Kabir's Communal Play: Why Bengal Muslims Won't Buy the Owaisi Clone

Humayun Kabir, a Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA from Bharatpur in Murshidabad district, faces suspension from the party after announcing plans to build a Babri Masjid replica in Beldanga. This move has drawn sharp parallels to Asaduddin Owaisi's divisive tactics witnessed in several Hindi-speaking states. Kabir’s announcement positions him as a potential "local Owaisi," aiming to fragment Muslim votes that have traditionally supported TMC chief Mamata Banerjee. Kabir comes from a minority-dominated area in Murshidabad, where Muslims constitute over 70% of the population, making it a strategic region for vote consolidation. He had been previously cautioned by TMC for anti-party activities, but his latest move provoked swift action, including his suspension by party . Despite this, Kabir has vowed to resign from the assembly if forced and proceed with the Babri Masjid project, even going as far as erecting a boundary wall around the site to assert his defiance. Asaduddin Owaisi, head of AIMIM, has effectively split Muslim votes in Hindi-speaking states such as Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Jharkhand but struggled in states like Telangana, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka, where Hindi-Urdu speaking populations are minorities. Analysts view Kabir as the saffron-favored new face in Bengal, echoing Owaisi’s communal approach to undermine Mamata Banerjee’s grip on minority votes. However, Bengal’s political context could undercut Kabir’s ambitions. Muslim voters in Bengal are generally wary of such communal gimmicks, displaying a higher degree of political maturity and skepticism toward divisive strategies. This cultural and political distinctiveness is expected to limit Kabir’s ability to gain substantial support despite his efforts. Bengal’s electorate is notably different in that it rarely votes along caste or communal lines, unlike many other Indian states where identity politics heavily influences voting behavior. This political awareness fosters resistance against communal polarization, although Kabir’s actions will test this resilience. Overall, Kabir’s attempts to divide votes on religious lines face difficult odds in a politically conscious Bengal that traditionally rejects communal politics. While his strategy imitates Owaisi’s divisive tactics, it seems out of place within Bengal’s unique electoral landscape. This case illustrates how Muslim voters in Bengal prioritize informed political choices over communal distractions, suggesting that Kabir is unlikely to succeed in altering the state’s political dynamics through such divisive means.

Bengal's Soul Isn't for Sale: A Wake-Up Call Against Cultural Bulldozers ...

In the heart of Kolkata, where the echo of Mohun Bagan's roars still lingers from historic victories and the verses of Rabindranath Tagore continue to inspire generations, there's a growing unease. How did we get here—a place where outsiders stumble over "Mohun Bagan" (it's Mo-hoon Bah-gawn, by the way), glaze over why Tagore earned the Nobel for Gitanjali in 1913, and treat Bengal like just another patch of real estate to conquer? These are the folks bulldozing our institutions, eyeing political power without a shred of empathy for what makes Bengal Bengal. They know nothing of our pujo pandals bursting with creativity, the fiery debates over ilish maach recipes during monsoon feasts, or the pluralistic ethos that welcomes everyone—from Durga idols to Christmas lights—without batting an eye. To them, every Bengali-speaking voice sounds like a Bangladeshi infiltrator, not a proud son or daughter of this soil.It's infuriating. Bengal isn't a blank canvas for power grabs. Our open-mindedness, forged in the fires of the Renaissance and the freedom struggle, isn't up for auction. We've hosted poets, revolutionaries, and football legends who defined India. We've celebrated addabazar intellectual clashes over chai and mishti, blending Hindu, Muslim, and every shade in between in our festivals. This cultural mosaic—resilient, pluralistic, and fiercely independent—defines us.Yet, these power-hungry outsiders dismiss it all, seeing only vote banks and land deals. They have no future here because Bengalis won't trade their heritage for hollow promises. We've seen empires rise and fall; Tagore's spirit reminds us: "Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high." Bengal's ethos demands leaders who cherish it, not exploit it.It's time to reclaim our narrative. Bengal's soul isn't for sale—it's alive in every puja dhaak beat, every rosogolla bite, and every Mohun Bagan chant. Let's protect it, not pawn it. Mamata Banerjee @highlight

It's a ploy, a strategy to make Owaisi look politically taller than Mamata !

The presence of big politicians in hyderabad seeking votes in Municipality elections is not without a reason. It's a strategy somewhat like "looking London talking Tokyo" , something, they think shall consolidate saffron party's vote share in Bengal elections ! It's a ploy, a strategy to make Owaisi look politically taller than Mamata & real representative, a Messiah of the Muslims! Every verbal attack on Owaisi is expected to make him look like a real, honest & caring leader of the community thus confusing a section of the community to vote for AIMIM candidates instead of TMC in bengal making it easier for them to further divide Bengalis as Hindus & Muslims making it somewhat less hectic to defeat Mamata Banerjee ! So do not get carried away by a politician who is unwilling to diversify in his home state beyond state's capital; but is trying to represent his community in Maharashtra, Bihar & Bengal ! Be wise ....

राजनितिक मामलो के जानकार अजीज-ए-मुबारकी ने कहा.... पुराना नारा पुराना होने से पहले नया नारा आ जाता है !

राजनितिक मामलो के जानकार अजीज-ए-मुबारकी ने कहा कहते हैं जल्दी ही हम और हमारा देश आत्मानिर्भर बन जाएँगे , कोई बताए पेट्रोल रिफ़ाइनरी से पम्प तक , बैंक, रेल, इन्शुरन्स , हवाई अड्डा यहाँ तक के रेल्वे स्टेशन और airport तक को बेच दिया गया है या उसकी तैयारी है , पूरा भारत ही २ या ३ पूँजी पतियों पर निर्भर होता जा रहा है ऐसे में ये कहना के आत्मानिर्भर हो रहा है भारत , एक भद्धा मज़ाक़ से ज़्यादा कुछ नही ..... देश जैसे जैसे आगे बढ़ रहा है उसी तरह नारे भी नए नए आ रहे हैं , पहले काला धन आना था , फिर 15 लाख आने थे,फिर समय आया मेक इन इंडिया , स्किल इंडिया , स्टैंड उप इंडिया का , फिर बेटी को पढ़ने की बात हुई , बुलिट ट्रेन चलाने की बात हुई , अच्छेदिन भी लाने की बात हुई अब आया है “आत्मनिर्भर “; कुछ हो या ना हो कम से काम ये सरकार नारे बनाने में आत्मनिर्भर दिख रही है ; पुराना नारा पुराना होने से पहले नया नारा आ जाता है .... अब झारखंड को ही देखिए , पिछली सरकार २०१५ जब आयी तो ऐसा लग रहा था के आज तक जितनी भी सरकारें झारखंड में आयी वो सारी की सारी नाकारा थी , कमजोर थी और अपना काम करने में विफल थी मगर रघुवर दास बाबू की सरकार , डबल एंजिन की सरकार , पूर्ण बहुमत की सरकार ना के सिर्फ़ अपना कार्यकाल पूरा करेगी बल्के ऐसा लगता था के शायद अब म्यूनिसिपैलिटी के नल्को से पानी की जगह दूध आएगा ? मगर दूध तो दूध ठीक से पानी भी नसीब नही हुआ लोगों को , अंगीनत मासूम मॉब लिंचिंग का शिकार हुए , कुछ ‘ भाथ ‘ कहते कहते भगवान को प्यारे हो गए . आदिवासी बच्चों की फ़ीस बड़ा दी गयी और मिलने वाली स्टाइपंड घटा दी गयी .... अब हेमंत सोरेन की सरकार है , वादे तो इन्होंने भी काफ़ी किए हैं अब देखना ये है अब के वादे पूरे करने की कसौटी पर यह कितना उतरते है.... हमारे पड़ोसी राज्य बिहार में इलेक्शन की धूम मची है और नेयताओं का सीना पीटना शुरू हो गया है, सब भोजपुरी बोलने लगे हैं , मगर ये ख़याल किसी नेता को नही आ रहा के ये वही बिहारी हैं जो दिल्ली से पैदल ,भूके प्यासे, नंगे पैर , तपती धूप में अपने घर के लिए चल दिए थे , ये वही बिहारी है जो हर साल बाढ़ की मार झेलते हैं । नेताओं को बिहारियों का वोट तो प्यारा है मगर बिहारी नही , वरना क्या कारण है के जो काम सरकारों को करना था वो सोनू सूद कर रहे थे ? राजनैतिक दालों को मालूम हो या ना हो मगर हर बिहारी को मालूम है के सुशांत सिंह की मौत दुःख की बात है मगर राजनैतिक मुद्दा नही .... जिस तरह मोदी जी को जनता बोहोत प्यार करती है उसी तरह नीतीश जी को भी बोहोत प्यार करती है , मगर इन नयी परिस्थिति में ये प्यार कितना बना रहता है अब आगे देखना है आसान भाषा में कहें तो देखना है ये ऊँट किस करवट बैठता है ....

Congress has lost not only its glory but the reason to exist !

After their unpleasant or repulsive defeat Congress did an internal survey with AK Antony Committee, which was set to look into the reasons of the party's defeat in 2014, and the alleged finding are that the Congress was increasingly being viewed as a pro-Muslim and anti-Hindu party., and this was a primary reason for a spate of electoral reverses; the findings further suggests INC to rethink & re-strategise the policies at earliest ! But i guess findings of the above committee was nothing more than an eye wash , to an extend to disown than to accept real reason behind decayed support base . The practical reason are far more harsher to be documented, it never speaks of why Sharad Pawar, Mamata or even Yeduguri Sandinti Jaganmohan Reddy had to quit or how-come they successfully launched their own political outfit and govern their states ? Why prominent leaders like Pranab Mukherjee , Digvijaya Singh , Ahmed Patel or even Anthony himself failed to save INC or revive it in their home states ? Report blatantly ignored the under lying reason for legislators switchover in gujarat, Assam,Arunachal ,Madhya pradesh and same may be the fate in Jharkhand soon, Anthony's Committee failed to address the real reasons , it overlooked to record that Ashoke Gehlot vs Sachin Pilot in Rajasthan or Kamal Nath vs Scindia scion is result of the fight for political supremacy & control of individuals over camps,party and government ! And coming coming back to their fondness for muslims , I can remind Hashimpur massacre of April 1987 where a PAC platoon rounded up Muslims in the Hashimpur mohalla in Meerut, arrested & allegedly took about 50 from the community in a truck to the Upper Ganga canal in Murad Nagar, Ghaziabad district instead of taking them to the police station and shot them one by one, and threw into the canal. And it happened under Congress Government led by Vir Bahadur Singh instead of any action on him , he was made the Union Minister for Communication by none other than Rajiv Gandhi the very next year 1988 . Another example of Congress’s love for the muslims comes from the Bhagalpur where riots started on 24 October 1989, but continued for 2 months. It affected the Bhagalpur city and 250 villages around it. Over 1,000 people (around 900 of which were Muslims), were killed, and another 50,000 were displaced.It was recorded as the worst Communal riot in independent India before Godhra happened . it is alleged that the then Police Superintendent was fanning anti-Muslim sentiments & was asked by the then Bihar Chief Minister Satyendra Narayan Sinha to hand over the charge to Ajit Datt on the same day. But, on a tour of the riot-affected area, the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi overruled the transfer ! There have been approximately 60 major communal riots since 1961. And Unsurprisingly majority of them were in Congress rules states. But none of INC Chief Minister has been demonised the way BJPs Modi was . What happened in 1984 was a beginning where a particular political party’s members/cadres led mobs in attacks on the Sikh community in alleged retaliation for the assassination of Indira Gandhi. It is imperative to state that 1984 does not fall in the category of communal riots as it was not between communities, it was a direct attack by cadres of a political party on one community. Although 2002 was more lethal as it was an improvised & technically sound attack but even then blaming only BJP and not Congress will undermining the atrocious capabilities of the grand old party. Congress, though ideologically secular, has always followed quite dubious policies and has never made any serious attempt to check communal violence in the state ruled by them . Tall claims of providing secular governance of the Congress lie shattered as looking at history, Congress doesn't fare any better than the BJP in preventing communal riots. And now when everybody who is somebody in the congress is trying to claim the hard work they put in for the cause of Ram Lalla only exposes them further making them look like an ideologically confused party ! Hope they find the real reason why Congress was formed and survived 150 years & on the verge of doom now !

Millions are left devastated & marooned every year but still no plan in place to check FLOODS !

We hear about floods in bihar every year, the successive governments have spend millions to prevent it atleast on paper , but where are the results ?
Millions are left devastated & marooned but still no plan in place to check FLOODS from being an annual catastrophe .

Bihar is India's most flood-prone state, with 76% population in the Northern Bihar are living under the recurring threat of flood devastation while the government has built over 3000 km of embankments in Bihar over the last few decades, but the flooding propensity has increased by 2.5 times during the same time period, not to mention that embankments failed during each major flooding event !

Bihar introduced its first flood policy in 1954 , the state then had approximately 160 km of embankments and the flood-prone area in the state was estimated to be 2.5 million hectares. And surprisingly upon the completion of the embankments of about 3,465 km the amount of flood-prone land increased to 6.89 million hectares in 2004 which is evident enough that we are moving in the wrong direction !

There is not any one or a particular reason for the flood that has became an annual affair in the lives of millions of biharis, deforestation, excessive silting, banana trees at the banks of Ganges ,even farakka barrage looks like a contributor apart from the “scape goat” reason that Nepal allows the water flows into the major drainages of Narayani, Bagmati, and Koshi rivers, inflating them that leads to flood , but whats the solution to this disaster every year .

Maybe technically wrong but former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee was sensitive to the issue hence suggested & professed the idea to connect rivers ending this problem for ever; but sadly even his party is not keen on giving it a thought leave aside his political opponents !

कोरोना का क़हर जिस तरह अमरीका , रशिया , इटली या फ़्रान्स या फिर Europe के दूसरे देशों में देखने को मिला वैसा क़हर इस देश में नही , mortality rate भी काफ़ी बेहतर है और आगे भी रहगा ये मैं पूरे यक़ीन के साथ कह सकता हूँ !
मैं डॉक्टर नही मगर ये ज़रूर जानता हूँ के इस देश में आधे से ज़्यादा लोग गंदा पानी , unhygenic खाना खा कर ज़िंदा हैं , एक छोटा सा उदाहरण दे कर अगर समझाया जाए तो ऐसा समझिए के हर साल हज़ारों को डेंगू होता है , मेरे मोहल्ले में भी होता है , मगर विश्वास करिए आज तक कोई नही मरा मेरे इलाक़े से ; लेकिन यश चोपड़ा बेचारे डेंगू की भेंट छड़ गए !
यानी ये बीमारी उनके लिए ज़्यादा ख़तरनाक साबित होती है जिनको ऐसी चीज़ों की आदत नही !
इस देश में किसी भी रेल्वे स्टेशन पर आप को लोग नलके से पीने का पानी भरते दिख जाएँगे , रेल में दिए भोजन से कई बार cockroach और lizard निकली है , कोई मरा ? अरे भैया रेल्वे स्टेशन पर जब ₹ १० रुपय का “जनता आहार” को खा कर कोई नही मरा तो विश्वास कीजिए कोरोना से तो मारेगा ही नही ...
अब सोचिए अमेरिका के राष्ट्रपति जब भारत आए तो अपने पीने का पानी भी साथ लाए थे ; मगर हम बिंदास muncipality के नलको का पानी पी रहे हैं , कुछ हुआ ?
90 % से जयदा लोग जिनको कोरोना हो रहा है वो बिना किसी दवा और इलाज के ठीक हो जा रहे हैं , कैसे ? क्यूँ के हमको आदत है , कोरोना से ज़्यादा बर्बादी तो सांप्रदायिक दंगे में होती है इस देश में ....
इस कोरोना का नही सांप्रदायिकता का इलाज ढूँढिए देश का भला होगा !

Markaz or no Markaz venomous tv debates are very much like this for long , their agenda to accuse, abuse & tarnish the image of the community is being persued since lynching days, where they accused the lynched & made heroes out of communal lunatics !

The disgraceful media has maintained silence on other gatherings , processions, in house proceedings, marriage parties attended by big wigs even swearing in ceremonies !

But that does not obliterate the Markazi Jamaatiz of their foolish, stupid , irresponsible & negligent act ; most of the jamatiz are educated people & #Corona related news were everywhere no matter which newspaper they read or tv they watch !

Pleading ignorance or disowning responsibility is futile , they did commit a blunder and made themselves look like stupids by speaking about government directives !

The point is "government directives or no directive", they should have postponed all programmes from February onwards as a large number of their attendee are either foreigners or delegates from different states . And Corona had engulfed China, entire Europe and many asian countries by early february or so , they could have rescheduled their programmes till this was contained !

Although I don't see it as some deliberate , planned or conspiracious event with some anti national agenda to achieve as being projected by a section of media .

The organizers are responsible and all legal proceedings should be initiated against them as initiated in other such cases of crowds, proceedings , marriages, parties and processions post directives !

These incidents are not secluded or stray ones but hate motivated crimes committed with a purpose !

In a shocking incident, a 22-year-old man was beaten to death by a group of molesters who had passed lewd comments on his sister when she was returning home after her class in a remote village called Kudwa,Haidernagar police area, Palamu, Jharkhand.

In the incident, Vakil Khan lost his life, while 20 year-old Danish Khan is said to be very serious. Although police has arrested one man but then not much is expected in cases where minorities are lynched,murdered or killed .

In an earlier incident in March 2016, in another soul wrenching incident, two man, Imtiyaz Khan and Mazrum Ansari were beaten up and then hanged from a tree by a mob of so-called cow vigilantes in Khaprelwar village of Latehar district, some arrests were made but nothing concrete happened as the local politicians not only supported the killers but garlanded them when the accused we're out on bail !

Even in neighbouring state of Bihar ruled by the same political party as in Jharkhand, A Durga Puja procession was denied entry through a Muslim-dominated area in Bihar’s Sitamarhi last October (2018). On being denied entry, procession turned violent and further 80-year-old Zainul Ansari, who was returning from his daughter’s house, was beaten and burnt alive.
So it can be said these incidents are not secluded or stray ones but hate motivated crimes perfectly planned and brilliantly executed committed with a sole intend of instilling fear amongst Muslims and force them further into ghettoisation.

When will we stop calling parts our land as troubled area ?

There are hardly issues which can't be resolved , so why the people from North East or Kashmir are suffering for decades .
There is limit to everything, be it patience or capacity to bear adverse. The efforts of all successive governments were more or less cosmetic in nature, hence they all resulted in duds while finding solutions .
Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act which is the last resort and is to be enforced with caution even in case of an emergency is renewed after every review of the situation there .

When do we wish to withdraw the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act ?
What have our governments done to normalize situations there ?
Everyone knows that use of Military is a short time solutions, therefore the larger questions is, did our leaders lacked vision , commitment Or seriousness ?

A large section of our forces are assigned to manage law & order in these area ; so what's the point electing governments there ?
Law & order is a state subject; but insurgency and infiltration needs support and direct involvement of central government . Perhaps, its their responsibility to create a healthy, coherent and conducive atmosphere for talks , it was their duty to reach out to people in such areas and engage them in dialogue, help them overcome their issues , concerns & grievances !

But to country dismay no governments has done it this way , once elected they spend their time , energy & machinery in either hiding their flaws ( read scams), defending their wrong policies or witch hunting opponents till they are booted out making way for the other party or coalition to follow their footsteps for next 5 years !

But on a serious note, it hardly matters which alliance wins it should be on a priorities, as this delay in finding solution is alienating our own men apart from exhausting our armed forces doing they are not comfortable in ...

"no work all play" policy is costing them dearly !

In 2014 , there was nobody to challenge the then invincible Mr. Modi ,but this #Raffale and their "no work all play" policy is costing them dearly

!
Even if they come back to form a government again, Nitish Kumar & Ram Vilas Paswan will have an important say in "Koun Banega Pradhan Mantri" .
Irrespective to above Even Mr.Gadkari is playing safe . Perhaps, he knows he has an opportunity if BJP don't reach the magic figures alone , and therefore he has started portraying himself as a liberal amongst hardliners, a dove amongst eagles if not vultures ...
And frankly speaking no chanakya can reverse the damage Done already. The image of senior leaders has taken severe beating leaving enough loopholes for the opposition to dent the "no non sense government" image further with uncomfortable queries and questions creating doubt in the mind of voters, which in given time may not be easy task to wipe out or overcome politically....

#AccheDin

Rahul's political acumenship where he has to prove that his Congress is different and better than Narsimha Rao's, Manmohan Singh's even his mother Sonia Gandhi's led Congress !

Rahul has started well with new governments in all recently won states , but then his responsibility doesn't end there; in fact the expectation to deliver, begin now ....
He will be under tremendous pressure to outdo the BJP ruled states with good governance at one hand and maintainance of the law & order at the other, the two major concerns in right wing ruled states !
So anybody who thinks winning was the end are wrong as it's just the beginning of Rahul's political acumenship where he has to prove that his Congress is different and better than Narsimha Rao's, Manmohan Singh's even his mother Sonia Gandhi's led Congress !
It becomes imperative to add that Congress will have to choose either of the one, it can't be Mr.jekyll and Dr.hyde both as it has been all these years .
Rahul has shown maturity in handling the process of choosing Chief ministers and I expect similar intellect as that shall help him carve a niche for himself and for the long ailing Congress !

Jharkhand government has achieved what even the British rule could not !

The Jharkhand government has achieved what even the British rule could not—complete alienation of the tribal population from their land....

They made amendments to the Chota Nagpur Tenancy Act (CNT Act) of 1908 and the Santhal Pargana Tenancy Act (SPT Act) of 1949, passed on November 23 by the Jharkhand Legislature, allow use of tribal land for non-agricultural purposes by the government. Earlier, the government could take over land only for public welfare activities....

Under the #SPT_Act, no transfer of urban or rural land is allowed. It can only be inherited. The #CNT_Act is a little more lenient and allows transfer of land within the same caste and geographical limits, but with the approval of the district collector.

But the new amendments allows the use of agricultural land owned by schedule tribes, schedule castes and other backward castes for industrial and commercial purposes. The addition of Section 21 (B) in the CNT Act and Section 13(A) in the SPT Act by the Amendments allow the state government to frame rules from “time to time” for non-agriculture use of the land in the given geographical areas.....
These arm twisting amendments / changes allow easy transfer of land through the backdoor. “The use of ‘time to time’ wording clearly shows "unrighteous" intention of the state government.....
And the only way to correct this cronyism is to choose the next government in the state wisely ..

#Jharkhand_Turns_18

MAMATA MAY WIN THIS SYMBOLIC SECOND TERM ...

Bengal has not changed much since it has been under the rule of Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC). The TMC-led government has been trying to attract industries and investments from outside as did its Communist-led predecessor. And, as it was the case during the Left rule, all efforts by the present government in West Bengal to attract investors from outside the state or country have miserably failed. The fear aroused among industrialists following the forced exit of the Tatas from Singur hasn't died down as yet.

It is an undeniable fact that Ms Banerjee has lost much of that popularity she used to enjoy in the past and her image as a messiah for "common man" has taken a severe beating which has induced her two former adversaries, the communists and the Congress, to come together. And as the opposition combination has nothing to lose, maybe this is best time to win back some of the lost ground (read constituencies) by exploiting people’s disenchantment with Mamata & her party.

But the above does not mean that the Cong-Left alliance is any better placed. Their possibility of gain doesn’t conceal the fact that neither the Left nor the Congress has a capable, credible, let alone inspirational, leader. The former chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya is no longer a popular man in his own party. Similarly, the West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee (WBPCC) is left with the second-rung leaders after nearly all its top brass migrated to the Trinamool for greener pastures. Yet the two allies still hope to gain from the anti-incumbency factor that is working against the Mamata party, whereas deep down the Communist-Congress alliance is aware that time is not ripe as yet and it shall be difficult to unseat Mamata now.

And so Mamata Banerjee may win this election, although it will be a symbolic second term with a government more fragile comparatively to the euphoria she had generated five years ago. Most importantly, her victory or defeat shall hardly make a difference to a state which is expected to remain mired in economic stagnation with high rate of unemployment making the youth cannon fodder in the hands of crafty politicians.

Although there have been some ornamental changes in the last five years, but they are too weak to be discussed about as they failed to make a positive difference to the exchequer of the state. But whatever the outcome be, one thing is certain that what seemed like a cakewalk for Mamata’s party a few weeks back has suddenly turned into an interesting electoral battle.



http://www.milligazette.com/news/14149-mamata-may-win-this-symbolic-second-term-west-bengal

Naming roads should be motivated by history not by political beliefs or chauvinism...

New Delhi Municipal Corporation has changed the name of a prominent thoroughfare in the city from "Aurangzeb Road" to "APJ Abdul Kalam Road". The road which was named decades ago after the Mughal emperor has now been renamed after India's "Missile Man".

No doubt, our current majestic masters would rejoice at our enthusiasm in naming streets or roads after great people. But with this un-solicitous rush, we have also added a degree of silliness to the process. The people who are euphoric with the replacement of the name have obviously missed the big point that New Delhi's geography had been motivated by history and not on political beliefs or chauvinism.

I mean Mahatma Gandhi certainly would have been on an eternal hunger strike if he knew that Delhi's congested Ring Road - which denotes everything about modernity that the Mahatma Gandhi ostracized - bore his name. Similarly, I fail to understand how Park Street of Kolkata which is famous for pubs & bars reflects the legacy of Mother Teresa or for that matter Marine Drive in Mumbai reflects the ideas & ideals of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.

Apart from it many historians have pointed out that it is difficult to single out Aurangzeb as a particularly ferocious or brutal ruler, or even a rabidly anti-Hindu emperor. It is undeniable, he clamped down on certain Hindu religious practices, destroyed some temples and killed some people, but it was more to suppress rivals which was in no way connected to his personal religious belief. He destroyed some temples either for hidden treasures or to discourage their use for planning rebellion against him. All above can be verified by the fact, he did not abandon the Mughal graciousness of Hindu mansabdars.


He helped build, renovate and patronized many Hindu temples like the Chitrakut or Balaghat where the Emperor himself granted 300 bighas of land for the Mandir or Umananda, the oldest temple of Bhagwan Bhosle Shankar situated on the banks of river Brahmaputra in Guwahati or offered annual grants to Maa Kamakhya Mandir- another famous temple situated on the hills of Nilachaal near Guwahati. In Hindu holy city of Ayodhya he donated 1000 bighas of land to a Hindu trust to build a grand temple and also to build resting places for Hindu pilgrims- Yugal Kishore Sharan Shastri, head of Sarayukunj Ramjanaki Mandir in Ayodhya confirmed this in a social media post the other day.

Perhaps, it's imperative to understand that Aurangzeb was not democratically elected or inherited the empire peacefully; he had to fight hard to attain what he achieved, sustained and later ruled. Therefore it is understandable that the occurrences during such course was neither exclusive nor an exception or in anyway limited to Aurangzeb only, as it was the norm to ascend thrones during the period. It is impractical to jump to an opinion on Aurangzeb, as he was not a short-lived experience defined by a single event. He lived and shaped Indian history through nearly seven decades- first as Shah Jahan's son, then as his viceroy down south, followed by as "Shahenshah e Hind" or India's ruler.

Apart from it, if he had been so rabidly anti-Hindu - and hostile toward the large section of his subject - then it would have been impossible for him to continue on the Mughal throne for such long period.

Coming back to point, changing names of Roads are fine if it gives people the feeling of pride and self-respect. APJ Kalam was certainly a great scholar, a statesman and a former President of the country; there is nothing wrong on naming a street, town or a city after him, but why was he chosen for this particular Delhi road? Delhi is one of the greatest cities in the world with rich history of over 1,000 years. It would be unfortunate if residents fail to appreciate it and focus their energy on inconsequential things like naming of streets.

On the contrary, I wonder why nobody is seeking to rename Ashoka, Tughlaq, or Akbar roads. Unsurprisingly, it's no secret that Ashoka launched a bloody massacre against the state of Kalinga. It is believed that the sheer extent of that gory war led Ashoka to embrace Buddhism, although some historians contradict this and state that Ashoka continued his invasion against other states even after his conversion. The Tughlaqs were no less bloody either, particularly; Muhammad bin Tughlaq spared neither Hindus nor Muslims when he illogically decided to shift the entire population of Delhi to his new capital Daulatabad. And finally, it cannot be forgotten that the most celebrated Mughal King Akbar too had blood on his hands. Remember that Bahram Khan, the man who raised Akbar from his childhood, was
ultimately killed on the emperor's order.

But irrespective of all facts above, if killing innocents or razing religious structures is still a sort of a benchmark to judge someone, then I am sure historians some decades or centuries later will equate some of today's rulers in India to some Mughal rulers (tyrannical to some) because they too have led mobs to massacre of innocents and razed religious structures, sometime following the action-reaction theory and others in the name of beautification, broadening of roads, laying routes for metro rails and other development work.


http://www.indiatomorrow.net/eng/naming-roads-should-be-motivated-by-history-not-by-political-beliefs-or-chauvinism-


http://www.milligazette.com/news/12978-re-naming-should-be-motivated-by-history-not-chauvinism

NO POLITICS WITH OUR FEELINGS PLEASE ...

AS everybody else has an opinion on Yakub Memon's death by decree of law, irrespective of the fact that it is unlikely to change anything for him now, I still feel the urge to put things across in a simple, impartial and logical way. So, without wasting words on immaterial issue like whether he should have been extended leniency and compassion, the attention at the moment should be on another more pertinent question. Was he eligible for such an "act of gracious kindness" for the crime he committed or was forced to be an accomplice in it?

Mr B Raman (IPS), the then head of Pakistan's desk at Research & Analysis Wing (R&AW) in his article in 2007 (http://www.ibnlive.com/news/india/dead-raw-officer-raman-returns-to-question-death-sentence-to-1993-bombay-blasts-convict-yakub-memon-1024952.html) wrote: "There is not an iota of doubt about the involvement of Yakub and other members of the family in the conspiracy and their cooperation with the ISI till July 1994". It makes the rest of the argument unwarranted.

Many offer logic that Babri mosque was demolished 20 years ago with much oppression of the Muslims; have we gotten any justice? Gujarat genocide of Muslims occurred 10 years ago; have we gotten any justice? The horrendous Bombay communal riots happened 20 years ago; have we received any justice? Batla House false encounter and oppression of many Muslim youth from Azamgarh occurred five years ago and is continuing; have we received any justice? Sachar Committee report on gross Muslim deprivations was released six years ago; have we received any justice? All we have received in 65 years is a few bread crumbs thrown at us and we have been told to keep quiet.

But my question to all such people including​ Mr. Owaisi, (a lawyer himself) and the politically active millionaire Imam - who led the Namaaz e Janaza for Yakub in Kolkata - is why they did not take keen interest to fight all above cases, including that of Yakub, himself (Mr Owaisi). Why did they not hire lawyers to pursue all above cases, including that of Yakub again?

I feel it was more of a lip service to the community to give them a "feel good feeling" than anything else, because as a layman if I can understand that seeking clemency from capital punishment in itself was an acceptance of his crime, I wonder how a foreign-returned barrister like Owaisi could not understand that and demanded relief on communal lines. Does counting others' sins make one saint?
The argument should have been on the basis of the disclosure that Mr Raman made again in his article,​ where he wrote "But if one also takes into consideration his (Yakub's) conduct and role after he was informally picked up in Kathmandu, there is a strong case for having second thoughts about the suitability of the death penalty in the subsequent stages of the case".

And on that Imam of Kolkata, his mass prayers seem limited for dreaded terrorists, be it Osama Bin Laden, Saddam Hussain or controversial figures like Yakub Memon. Why did he not offer prayer for APJ Abdul Kalam who died recently? Why did he not offer any Namaaz e Janaza for Kargil Martyrs, Ehsan Jaffery and all those who were butchered in Gujarat, Mumbai or Muzaffarnagar? Weren't they Muslims? Aren't they martyrs? But creating confusion in the minds of innocent Muslims the Imam seems hell-bent on committing political hara-kiri, pushing the community in another deep abyss. Unfortunately for some Muslims love for their political parties is more pertinent than the love for the community. Otherwise, they could have limited their actions.

The community would have appreciated it if there were some logical and peaceful means of protest in the case of hanging of Yakub. Such Namaaz e Janaza sends wrong signal or depicts incorrect pictures of the community and ends up antagonising fellow citizens instead of letting them know of our concerns.

Such prayer is nothing but a big blunder ​​that makes the community more vulnerable and isolated. Such dim-witted show of strength of the community is just hollow and meaningless- and should be avoided ​at all cost.


http://www.indiatomorrow.net/eng/no-politics-with-our-feelings-please

THE WORLD MUST STOP MISINTERPRETING TERRORISTS AS MESSIAHS OF ISLAM...

If by any means spilling Muslim blood is the deciding factor for Muslims to decide who the community should take vengeance against, then these dissemblers i.e., ISIS, Al Qaeda or geographically more closer, the Talibans, should immediately go into hiding as these organizations have been butchering Muslims for years now.

They wish to mentally take possession of Muslims, but faces a wall of neutrality, resentment even opposition from the community. And so by indulging into cruel activities (like beheading captives, burning them alive, a 9/11 or even a 26/11) they crave to get non-Muslims to be unkind towards Muslims on the grounds that they are Muslims. It can start creating a common political identity around accusation against discrimination that may not only make their recruitment drive easier, but may also help accumulate funds more smoothly.


And If we study the actions of these horrendous organizations closely, we shall know that the people killed by Al Qaeda, ISIS and Taliban had only 12% non-Muslims as victims! That majorly suggests, these felonious have killed seven times more Muslims (be it Shia or Sunni) than non-Muslims. Therefore the fact is that neither of these “Beelzebub” is fighting for the cause of Islam or Muslims as they proclaim and publicize it to be; Frankly speaking they are not about the concept of "submit to Islam or die," but “Submit to ISIS/al Qaeda/Taliban or die”, and in the process they hardly care how many lives they take and it hardly matter if the victims are Muslims. Yet they claim they are carrying out their actions in the name of Islam!

In fact soon after Charlie Hebdo’s Attack in Paris one Al-Ansi through a video message claimed that the terrorist brothers who carried out the attack on the officers were "two heroes of Islam." He couldn't be more wrong! But that isn't to say there weren't heroes of Islam in Paris that day; it's just that they are two quite different people. Ahmed Merabet the French police officer who exchanged fire, later shot in cold blood and Lassana Bathily, the Muslim employee at the kosher deli in Paris who saved the lives of seven Jews were certainly the “Two Heroes of Islam”. In fact Bathily’s actions illustrate the famous verse no 32nd of chapter 5 (Sūrat l-Māidah) from Holy Quran, “that whoever kills a soul it is as if he had slain mankind entirely. And whoever saves one – it is as if he had saved mankind entirely.”

But merely calling out the two-facedness of such malicious crooks won't change these organizations' goals, as they shall continue to mention Islam as cover for their covetous ambitions, as it helps them inveigle new recruits and raise funds which are essential for their unrelenting survival and Lucullan life-style.

Perhaps, if their duplicity & insincerity is consistently laid exposed, then it might help all understand the true impetus of these terrorist outfits ,which have absolutely nothing to do with Islam, they are more of an extortionists vying for power & riches.



http://twocircles.net/2015feb15/1423982742.html#.VOH4LeaUdVR

COPY OF OUR LETTER TO HON'BLE VICE PRESIDENT OF INDIA.

His Excellency
Janab. Mohammed Hamid Ansari
Hon’ble Vice President
“Vice President’s House”
6, Maulana Azad Road,
New Delhi 110011


5th February 2015



Kind Janab,
The Sawaab Foundation of India (SFoI) strongly bemoans the police actions against the unarmed peaceful demonstration organized outside the sacred Heart Church to peacefully register the bitterness and disapproval on the attacks on Christian churches in Delhi. The nonviolent protest which included the participation of nuns and priests was forcibly dispersed by the police with lathis and most of the protestors were arrested.

The SFoI condemns this inhuman attitude of the police which is refusing to acknowledge that the vandalism of five churches in Delhi in the recent period is communally motivated and are abhorrent crimes against a minority community. This is certainly painful that the government at the centre, under whom the law & order machinery functions in Delhi did not act accordingly and efficiently enough to deal a situation like above.

We hand foldedly appeal & supports the stand that a “Special Investigation Team (SIT)’ under a sitting High Court Judge be constituted to investigate these attacks so that the culprits can be brought to justice.

JAI HIND



Aziz A Mubaraki
Founder & Chairman
Sawaab Foundation of India

Why are Muslims expected to wear their patriotism on their sleeves?

A big controversy, perhaps intentionally propagated by imbeciles who fancy Vice President Hamid Ansari be sacked for "non salutation" to the National flag during the passing of Republic Day Parade this Monday.

But the more instant question here is what does the protocol says? And on inquest I found, according to Section VI of the Flag Code of India, which deals with the protocols for saluting the flag it says "During the ceremony of hoisting or lowering the flag, or when the flag is passing in a parade or in a review, all persons present should face the Flag and stand at attention. Those present in uniform should render the appropriate salute. The President of India serves as the de jure Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Armed Forces, may be considered to be in uniform and hence is allowed the salute.

And as the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Vice President Hamid Ansari, US President Barack Obama and Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar were not in uniform and were therefore not required to salute the flag.

Hence it can be said that PM Modi and DM Parrikar actually made a mistake by saluting the flag, it can be either out of inexperience or enthusiasm. While Hamid Ansari did the right thing....!!!

Apart from that it is worth mentions that Mr. Mohammed Hamid Ansari is no layman as some of his colleagues (read politicians) are, he secured the 4th rank in UPSC and joined the Indian Foreign Service as a diplomat in 1961. He served the country as an IFS officer in various countries. He has represented the country as an ambassador to United Arab Emirates , Afghanistan, Iran & Saudia Arabia and as Chief of Protocol, Government of India from 1980-1985. So it can be said, the controversy is not about the salutation, respect or disrespect to the "National Flag", as its made out to be, and is more deep rooted and murkier than what it looks like. Factually the country's internal politics has turned real rotten these days, and the Muslims are presumed to be anti BJP hence anti-national, thus are facing toughest time ever in the history of this country. There are people who intentionally stoke the flames of hate against other communities. And it's something truly despicable. Some do it because they simply detest and abhor anyone who doesn't accept their political supremacy. But for a few others, Muslim bashing is their career and only source for attaining publicity & power. They make a living writing books and giving lectures about how Muslims destroyed this country 600 years ago and how they conspire to do it now, pathetic!
Whereas the fact is, Muslims have voted like any other electorate considering the pros and cons of the candidates irrespective of their political affiliations. And a huge chunk of Muslims flocking around BJP's office in Kolkata these days, only endorses my contention.

But it hardly matter how many times a Muslim swears his adherence to the Indian nation and proves his "DESH BHAKTI", no matter how successful one becomes in the country, there will always be doubt over his patriotism, regrettably same is the case with Vice-President of India. The underlying truth for a Muslim; one must prove his love for the country on a daily basis (weekly, monthly or annual endorsement of the same is not allowed) as Muslim is expected to wear his patriotism on his sleeves, isn't it Sic....!!!!

And coming back to the primary issue, here are some of the facts from the life of Hamid Ansari for his detractors kind perusal.

Timeline
1937 - Was born in Kolkata, India
1959 - M.A. (Political Science) from Aligarh Muslim University (AMU).
1959-61 - Worked as a Lecturer in the Department of Political Science, AMU.
1961 - Joined the Indian Foreign Service, by securing 4th rank.
1976-80 - Worked as an Ambassador in United Arab Emirates (UAE).
1980-85 - Worked as the Chief of Protocol Officer, Government of India.
1984 - Was awarded the Padma Shri
1985-1989 - Worked as the High Commissioner to Australia.
1989-1990 - Worked as an Ambassador to Afghanistan.
1990-1992 - Worked as an Ambassador to Iran.
1993-1995 - Was a Permanent Representative to the UN, New York.
1995-1999 - Served as an Ambassador to Saudi Arabia.
1999-2000 - Served as a visiting professor, Centre for West Asian and African Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi
2000-2002 - Served as the Vice-Chancellor, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh
2002-2006 - Distinguished Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi
2003-2005 - Served as the visiting professor, Academy for Third World Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi
2004-2006 - Was made Co-Chairman, India-U.K, Round Table Conference
2004-2006 - Member, National Security Advisory Board
2004-2005 - Was made Chairman, Advisory Committee for Oil Diplomacy, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas
2006 - Chairman, Working Group on "Confidence building measures across segments of society in the State", established by the second Round Table Conference with the Prime Minister, Jammu and Kashmir issue, held at Srinagar.
2007-Present - Becomes the Vice-President of India and ex officio Chairman, Rajya Sabha

http://www.indiatomorrow.net/eng/why-are-muslims-expected-to-wear-their-patriotism-on-their-sleeves

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A bigoted expectation from Muslims...

It is although strange but a fact, almost a ritual that after every incident of violence involving a Muslim perpetrator each and every one of the world’s billion-plus Muslims, especially those living in Asian sub-continent (read India) is expected to issue a public condemnation denouncing it in strongest terms.

Perhaps here is what Muslims and Muslim organizations are expected to say: “As a Muslim, I condemn this attack and terrorism in any form.” This expectation placed on Muslims, to be absolutely clear, is Islamophobic and bigoted!

The denunciation is a form of apology: an apology for Islam and for Muslims. Although pathetic but the implication is that every Muslim is under suspicion of being “sympathetic to terrorism” unless he or she explicitly and boldly says otherwise! The assumption is thus that any crime committed by a Muslim is the responsibility of Muslims as a community simply by virtue of their shared religion.

This sort of thinking — blaming an entire “ummah” for the actions of a few individuals, assuming the worst about a person just because of their belief and religious identity — is certainly the very definition of bigotry.

It is time for the world to grow up that may help this ritual to end: it is evidently important for non-Muslims in all countries to realize especially in Indian sub-continent, and finally take on the correct guesstimate that Muslims hate terrorism just as much as they do, and cease expecting Muslims to prove their innocence or patriotism towards the nation (read India) just because of their faith.

These obstinate and chauvinistic conjectures are the only plausible reason for this ritual communion to exist, which means that maintaining the ritual is maintaining malapropism. Otherwise, we wouldn't expect Muslims to condemn Dawood Ibrahim — who is clearly a history sheeter, a smuggler, an underworld don who has no affiliations with formal religious groups — any more than we would expect Hindus to condemn the people behind Samjhauta Express, Mecca Masjid, Ajmer Dargah or even Malegaon blasts. Or Christians for ill-activities of Timothy McVeigh. Similarly, if someone blames all Jews for the act of, say, extremist Israeli settlers in the West Bank, we immediately and correctly reject that position as impractical and biased. We understand that such an accusation is abhorrent and wrong — but not when it is applied to Muslims!!!

This is, quite literally, a different set of standards that the world applies only to Muslims; whereas we tend to forget that the people who helped allied forces in Afghanistan, Iraq or other war torn nations are Muslims as well. It’s time for the world to wake up and mend their biased opinion towards the most peace loving people on earth.

http://www.indiatomorrow.net/eng/a-bigoted-expectation-from-muslims

http://www.preciouskashmir.com/will-muslims-rise-up-from-deep-slumber/