions and lionesses of Congress face superpowers; they don’t bow.” Gandhi’s comments come in the backdrop of US President Donald Trump’s repeated claims that he played a role in ending the military escalation between India and Pakistan after India carried out precision strikes on terror camps in Pakistan and PoJK in response to the Pahalgam terror attack. Following Operation Sindoor, which was conducted on May 7, both countries ceased further military action after a call from Pakistan’s Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) to his Indian counterpart. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https://timesofindia.com/ and is for use by the non-military/non-commercial community, especially those in the human rights sector.
Firm on breaking 50% reservation cap in country: Rahul
Patna: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday said wherever there is a Congress govt, 50% reservation barrier would be removed. Addressing the ‘Samvidhan Suraksha Sammelan’ at Rajgir in Nalanda district, Gandhi said he was firm on his commitment to break the 50% barrier on reservations. “If the population of the marginalised communities is 90%, why is their reservation limited to only 50%?” he asked. He said, “the Telangana govt has already broken the barrier, and wherever a Congress govt is formed, this barrier will be removed there.” Gandhi also said Bihar which once guided the world civilisations with its wisdom and philosophy has now turned into the “crime capital of the country”. He said, “Bihar was once considered the land of truth, justice, and non-violence. It showed the path to the entire world; people from across the globe used to come to study at Nalanda University”. But today, he said, the situation has completely changed. “People from Bihar are now forced to migrate to other states and even abroad because there are no employment opportunities here”, he pointed out, while remarking, “Bihar has now become the crime capital of the country”. Reaffirming his commitment to caste census and removing the 50% cap on reservation, he said, he will ensure both these are done. And once done, there will be a paradigm shift in the way development is carried out in the country. Gandhi disclosed that after joining politics, he learnt that “90% of the country’s population has no real representation anywhere”. The backward classes, dalits, adivasis, and extremely backward communities lack meaningful representation in key areas such as the corporate sector, judiciary, bureaucracy, and among the owners of private hospitals and other institutions. On the other hand, Gandhi added, these 90% of people can only be found among the MGNREGA and the gig workers. He said, while dalits, backward classes, adivasis, extremely backward communities, and the poor from the general category make up 90% of the population, they control less than 5% of the country’s resources. “You have 90% shareholding in pain and suffering”, he remarked about the 90% population. Gandhi also said while the BJP agreed under pressure to carry out the caste census, he was not sure whether they will do it the way it needs to be done. He referred to the Telangana model, where the questions were framed by about 3 lakh people, unlike the BJP model, where the questions are framed by a selective few officers behind closed doors with no representation from the “90% population”. Referring to the Constitution, he said, it is not merely a 75-year-old book, but a collection of thoughts and philosophy of thousands of years. “The Constitution embodies an ancient philosophy — the thoughts of Lord Shiva, Buddha, Mahatma Gandhi, Dr Ambedkar, Periyar, Narayana Guru, and Basavanna”, he said, while adding, “This ideological battle has been going on for thousands of years as on one side stands Mahatma Gandhi and on the other, Godse”. Gandhi said, once the caste census is conducted properly, it will not just be an X-ray but an MRI, leading to a new paradigm of development. “The beginning will be made from Bihar; you have been doing it for thousands of years and you will do this also as this is in your DNA”, he remarked amidst thundering applause. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https://timesofindia.com/ and is for use by the non-military/non-commercial community, especially those in the human rights sector.
4 workers die of septic tank fumes in Jaipur, 2 critical
Jaipur, May 27 (PTI) Four men who were allegedly forced to enter a septic tank in Sitapura Industrial Area here to retrieve gold and silver particles died of toxic fumes, police on Tuesday said. The incident occurred late Monday night in a jewellery factory in G-Block of the Jewellery Zone. The deceased were identified as Sanjeev Pal, Himanshu Singh, Rohit Pal, and Arpit Yadav, police said. Two more, Ajay Chauhan and Rajpal, were rushed in a critical condition to Mahatma Gandhi Hospital, while two others, Amit Pal and Suraj Pal, were discharged after primary medical care. The workers had gone down a 10-foot-deep tank and lost consciousness. Police said initial investigation suggested that the workers had initially refused to enter the tank due to the intense heat and presence of toxic gases. However, the company management persuaded them with promise of extra money. According to police, Amit and Rohit were the first to descend into the tank. Soon, they began gasping and calling for help. The remaining six went down the tank one after another to help the first two out, but also fell unconscious. A police source said the septic tank contained a chemical sludge, believed to be carrying hold particles of gold and silver, residue from the jewellery manufacturing and cleaning processes. The sludge is periodically cleaned to extract valuable metals, a practice not uncommon in jewellery units. PTI SDA VN VN This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content. Courtesy : The Print Note: This news is originally published on https://theprint.com/ and is for use by the non-military/non-commercial community, especially those in the human rights sector.
Train bullies target nun in Odisha: 18-hour cop ordeal after false charges by Bajrang Dal hecklers
Nun Rachana Nayak was released after she proved that her six young companions — two men and four women — were all Christians by birth and were travelling for enrolment in training courses A 29-year-old nun was forced off a train by suspected Bajrang Dal activists and detained for 18 hours at a police station in Odisha on charges of trafficking in women and illegal conversions that an investigation later proved false. Nun Rachana Nayak was released after she proved that her six young companions — two men and four women — were all Christians by birth and were travelling for enrolment in training courses. In an indication of the insecurity among minorities, Catholic Church authorities advised members travelling with girls from the community to carry written consent from their parents and village pradhans, as well as baptism certificates proving they are Christian. The incident comes a year after the BJP assumed power in Odisha, and weeks after it released one of the killers of missionary Graham Staines and his two young sons, who were burnt alive in 1999 by a mob led by a Bajrang Dal activist. Nayak, a nun with the Holy Family Convent in Bhopal, and her companions were surrounded, threatened and forced off the train by a group of 30 at Khurda Junction, about 20km from Bhubaneswar. They were detained by the Government Railway Police (GRP) and allowed to leave only on Sunday evening following the intervention of three women human rights lawyers. “They had boarded the Rajya Rani Express from Berhampur on Saturday evening. One of the young men happened to be the nun’s younger brother,” Sujata Jena, one of the women lawyers, told The Telegraph. “They were headed for Jharsuguda, from where they planned to travel to Chhattisgarh where the girls would have received training in various skills and in spoken English.” Jena said the four young women had been selected through a rigorous process of career counselling, and all of them were Catholics. “Some people began heckling them on the train and accused the nun of involvement in religious conversions,” she said. Religious conversions, unless conducted through inducement, fraud or force, are not illegal. “As soon as the train reached Khurda Junction around 11pm on Saturday, around 30 people gathered and began abusing the nun and the four girls. They forced the entire group off the train,” Jena said. “Apart from religious conversions, they accused the nun of trafficking in women. The Railway Protection Force intervened and took all of them to the police station.” Jena added: “They pleaded they were all Christians and that the nun had nothing to do with religious conversions, but no one listened to them.” She said the women lawyers got to know about the matter on Sunday morning and rushed to Khurda. “During the investigation, it came out that all those detained were aged above 18 except for one girl, who was 17. All of them are literate,” she said. “All of them have now been released with full security and without any charges. The police treated them with dignity.” Jena said the women’s parents arrived at the police station and took them back to their villages, unwilling after the ordeal to let them go on to Chhattisgarh. The two young men too left for home. A GRP team escorted Nayak up to Bhubaneswar. Shankar Rao, inspector-in-charge, GRP Khurda, said: “The nun and the four girls know each other. All of them are Christians. The nun hails from Berhampur. She was involved neither in religious conversions nor trafficking. No FIR has been registered by the nun (against the hecklers).” Sources said the nun belongs to the Holy Family order, a local congregation founded in Kerala. Catholic Church sources in Delhi said that apart from written parental consent and baptism certificates, members travelling with girls had been advised to carry “a letter of admission to a senior secondary school to prove they are travelling for higher education”. Courtesy : Subhashish Mohanty, The Telegraph Note: This news is originally published on https://thetelegraph.com/ and is for use by the non-military/non-commercial community, especially those in the human rights sector.
How the road to conversion to Buddhism for 80 Dalit families in Surat was made difficult
On May 14, Jahnvi Solanki, got ready for the most special day of her life. For 29-year-old Solanki, it was the day when her dream was coming true after a twoyear-long wait. Jahnvi along with her family of four converted to Buddhism along with 79 other families in Surat on the day. On the day, the 80 Dalit families from various areas of Surat gathered at Anand Buddha Vihar, a Buddhist temple in Amroli area of Surat to renounce Hinduism and embrace Buddhism. “It was an emotional ceremony for all of us. I was in tears as I chanted the Buddha Vandana and repeated the 22 vows of Baba Saheb (Baba Saheb Bhimrao Ambedkar). I felt liberated denouncing Hinduism, a religion that gave us nothing but humiliation. Now, I don’t belong to any caste or social hierarchy. We are all equals here,” says Jahnvi, who works as a teacher in a primary school in Surat. In the ceremony to convert from Hinduism to Buddhism, people are required to chant Bhudha Vandana and then denounce bais barbaadi (22 evils) and take vows devised by Baba Saheb Ambedkar when he converted to Buddhism – Possess the ability to engage in diverse social endeavours, Have the capacity to thwart all forms of antisocial inclinations, Be empowered to disseminate the compassionate and wise teachings of Buddha Be capable of affirming the principles of education, organisation and activism, Foster a cultured ethos within society Eliminate superstition from societal norms Steer society towards a humanistic ethos Safeguard any individuals self-respect Reject anti-Bahujan leadership Ensure the protection rights and interests of all Realise that where there is unity, there is power Promote a sense of brotherhood transcending caste distinctions Foster a sense of a unified and extended family, Understand that only truthful and humane communication will remove derogatory labels from Bahujans Strengthen morale through unity and foster a sense of societal resilience Achieve and implement genuine democracy Finance the construction of educational, medical and residential facilities Establish an orderly and disciplined societal framework Provide a platform for social thinkers to serve as guides Uproot injustice, inequality and oppression Eradicate Manuwad from indigenous communities Understand and practice that all humans are equal “My family and I have faced discrimination all our lives. My father moved to Surat in search of a job and has worked in the diamond industry for over 20 years. I was a child when I moved to Surat with my mother and my brother was born here. Back in our village, our home was at one end of the village in an area referred to as Valmikivaas (home for Valmiki). We were constantly subjected to discrimination and untouchability. When we moved to Surat, we thought things would change as it is a city and people are more educated. But we have faced discrimination in this city too,” she says. “I remember, when I was in class nine, the teacher gave me average grades in all subjects without checking my papers of half yearly examination. She said she can’t touch something that has been touched by a Dalit. I had to live with that as nothing much was done by school authorities despite complaints,” she adds. Fifty-seven-year-old Maheshbhai Maheriya’s family of four also embraced Buddhism on the day. “I had mentally turned a Buddhist and renounced Hinduism two years back but the formal conversion happened now,” says Maheriya who converted to Buddhism with his wife, son and daughter-in-law. “There is peace in Buddhism because everyone is alike. Buddhism teaches only peace and compassion. But most importantly it gave us a sense of joy. We are no longer looked down upon by those who think they are superior to us just because they were born to a certain caste considered higher in social hierarchy in Hinduism,” says Maheriya, who works in the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC). Red tapism Noticeably, the journey to embrace a religion of their choice was not easy for the families. The journey began in the year 2023 when the families submitted applications to the district collector to formally adopt Buddhism as per the Gujarat Freedom of Religion Act, 2003. “Under Gujarat’s Freedom of Religion Act, conversion applications require an applicant to fill three forms – A, B and C. Form A, that has the details of the applicant with the his/her current religion and the religion he/she wants to adopt with reason. The Form A is required to be verified and approved by the district collector within one month. Then the applicant file Form B which is a testimony of certain witnesses who vouch that the conversion is not forced on the applicant. Form B is to be verified and approved within two months unless any irregularity is found. Then the applicant can finally file the Form C, the last form in the process that contains when and where he/she is going to convert and name of the person(s) or organisation who is going to oversee the ceremony. The last form is to be approved within a week to ten days,” said Dinesh Baudh, a member of Swayam Sainik Dal (SSD), a Ambedkerite organisation that helped the families with the process. “However, the process took more than two years with applications caught between red tapism and bureaucratic delays. For the first six months, we were running between offices to ensure that Form A is accepted by the office of the district collector. After almost a year, they approved the first form. Then we spent another six months running between offices to ensure that the testimony of the witnesses are not rejected. Then, after about three weeks of verifying Form B of each applicant, the issuance of approval letters was stalled as the district collector was transferred. It took another three months for the next official to resume the process,” said Baudh, who embraced Buddhism in 2019 in Nagpur. Noticeably, around 40,000 applications filed by the SSD and other Dalit rights organisations are pending in various districts. “The delay did not deter
BJP, Sena (UBT) MLAs face-off at DPC meeting over Dalit fund allocation
Akola: High political drama was witnessed at the Akola District Planning Committee meeting held on Thursday after a heated exchange between BJP MLA Randhir Savarkar and Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Nitin Deshmukh. Sparks flew during discussions over the allocation of Rs36 crore meant for Dalit development, leading to verbal abuse, shouting match, and an attempt to charge at each other inside the meeting hall. The situation escalated to such a degree that guardian minister Aakash Fundkar and other MLAs had to intervene to prevent further disorder. However, the tension continued beyond the meeting room. Supporters from both political sides gathered outside the planning building near the collector’s office, where another round of verbal altercations and minor scuffles broke out. Speaking to the media, Fundkar claimed “nothing major” had occurred, but indirectly acknowledged the tension by questioning, “Should we remain silent against false accusations?” NCP MLA Amol Mitkari confirmed there was disruption inside the meeting hall. Congress MLA Sajid Khan Pathan also condemned the incident, accusing the BJP of suppressing opposition voices in the district and across the state. Political observers and local citizens have expressed concern that such public displays of political hostility could spill onto the streets and negatively impact developmental work in the district. The incident, they say, reflects a troubling trend in Maharashtra’s political climate. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https://timesofindia.com/ and is for use by the non-military/non-commercial community, especially those in the human rights sector.
‘There was no need to ask us to stop’: Shashi Tharoor reacts to Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Narender, surrender’ jibe at PM
‘There was no need to ask us to stop’: Shashi Tharoor reacts to Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Narender, surrender’ jibe at PM; watch video’There was no need to ask us to stop’: Shashi Tharoor reacts to Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Narender, surrender’ jibe at PM; watch video NEW DELHI: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor offered a measured response to party colleague Rahul Gandhi’s controversial “Narender, surrender” jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asserting that domestic political differences should not overshadow India’s unified stance abroad. Speaking in Washington, where he is leading an all-party parliamentary delegation, Tharoor diplomatically navigated questions about Gandhi’s remarks that accused PM Modi of capitulating to US President Donald Trump during a the recent standoff. “In a democracy, and this is normal, parties will contend, criticism will be expressed, demands will be made, points of view will be laid out. We are not here on a party political mission. We are here as representatives of a united India,” Tharoor said. “I often point out to my interlocutors that we have five political parties amongst my seven MPs. We have three religions, we have got seven states… it’s an incredible cross section reflective of India’s diversity. There is an old saying that our political differences stop at the edge of the border. Once you cross the border, you are an Indian and your other allegiances come second,” he added. — PTI_News (@PTI_News) Tharoor dismissed concerns over intra-party criticism overshadowing the delegation’s mission. “I think, frankly, when one is doing the nation’s service, I don’t think one needs to worry too much about these things,” he said. Referring to a recent statement by fellow Congress leader Salman Khurshid, Tharoor added, “I noticed that my friend Salman Khurshid has asked the question, ‘Is it so difficult to be a patriot in our country these days?’ And I think anybody who considers that working in the national interest is some sort of anti-party activity really needs to question themselves rather than us. I honestly feel at this point in time that we are focused on a mission here, and we don’t really need to spend too much time worrying about what is said or not said in the heat of the moment by various individuals. Because for us, the focus really is on this much larger and more important message.” On the matter of US mediation in India-Pakistan tensions, Tharoor reiterated India’s firm stance. “I am not necessarily having to address this issue because I am not here to stir up any sort of complication with the White House. We have enormous respect for the American presidency,” he said. “I think we don’t know exactly what his folks said to Pakistan. We didn’t need persuading by anybody. We were clear — there was no need to ask us to stop because we had said: you hit us, we will hit back, and if they will stop, we will stop. We said that on the first day, we said that on the last day. They may have talked to Pakistan, but that is between them and Pakistan.” — PTI_News (@PTI_News) Tharoor’s remarks come after Rahul Gandhi, while addressing a rally in Bhopal, alleged that Prime Minister Modi had acted on a cue from Donald Trump during a military standoff. “As soon as Trump signalled from there, picked up the phone and said, ‘what are you doing Modi ji? Narender, surrender’…and Modi ji obeyed Trump’s orders with ‘Ji Huzoor’,” LoP had said. Former Congress president also invoked the memory of the 1971 Indo-Pak war, saying, “Back then a phone call had not come but the US had sent its 7th fleet, weapons, and an aircraft carrier, but Indira Gandhi didn’t surrender and said she would go by national interest.” He further alleged that the BJP and RSS were habituated to “writing surrender letters” since India’s independence. The BJP, in response, accused Gandhi of insulting the armed forces and undermining the success of Operation Sindoor with his comments. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https://timesofindia.com/ and is for use by the non-military/non-commercial community, especially those in the human rights sector.