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3THE RADICAL HUMANISTMarch 2021

Undoing The Indian RepublicShamsul Islam

First time in the history of independent India,in-charge minister of the Cultural Ministry inthe current Modi government, Prahlad SinghPatel has shocked the nation by glorifying MSGolwalkar, the 2nd Supremo of the RSS andthe most prominent ideologue of the RSS till date,on his birth anniversary, February 19. In a tweethe wrote:

“Remembering a great thinker, scholar, andremarkable leader #MSGolwalkar on his birthanniversary. His thoughts will remain asource of inspiration & continue to guidegenerations. @prahladspatel @secycultureGOI@PMOIndia @PIBCulture @pspoffice”.[1]

These claims about Golwalkar being “greatthinker, scholar, and remarkable leader [whose]thoughts will remain a source of inspiration &continue to guide generations” made by theminister Patel who must have been appointedas minister after taking oath that he would abideby the democratic-secular constitution of India,need to be compared with the facts and activitiesof Golwalkar as recorded exclusively in thearchives of RSS.

LET US KNOW WHAT RSS ARCHIVESTELL US ABOUT GOLWALKAR

1. Golwalkar as a serial denigrator of

secular-democratic Indian Polity

RSS was formed in 1925 to oppose thefreedom movement for a democratic-secularIndia. Golwalkar was 2nd Supremo of theorganization and as the most prominent ideologueof the RSS denigrated every symbol whichrepresented an all-inclusive India.

(a) Golwalkar’s deep-rooted hatred for the

TricolourGolwalkar while addressing a Gurupurnima

gathering in Nagpur on July 14, 1946, stated:“It was the saffron flag which in totality

represented Bhartiya [Indian] culture. It wasthe embodiment of God. We firmly believe thatin the end the whole nation will bow before thissaffron flag.”[2]

On the eve of independence when IndianConstituent Assembly adopted Tricolour as itsNational Flag, the English organ of the RSS,Organiser, in its issue dated August 14, 1947,denigrated this choice in the following words:

“The people who have come to power bythe kick of fate may give in our hands theTricolour but it will never be respected andowned by Hindus. The word three is in itself anevil, and a flag having three colours will certainlyproduce a very bad psychological effect and isinjurious to a country.”

So according to the RSS Indian National Flagwas never to be respected by Hindus. It was abad omen and injurious for the country.

Even after independence it was the RSSwhich refused to accept it as the National Flag.Golwalkar while denouncing the choice ofTricolour as National Flag in an essay entitled‘Drifting and Drifting’ in the book Bunch of

Thoughts wrote:“Our leaders have set up a new flag for our

country. Why did they do so? It is just a case ofdrifting and imitating….Ours is an ancient andgreat nation with a glorious past. Then, had weno flag of our own? Had we no national emblemat all these thousands of years? Undoubtedly

Articles and Features :

RSS-BJP Rulers Declare Golwalkar, a Die-hard Casteist, Male Chauvinist,

Conspirator, Hindutva Bigot, Habitual Liar, Denigrator of Secular-Democratic

Indian Polity & Follower of Nazism as New Father of the Nation!

March 20214 THE RADICAL HUMANIST

we had. Then why this utter void, this uttervacuum in our minds?”[3]

(b) Golwalkar hated democracyThe RSS, contrary to the principles of

democracy, constantly demanded India to beruled under a totalitarian regime. Golwalkarwhile delivering a speech before the 1350 toplevel cadres of the RSS in 1940 declared,

“RSS inspired by one flag [saffron], oneleader and one ideology is lighting the flame ofHindutva in each and every corner of this greatland.”[4]

This slogan of one flag, one leader and oneideology was directly borrowed from theprogrammes of Nazi and Fascist parties ofEurope.

(c) Bury deep the Federal Structure of India:Golwalkar

The RSS is also dead against federalstructure of the Constitution, again a ‘basic’feature of the India polity according to thehighest court of justice in India. This is clearfrom the following communication of Golwalkarwhich he sent to the first session of the NationalIntegration Council in 1961. It read:

“Today’s federal form of government notonly gives birth but also nourishes the feelingsof separatism, in a way refuses to recognizethe fact of one nation and destroys it. It mustbe completely uprooted, Constitution purified andunitary form of government be established.”[5]

The Bible of the RSS, Bunch of Thoughts,has an exclusive chapter titled, ‘Wanted aunitary state’ in which Golwalkar demanded,

“to bury deep for good all talk of a federalstructure of our country’s Constitution, to sweepaway the existence of all ‘autonomous’ or semi-autonomous ‘states’ within the one state viz.,Bharat and proclaim ‘One Country, One State,One Legislature, One Executive’ with no traceof fragmentational [sic], regional, sectarian,linguistic or other types of pride being given ascope for playing havoc with our integratedharmony. Let the Constitution be re-examined

and re-drafted, so as to establish this Unitaryform of Government…[6]

2. Golwalkar as Guru of Hate celebrated

the Holocaust & planned to execute it for

cleansing Indian Muslims & Christians

MS Golwalkar (known as Guru Golwalkarin the RSS fraternity) who is credited by thepresent Indian PM to have groomed him into apolitical leader declared:

“If, as is indisputably proved, Hindusthan isthe land of the Hindus and is the terra firma

for the Hindu nation alone to flourish upon, whatis to be the fate of all those, who, today, happento live upon the land, though not belonging tothe Hindu Race, Religion and culture.”[7]

It would be like the Jews under Hitler andMussolini. Thus Golwalkar glorified theHolocaust in the following words:

“German Race pride has now become thetopic of the day. To keep up the purity of therace and its culture, Germany shocked the worldby her purging the country of the Semiticraces—the Jews. Race pride at its highest hasbeen manifested here. Germany has also shownhow well-nigh impossible it is for races andcultures, having differences going to the root,to be assimilated into one united whole, a goodlesson for us in Hindusthan to learn and profitby.”[8]

Golwalkar, finally, following into the foot-steps of Hitler, arrived at the following solutionfor the minority “problem” in India; Muslims andChristians who were declared belong to foreignraces,

“From this stand point, sanctioned by theexperience of shrewd old nations, the foreignraces in Hindusthan must either adopt the Hinduculture and language, must learn to respect andhold in reverence Hindu religion, must entertainno idea but those of the glorification of the Hindurace and culture, i.e., of the Hindu nation andmust lose their separate existence to merge inthe Hindu race, or may stay in the country,wholly subordinated to the Hindu Nation,


claiming nothing, deserving no privileges, far lessany preferential treatment not even citizen’srights. There is, at least should be, no othercourse for them to adopt. We are an old nation:let us deal, as old nations ought to and do deal,with the foreign races who have chosen to livein our country.”[9]

3. Golwalkar described Indian Muslims

& Christians are ‘internal threat’ number

one & two respectively

The ‘Holy’ book for the RSS cadres Bunch

of Thoughts (collection of writings ofGolwalkar and a RSS publication), has a longchapter titled as ‘Internal Threats’ in whichMuslims and Christians are described as threatnumber one and two respectively. This chapteropens with the following statement.

“It has been the tragic lesson of the historyof many a country in the world that the hostileelements within the country pose a far greatermenace to national security then aggressorsfrom outside.”[10]

While treating Muslims as ‘Internal Threat’number one, Golwalkar goes on to elaborate,

“Even to this day there are so many whosay, ‘now there is no Muslim problem at all. Allthose riotous elements who supported Pakistanhave gone away once for all. The remainingMuslims are devoted to our country. After all,they have no other place to go and they arebound to remain loyal’….It would be suicidal todelude ourselves into believing that they haveturned patriots overnight after the creation ofPakistan. On the contrary, the Muslim menacehas increased a hundredfold by the creation ofPakistan which has become a springboard forall their future aggressive designs on ourcountry.”[11]

He goes on to spit venom against commonMuslims in the following words,

“...within the country there are so manyMuslim pockets, i.e., so many ‘miniaturePakistans’…The conclusion is that, in practicallyevery place, there are Muslims who are in

constant touch with Pakistan over thetransmitter…”[12]

According to him every Muslim in India isuntrustworthy and disloyal,

“Even today, Muslims, whether in highpositions of the Government or outside,participate openly in rabidly anti-nationalconferences.”[13]

While deliberating on the ‘Internal Threat’number two, he says,

“Such is the role of Christian gentlemenresiding in our land today, out to demolish notonly the religious and social fabric of our lifebut also to establish political domination in variouspockets and if possible all over the land.”[14]

With such criminal and toxic ideas aboutIndian Muslims and Christians does India needany foreign enemy to destroy democratic-secular polity of India?

The English organ of the RSS, Organiser,on the very eve of independence (August 14,1947) when Golwalkar was the boss of the RSS,editorially chalked out its concept of the Hindunation in the following words excluding allminorities from the Indian nationhood:

“Let us no longer allow ourselves to beinfluenced by false notions of nationhood. Muchof the mental confusion and the present andfuture troubles can be removed by the readyrecognition of the simple fact that in Hindusthanonly the Hindus form the nation and the nationalstructure must be built on that safe and soundfoundation…the nation itself must be built up ofHindus, on Hindu traditions, culture, ideas andaspirations.”

4. Sikhism, Buddhism & Jainism not

independent religions: Golwalkar

RSS regards followers of Islam andChristianity as emigrant or foreigners anddemands their cleansing as these two religionsare declared to be foreign religions. However,RSS has no respect for Indian religions likeSikhism, Buddhism and Jainism as these are nottreated as independent religions but part of


Hinduism. Guru Golwalkar set the agenda bydeclaring that,

“the Buddhists, the Jain, the Sikh are allincluded in that one comprehensive word‘Hindu’.”[15]

In fact, Golwalkar learnt this denial toSikhism, Jainism and Buddhism the status ofindependent religions from senior Hindutva icon,VD Savarkar who believed that the followersof,

“the Arya Samaji, the Brahmasamaj, theDevasamaj, the Prarthana Samaji and suchother religions of Indian origin are Hindus andconstitute Hindudom, i.e., the Hindu people asa whole.”[16]

5. Sardar Patel, the first home minister

of India held Golwalkar led RSS responsible

for the massacre of Muslims during the

Partition

It is well-known that the then Home Ministerof India, Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel, had a soft-corner for the RSS and continues to be afavourite with the RSS. However even SardarPatel found it difficult to defend the RSS for itsrole in the post-Partition massacre of Muslims.In a letter written to Golwalkar (the thenSupremo of the RSS), dated 11 September 1948,Sardar Patel stated:

“Organizing the Hindus and helping them isone thing but going in for revenge for itssufferings on innocent and helpless men, womenand children is quite another thing…”[17]

6. Golwalkar’s lie on cow-slaughter

paved the way for nation-wide lynching of

Muslims

With Modi’s coming to power as PM in 2014RSS zealots started lynching Muslims blamingthem for cow-slaughter, apart from burning andlooting their properties. The ideological basis forsuch nation-wide lynching was provided byGolwalkar, who as a shameless liar declaredthat cow-slaughter,

“Began with the coming of foreign invadersto our country. In order to reduce the population

to slavery, they thought that the best method tobe adapted was to stamp out every vestige ofself-respect in Hindus…In that line cowslaughter also began.”[18]

The inference was clear; Muslims wereresponsible for starting the cow-slaughter inIndia. It was immaterial to this Indian heir ofNazi propagandist Paul Joseph Goebbels thatthe claim that beef-eating started with the arrivalof the Muslims in India was not even in keepingwith the Vedic version of history as narrated bythe ‘Hindu’ chroniclers. Swami Vivekanandaregarded as a great Hindu philosopher by theRSS, while addressing a meeting at theShakespeare Club, Pasadena, California, USA(February 2, 1900) on the theme of ‘BuddhisticIndia’ told the gathering:

“You will be astonished if I tell you that,according to old ceremonials, he is not a goodHindu who does not eat beef. On certainoccasions he must sacrifice a bull and eatit.”[19]

At another occasion he went on to disclose,“There was a time in this very India when,

without eating beef, no Brahmin could remain aBrahmin; you read in the Vedas how, when aSannyasin, a king, or a great man came into ahouse, the best bullock was killed…”[20]

7. RSS under Golwalkar demanded

Manusmriti [Manu Code] as Indian

constitution

Those who believe that RSS wantscleansing of Muslims and Christians know onlyhalf of the reality. Its project of Hindu nationdemands sub-human existence for Sudras(Dalits) and Hindu women. The ConstituentAssembly of India finalized the Constitution ofIndia on November 26, 1949, RSS was nothappy. Its organ, Organiser in an editorial onNovember 30, 1949, complained:

“But in our Constitution there is no mentionof the unique constitutional development inancient Bharat. Manu’s Laws were written longbefore Lycurgus of Sparta or Solon of Persia.


To this day his laws as enunciated in theManusmriti excite the admiration of the worldand elicit spontaneous obedience andconformity. But to our constitutional pundits thatmeans nothing.”

8. For Golwalkar Casteism is

synonymous with the Hindu nation

Faith of RSS brass in Manusmriti, naturally,leads them to believe in Casteism too which gavebirth to the debased practice of Untouchability.For RSS Casteism is the essence of HinduNationalism. Golwalkar did not mince words indeclaring that Casteism was synonymous withthe Hindu Nation. According to him, the Hindupeople are none else but,

“The Hindu People, they said, is the ViratPurusha, the Almighty manifesting Himself.Though they did not use the word ‘Hindu’, it isclear from the following description of theAlmighty in Purusha-Sukta [in the 10th book ofRig Ved] wherein it is stated that the sun & themoon are His eyes, the stars and the skies arecreated from his nabhi [navel] and Brahmin is

the head, Kshatriya the hands, Vaishya the

thighs and Shudra the feet. [Italics as in theoriginal text] This means that the people whohave this fourfold arrangement, i.e., the HinduPeople, is [sic] our God. This supreme vision ofGodhead is the very core of our concept of‘nation’ and has permeated our thinking andgiven rise to various unique concepts of ourcultural heritage.”[21]

What kind of a Hindutva civilization the RSSunder Golwalkar wanted to build by enforcingthe laws of Manu, can be known by having aglimpse of the laws prescribed by Manu for theSudras and Hindu women. Some of thesedehumanizing and degenerated laws, which arepresented here, are self-explanatory.

A selection of Laws of Manu denigrating

Dalits/Untouchables

1. For the sake of the prosperity of theworlds (the divine one) caused the Brahmana,the Kshatriya, the Vaisya, and the Sudra to

proceed from his mouth, his arm, his thighs andhis feet. (I/31)

2. One occupation only the lord prescribedto the Sudras, to serve meekly even these(other) three castes. (I/91)

3. Once-born man (a Sudra), who insults atwice-born man with gross invective, shall havehis tongue cut out; for he is of low origin. (VIII/270)

4. If he mentions the names and castes(jati) of the (twice-born) with contumely, an ironnail, ten fingers long, shall be thrust red-hot intohis mouth. (VIII/271)

5. If he arrogantly teaches Brahmanas theirduty, the king shall cause hot oil to be pouredinto his mouth and into his ears. (VIII/272)

6. A low-caste man who tries to placehimself on the same seat with a man of a highcaste, shall be branded on his hip and bebanished, or (the king) shall cause his buttockto be gashed. (VIII/281)

As per the Manu Code if Sudras are to begiven most stringent punishments for even pettyviolations/actions, the same Code of Manu isvery lenient towards Brahmins. Shloka 380 inChapter VIII bestowing profound love onBrahmins decrees:

“Let him never slay a Brahmana, though hehave committed all (possible) crimes; let himbanish such an (offender), leaving all hisproperty (to him) and (his body) unhurt.”

A selection of Laws of Manu demeaning

Hindu women

1. Day and night woman must be kept independence by the males (of) their (families),and, if they attach themselves to sensualenjoyments, they must be kept under one’scontrol. (IX/2)

2. Her father protects (her) in childhood,her husband protects (her) in youth, and hersons protect (her) in old age; a woman is neverfit for independence. (IX/3)

3. Women do not care for beauty, nor istheir attention fixed on age; (thinking), ‘(It is


enough that) he is a man,’ they give themselvesto the handsome and to the ugly. (IX/14)

4. Through their passion for men, throughtheir mutable temper, through their naturalheartlessness, they become disloyal towardstheir husbands, however carefully they may beguarded in this (world). (IX/15)[22]

It is to be noted here that a copy ofManusmriti was burnt as a protest in thepresence of Dr. BR Ambedkar during thehistoric Mahad agitation on December 25, 1927.Dr Ambedkar called upon Dalits tocommemorate December 25 as the Manusmriti

Dehen Diwas (Manusmriti burning day) infuture.[23] In fact, the Brahmanism as basis ofthe RSS world-view is the original Fascism inthe history of human civilization.

8. Golwalkar as a believer in the

superiority of the North Indian Brahmins

publically denigrated the Kerala Hindus

specially women

RSS which claims to be the largest worldorganization of Hindus is, in fact, working over-time to establish the hegemony of the NorthIndian Brahmanical order over the Hindu society.The RSS brand of Brahmanism treats SouthIndian Hindus as inferior racially. In its world-view North Indian Brahmins are the superiorlot in comparison to the rest.

And RSS does it brazenly. Golwalkar wasinvited to address the students of the School ofSocial Science of Gujarat University onDecember 17, 1960. In this address, whileunderlying his firm belief in the Race Theory,he touched upon the issue of cross-breeding ofhuman beings in the Indian society in history.He said:

“In an effort to better the human speciesthrough cross-breeding the NamboodriBrahamanas of the North were settled inKerala[24] and a rule was laid down that theeldest son of a Namboodri family could marryonly the daughter of Vaishya, Kashtriya orShudra communities of Kerala. Another still

more courageous rule was that the first off-spring of a married woman of any class mustbe fathered by a Namboodri Brahman and thenshe could beget children by her husband. Todaythis experiment will be called adultery but itwas not so, as it was limited to the firstchild.”[25]

The above statement of Golwalkar wasdespicable as he believed that the Indian Hindusociety had a superior Race or breed and alsoan inferior Race which needed to be improvedthrough cross-breeding. To accomplish this taskBrahmins, specially, Namboodri Brahamans,belonging to a superior Race were sent fromthe North of India. Shockingly, this was beingargued by a person who claimed to uphold thehonour and unity of the Hindus world over. Forhim wombs of Kerala’s Hindu women enjoyedno sanctity and were simply objects of improvingbreed through intercourse with NamboodriBrahamanas who in no way were related tothem.

9. Golwalkar denigrated martyrdom

tradition of the Indian freedom struggle

Golwalkar was shameless in denigrating thesacrifices of the martyrs who laid down theirlives for the liberation of India. In a chapter,‘Martyr, Great But Not Ideal’ of Bunch Of

Thoughts, he decried the whole tradition ofmartyrdom. After declaring that his objects ofworship have always been successful lives andthat ‘Bhartiya culture’ [which surely means RSSculture] does not adore and idealize martyrdomand do not treat “such martyrs as their heroes”,he went on to philosophise that,

“There is no doubt that such man whoembrace martyrdom are great heroes and theirphilosophy too is pre-eminently manly. They arefar above the average men who meekly submitto fate and remain in fear and inaction. All thesame, such persons are not held up as ideals inour society. We have not looked upon theirmartyrdom as the highest point of greatness towhich men should aspire. For, after all, they


failed in achieving their ideal, and failure impliessome fatal flaw in them.”[26]

What Golwalkar thought of the peoplesacrificing their lot for the country is obviousfrom the following words of his also. He hadthe temerity to ask the great revolutionaries whowished to lay down their lives for the freedomof the motherland the following question as ifhe was representing the British:

But one should think whether completenational interest is accomplished by that?Sacrifice does not lead to increase in the thinkingof the society of giving all for the interest of thenation. It is borne by the experience up to nowthat this fire in the heart is unbearable to thecommon people.[27]

Could there be a statement more insultingand denigrating to the martyrs than this?

As a degenerated Guru

RSS-BJP rulers declare Golwalkar a saint,an incarnation of Lord Krishna and what not.Let us compare such claims with the narrativesof his contemporary senior RSS cadres whoworked with him closely.

(a) Hemendra Nath Pandit from Bengal wasa member, Akhil Bharat Pratinidhi Sabha (thehighest decision making body of the RSS), andfounder-editor of the Bengali weekly organ ofthe R.S.S. In 1950 he penned a startling booktitled The End of a Dream: An Inside View of

the RSS Today [published by Rabindra NathHoro, Calcutta, 1950]. While elaborating on thepersonality of Golwalkar he was blunt in statingthat,

“During the early years of his tenure asSarsanghachalak of the RSS, Golwalkar wasmeek and humble. He avoided the limelight,dressed himself in the most unconspicuousmanner and like his predecessor always travelledin third class railway carriages. With theincrease in the Sangha’s following however, avast change has gradually come over him. To-day at forty-five, Golwalkar mounts a pair ofgold-rimmed spects on his thin nose, wears a

gold wrist watch and gold buttons on his Punjabismade of silk which is the envy of big zemindars.Three bejewelled gold rings add beauty to thelast three fingers of his right hand. His dhotisare almost the finest ever seen, some of themhaving one inch wide borders of brocade. Evenout of doors he is accustomed to keep on thisshoulder a delicate sky-blue-colouredtowel.” [page 10.]

Questioning the infallibility of Golwalkar asSupremo of the RSS Pandit went into the depthof causes which caused degeneration in thecase of Golwalkar. According to Pandit,

“there is one thing which more than anythingelse has actually impaired my capacity forvouchsafing his infallibility. It is the indulgencehe has been giving to some dissolute Mahratti[Marathi] pracharaks when actually these mendeserved to be taken by the scruff of the neckfor some of their misdeeds. They are amongGolwalkar’s old acquaintances and as sush haveseen most of the big leaders inside out. Whenone of their serious lapses are overlooked, thesuspicion lurks in most discerning minds thatGolwalkar may really be helpless in dealing withthem just as in checking the growing foppishnessamong some pracharaks he considers himselfestopped by his own conduct from taking anyfirm action.” [pp. 18-19]

In Pandit’s memoirs there are alsoreferences to objections from the RSS seniorcadres about Golwalkar keeping contacts withwomen.

(b) Balraj Madhok needs no introduction sofar his association with the RSS was concerned.As RSS pracharak he was the in-charge ofJammu & Kashmir State in pre-partition days,edited the English organ of the RSS, Organizer,founded student organization of the RSS, ABVP,in 1948, and teamed up with Shyama PrasadMukherji in establishing political wing of theRSS, Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS precursor ofBJP) in 1951 and becoming its in 1965. He diedin 2016 as a member of the RSS.


He penned his autobiography in 3 parts. Inthe part 3 [Deendayal Upadhyay ki haththya

se Indira Gandhi ki haththya tak, DinmanPrakashan, Delhi, 2003.] he made a shockingrevelation that,

“Some time back when I was the Presidentof Jana Sangh, Jagdish Prasad Mathur, in-charge of the Central Office, who was stayingwith Atal Behari at 30, Rajendra Prasad Road,had complained to me that Atal had turned thathouse into a den of immoral activities. Everyday new girls were coming there. Things weregetting out of hand. So as a senior leader ofJana Sangh I have dared to bring to your noticethis fact. I had some information about characterof Atal, but the situation had deteriorated somuch, I did not know. I called Atal to myresidence and in a closed room inquired fromhim about matters raised by Jagdish PrasadMathur. The explanation he offered furtherproved the facts conveyed by Jagdish PrasadMathur. Then I suggested to him that he shouldget married, otherwise, he was bound to get abad name, and the reputation of Jan Sangh wasalso bound to suffer.” (p. 25)

He immediately brought it to the notice ofthe then Supremo [sarsanghchalak] of the RSS,Golwalkar. According to Madhok the meetingtook place in Delhi in early 1970 and,

“After listening to my talk he [Golwalkar]kept quiet for some time and then said — ‘Iknow of the weaknesses of the character ofthese people. But I have to run an organization.I have to take everybody together, so like ShivaI drink poison every day.’” (p. 62)

It clearly shows that Golwalkar waspatronizing such elements despite knowing allthe reprehensive facts.

If such a character is going to be the greatthinker, scholar, remarkable leader whosethoughts will remain a source of inspiration forcoming generations then the days of a civilizedIndian nation and the Indian Republic are surelynumbered!

References :1. https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/

goal-is-set-women-muslims-christians-and-oppressed-should-know-who-inspires-this-government/cid/1807265

2. Golwalkar, M.S., Shri Guruji Samagar

Darshan (collected works of Golwalkar inHindi), Bhartiya Vichar Sadhna, Nagpur, nd.,volume 1, p. 98. Hereafter referred as SGSD.

3. Golwalkar, M.S., Bunch of Thoughts,Sahitya Sindhu, Bangalore, 1996, pp. 237-238.For more material on this issue see: ttps://www.academia.edu/1103098/Tiranga_For_Mus l ims_And_Saf f ron_For_Hindus_By_Shamsul_Islam_

4. MS Golwalkar, Shri Guruji Samagar

Darshan (collected works of Golwalkar inHindi), Bhartiya Vichar Sadhna, Nagpur, nd.,Volume I, p. 11.

5.Ibid, Volume III, p. 128.6.Bunch of Thoughts, p. 227.7. Golwalkar, MS, We Or Our Nationhood

Defined, Nagpur, 1939, p. 45.8. Golwalkar, MS, We Or Our Nationhood

Defined, Nagpur, 1939, pp. 34-35.9. Golwalkar, MS, We Or Our Nationhood

Defined, Nagpur, 1939, pp. 47-48.10. Golwalkar, M.S., Bunch of Thoughts,

Sahitya Sindhu, Bangalore, 1996, p. 177.11.Bunch of Thoughts, pp. 177-178.12.Bunch of Thoughts, p. 185.13.Bunch of Thoughts, p. 187.14.Bunch of Thoughts, p. 193.15. Golwalkar, MS, The Spotlights, Sahitya

Sindhu, Bangalore, 1974, p. 171.16. Savarkar, VD, Samagra Savarkar

Wangmaya: Hindu Rashtra Darshan, vol. vi,Maharashtra Prantik Hindusabha, Poona,1963, p. 349.

17.Justice on Trial, RSS, Bangalore, 1962,pp. 26-28.

18. Golwalkar, MS, Spotlight, Bangalore,Sahitya Sindhu (RSS publication house),1974, p. 98.


19. Vivekananda, Swami, The Complete

Works of Swami Vivekananda, vol. 3 (Calcutta:Advaita Ashram, 1997), p. 536.

20. Vivekananda, Swami, The Complete

Works of Swami Vivekananda, vol. 3, AdvaitaAshram, Calcutta, 1997, p. 174.

21. Golwalkar, M. S., Bunch of Thoughts,p.36-37.

22. The above selection of Manu’s Codes isfrom F. Max Muller, Laws of Manu, LPPublications, Delhi, 1996; first published in 1886.The bracket after each code incorporatesnumber of chapter/number of code according

to the above edition.23. https://www.thehindu.com/news/

national/andhra-pradesh/manusmriti-dahan-d ivas -p ro tes t - s t aged-a t -co l l ec to ra te /article30396588.ece

24. The issue of the origin of the NamboodriBrahmins is debatable.

25. M. S. Golwalkar cited in Organiser,January 2, 1961.

26.Bunch of Thoughts, p. 283.27 Ibid. pp. 61-62.Shamsul Islam is a retired professor of Delhi

University

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THE RADICAL HUMANIST SUBSCRIPTION RATES


Fascist Turn of Democratic StateDr. Hiren Gohain

As far as I understand it, fascism is amethodical caricature of socialism in order toserve the interests of a shadowy ruling classthat bides its time to come out into the open. Itmimics the socialist programme only to disarmit. Meanwhile it systematically takes up criticaldemands of social democracy to providesolutions that turn them on their heads. Thereis discontent among the farmers with thecreeping desertification of their life. Itexpresses sympathetic noises and goes onto introduce the menace of farm acts.Ludicrously it gravely upholds the right of trollarmies as exercise of the sacred freedom ofspeech.

And now it is responding to anxious concernabout poisoned messages and trolling on socialmedia that trigger ill-will and violence withelaborate rules on social media posts andintermediaries that aim to throttle them.Ominously it has also targeted free newsportals to gag them.

There is little room for doubt that thelooming presence today is fascism indemocratic make-up. And Fascism is bent ondestroying the birthright of the people: freedom.

Enemies of freedom fear the free play ofthe mind too and hasten to strangle it with thewatchwords of ‘responsibility’ and ‘control’.And the question is ‘responsible to whom andfor what’. And they conjure the vision of ahigh moral good that is allegedly upheld by aband of incorruptible rulers who can controlthe danger posed by the spreading venom inthe social media. And go on to underminefreedom of expression.

Law and Communication minister RaviShankar Prasad has said, according to PTIreports has: “We welcome criticism anddissent......but it is important that users ofsocial media are given a proper forum for

resolution of their grievances in a time-boundmanner”.

The clever turn in phrasing has transferredthe burden from the state to ‘the people’.Actually it is the government that is scared andfeels threatened by the explosion of anger anddiscontentment among the people turning intoa public indictment. The venomous posts areby the troll army on its payroll (informally) andthese cause them no discomfort, but thegenuine expression of anger and bitterness bya disillusioned people and by responsiblejournalists and public intellectuals upset it.Hence the haste in which it has put up a three-tier structure that allows it to put the primaryonus on the public but come in as the finalarbiter.

Who are ‘the public’ in this case that air‘grievances’? The familiar breed that rushescomplaints about alleged offences against thenation, the cow and religious sentiments of acommunity and are placated by a complicitpolice with FIRs, arrests and chargesheets.

If someone complains that a certain highauthority is speaking or acting in a mannercontrary to our constitution he or she is likelyto see his complaint taken up by a compliantofficer of the intermediary platform, and given the commercial constraints of the platform,dither on a decision, or deliver a toothlessverdict. If the latter takes a sharper and grittydecision he is certain to be pulled up short bythe officer in the government. On the otherhand if the grievance is against a Hindutvadifanatic, his opinion or message may well be judged as innocuous or even positive and giventhumbs up ‘in a time-bound manner’ or in notime at all.

When the state itself shirks itsconstitutional obligations and indeed goes on tosubvert it, ( To be Contd....on Page - 19)


Concocted Conspiracy theory to discredit farmers’ protest:

The Disha Ravi Bail Order Raises QuestionsPrime Minister Narendra Modi Needs to Answer

When the prime minister alleged there was an international conspiracy, did he do so on

the basis of an intelligence report? The fact that the police made no attempt to produce

such a report in court, even if under sealed cover, suggests no credible inputs exist.

The Wire Analysis

New Delhi: In ordering bail for Disha Ravi– the young environmental activist arrested forediting a solidarity toolkit supporting India’sprotesting farmers – the court of the additionalsessions judge has so comprehensivelydemolished the Delhi Police case against herthat if investigators still commit the mistake oflaying a charge sheet, the case is almost certainto end in acquittal.

In that eventuality, the investigating orprosecuting officials run the serious risk of beingproceeded against departmentally, as orderedby the Supreme Court in the Kishan Bhai

judgment (2014). The police may also be opento the charge of malicious prosecution. But thereis a political dimension to the case that is farmore damaging.

On February 7, Prime Minister NarendraModi himself launched a scathing attack on‘international conspirators’ who were out to‘discredit India’. He said this repeatedly atelection rallies in Assam and West Bengal.Without directly taking the names of Disha Ravi,the Swedish environmental activist GretaThunberg and other global celebrities backingthe farmers’ protest, Modi warned that thecountry will ‘respond to these conspiracies withall its might’. At election rallies in Assam’s teabelt of Dhekiajuli and West Bengal’s Haldia, hereferred to the ‘toolkit’ as well.

Six days later, on February 13, the DelhiPolice arrested Disha. While the connectionbetween Modi’s threats and the subsequent

police action cannot be missed, the submissionsof the police during her bail hearing – wherethey vehemently harped on the theme ofinternational conspiracy – leave no doubt.

The question is, on what basis did the primeminister allege that there was an internationalconspiracy?

Did the Intelligence Bureau (IB) or theResearch and Analysis Wing (R&AW) give himan intelligence report, which is not available inthe public domain?

If this is the case, why did the Delhi Policenot submit that intelligence report to the courtin a sealed cover, as the police routinely do inso-called sensitive cases, in order to ensure bailwas denied? And if there was no suchintelligence report, the prime minister would beguilty of having made baseless allegations thatprejudiced the Delhi Police and prevented itfrom investigating the case fairly.

Incidentally, this is not the first time Modihas used an election campaign to allege theexistence of an international plot to destabilisehis government. In December 2017, he told anelection rally in Gujarat that former primeminister Manmohan Singh, former vice presidentHamid Ansari and Congress leader ManiShankar Aiyar had held a ‘secret meeting’ withPakistani officials.

It is well settled in law that unless anintelligence officer is examined and cross-examined in a court of law like any other witness,his intelligence report is of no evidentiary value.


However, in September 2019, while theSupreme Court did not take into account thesealed cover documents to deny bail to formerfinance minister P. Chidambaram, it held that itcan surely ‘peruse them to satisfy itsconscience’.

In Disha Ravi’s case, no such ‘sealed coverdocuments’ were produced for the court tosatisfy its conscience. Thus, it can be presumedthat the police did not have any intelligence reportwhich could support their case of an internationalconspiracy.

It would also mean that the whole edifice ofthe ‘international conspiracy’ spoken of by Modi,the Delhi Police and pro-government mediarested upon presumptions and notions that wereerected to help the government discredit thefarmers’ movement and thus break it upeventually.

The prime minister of the country, even ifhe was speaking in an election rally, should haverealised that his public stance on a matter inwhich criminal cases were registered onJanuary 26 itself, would severely prejudice thepolice and effectively tie their hands by limitingtheir options. Yet he said what he did.

But then this is the harsh reality of India. InMay 2013, the Supreme Court, while slammingthe Central Bureau of Investigation for being‘a caged parrot’ that spoke its master’s voice,

had actually given an authoritative expressionto what the people have known since very long.

In Jamuna Chaudhary (1973) and severalother cases, the Supreme Court has held thatthe duty of an investigating officer is not merelyto bolster a prosecution case with such evidenceas may enable the court to record a convictionbut to bring out the real, unvarnished truth.

These idealised sentiments, as every Indiancitizen knows, are almost invariably observedin the breach. Once a case is registered, thepolice do everything to ensure that the accusedspend a considerable part of their lives behindbars through the denial of bail or as under-trialprisoners.

An alarming 67.6% of India’s prisonerslanguishing in jails across the country are under-trials. In the case of Bhim Singh (2014), theSupreme Court had issued a series of directives

to state authorities to facilitate the releaseof under-trial prisoners who had servedhalf of their probable maximum prisonterms. The apex court’s extraordinarydirective meant that it acknowledged theseverity of this crisis in our criminaljustice system.

Viewed against this backdrop, itshould be obvious that Modi’s statementabout an international conspiracy was‘amplified’ by an eager-to-please policeforce to such an extent that they wenton to charge a young woman withsedition – a crime punishable with life

imprisonment and which would have effectivelydestroyed her and her loved ones’ lives.

If the enormity of the consequences neverstruck the prime minister for even a moment, itsuggests he acted irresponsibly in making hispublic utterances. And if he made the statementdespite the absence of evidence about an‘international conspiracy’ involving the toolkit,then he is a party to the injustice being visitedon a young woman.

Courtesy The Wire, 27 February 2021.

A security person keeps vigil near barbed barricades atGhazipur border during the ongoing farmers protest.

Photo: PTI


‘Scanty and sketchy evidence’:Delhi court grants bail to Disha Ravi

As the day began at the court, journalistshung around, straining their ears to catchwhispers about the time of the hearing. Anoccasional distraction would come by in the formof a dancing peacock, but the tension waspalpable. Nobody in the assembled crowd wasready to speculate on the most obvious question:will Disha get bail today?

The verdict finally landed at 3.55 pm. Nosooner had the words “Disha Ravi has beengranted bail” left the judge’s lips that the

journalists ran downstairs to get her reaction.Disha was seated between her lawyers, wearinga black mask with a rainbow on the outside.She may have smiled, but we could not see it.Her eyes looked tired as she slowly scannedthe room. She wore a grey sweater with sleevesextending over her hands. She cracked herknuckles throughout, even as she shared a brieflaugh with her lawyer. She lay her head on herrelative’s shoulder for a moment before beingescorted away.

The climate activist was arrested earlier this month for

‘editing and sharing’ a toolkit tweeted by Greta Thunberg.

Supriti David

A Delhi court on Tuesday granted bail to climate activist Disha Ravi,

saying there was nothing on record to suggest she had subscribed to any

secessionist ideas. In his order, Additional Sessions Judge Dharmender

Rana also called the evidence against Ravi “scanty and sketchy”, adding

that he found no reason to breach the general rule of bail.


The order

The prosecution had argued that the mainintention of the toolkit tweeted by Swedishclimate advocate Greta Thunberg that Disha isaccused of “editing and sharing” was to “incitedisaffection towards the government establishedby law in India and was directly linked to asecessionist group involved in seditious activitiesagainst India”.

But the court said in its order that there was“absolutely no link established” between Dishaand Sikhs for Justice, alleged by the police tobe a secessionist group based in the UnitedStates, and neither had the prosecution provedKisan Ekta Collective, a volunteer group ofpeople in the US, UK and Canada, was a groupwith any “seditious agenda”.

Additionally the additional solicitor generalhad admitted that the Poetic Justice Foundationwas not a banned organisation and that nocriminal action was pending against its foundersMo Dhaliwal and Anita Lal.

“In my considered opinion, it is not mereengagement with persons of dubious credentialswhich is indictable rather it is the purpose ofengagement which is relevant for the purposeof deciding culpability,” the judge said in hisorder. “As long as the engagements orinteraction remains within the four corners oflaw, people interacting with such persons,ignorantly, innocently or for that matter evenfully conscious of their dubious credentials,cannot be painted with the same hue.”

The judge also stated that there was nothingon record to suggest that “there was any call,incitement, instigation, or exhortation on the part

of the applicant and the above said organizationsand its associates to foment violence on26.01.2021”.

He added, “In my considered opinion,citizens are conscience keepers of governmentin any democratic Nation. They cannot be putbehind the bars simply because they choose todisagree with the State policies. The offence ofsedition cannot be invoked to minister to thewounded vanity of the governments...Even ourfounding fathers accorded due respect to thedivergence of opinion by recognising thefreedom of speech and expression as aninviolable fundamental right. “

Regarding Disha’s role as the editor of thetoolkit, the judge unequivocally said the merecreation of a WhatsApp group or the editing ofan innocuous toolkit was not an offence. He said,

“Since the link with the said toolkit or PoeticJustice Foundation has not been found to beobjectionable, mere deletion of the WhatsAppchat to destroy the evidence linking her withthe toolkit and PJF also becomes meaningless.”

The court further added that any attempt byDisha to conceal her identity seems to be nothingmore than an anxious effort to stay away fromunnecessary controversies.

While the court acknowledged the difficultyin collecting evidence for cases of conspiracy,it said, “The investigating agency made aconscious choice to arrest the applicant accusedupon the strength of material so far collectedand now they cannot be permitted to furtherrestrict the liberty of a citizen on the basis ofpropitious anticipations.”

Courtesy Newslaundry, 23 Feb, 2021

The Radical Humanist on Website

‘The Radical Humanist’ is now available at http://www.lohiatoday.com/ on

Periodicals page, thanks to Manohar Ravela who administers the site on Ram

Manohar Lohia, the great socialist leader of India. – Mahi Pal Singh


Rabbits from hats: Judgment eloquentlyhighlights shoddy investigations in Delhi riots case

TOI Editorial

A northeast Delhi riots case where policearraigned two men as accused for attemptedmurder speaks volumes about criminalinvestigation in the country. Additional SessionsJudge Amitabh Rawat discharging Babu andImran for the attempted murder charge, butaccepting prima facie evidence to charge themwith rioting and similar offences said: “Thegunshot injury is stated to be caused to Rahulbut where is he? His statement is not onrecord… The state is categorical in saying thatthe police never saw Rahul. That being the case,who is going to say who shot whom and bywhom and where?”

With no victim in the crime, the bitter ironyis that the shoddy investigation may haveproduced two victims. Proponents of encounterkillings may want to rethink – in the light of suchcases – the perils of investing cops with powersof judge and executioner too. Judge Rawatevocatively quotes Dostoevsky in his judgment:“From a hundred rabbits you can’t make a horse,a hundred suspicions don’t make a proof.” Babuand Imran were in jail until November whenthey secured bail. With the most serious chargeagainst them in a half-baked chargesheet failing,their trial for other offences must be expedited.The innocent until proven guilty dictum is rarely

subscribed to, evident in jails packed withundertrial prisoners.

Such false or poorly investigated cases alsohighlight the dangers of media trials, with policeor netas having vested interest in shaping publicopinion on probes in a certain way. Activistsaccused of criminal conspiracy in the northeastDelhi riots have charged police with leakingchargesheets to the media before courts tookcognisance and copies were furnished to them. The media must be alive to the possibility ofunprofessional or unethical policing, whichendangers the rights of accused to a fair trial.

On many such fronts, be it Supreme Courtdirecting CCTV camera installations with nightvision and audio recording at police stations andother investigating agencies coveringinterrogation rooms, lockups, entries and exits,police reforms are low priority for the politicalclass. Accountability to citizens for law and orderfailures lies with elected leadership, but thatdoesn’t imply they exercise stifling control overpolicing. It is also the political class that musttake the blame for recurring communal riots inIndia, stemming from shoddy investigations thatoften incriminate innocents while failing to catchand punish the actual rioters.

Courtesy TOI Edit, March 3, 2021

Postponement of

The Indian Renaissance Institute (IRI) Biennial Conference, 2021

Dear friends,In view of the rising number of Covid-19 cases in the country, it has been suggested by the

Chairman, IRI, that we postpone the Conference of the Indian Renaissance Institute proposedto be held on 17th and 18th April, 2021 for the time being. Next dates for the Conference will beintimated to you whenever fixed. Inconvenience caused to you is regretted.

With regards, Mahi Pal Singh

19.3.2021 (Secretary, IRI)


PUCL Statement:

Date: 25.02.2021

Respect the fundamental right of free speech, dissent, assembly and association!!

Stop the Witch Hunt! Drop all false & motivated Cases

The PUCL welcomes the order of the DelhiSessions Court on 23.2.21, granting bail to DishaRavi, a 21 year old resident of Bengaluru whowas unjustly incarcerated for offences underSections 124A, 153A and 120B of the IndianPenal Code (IPC), 1860. Ms. Ravi suffered aseries of egregious violations including abductionby the Delhi police from her home in Bengaluruin brazen violation of all legal procedures andconstitutional protections, denial of the right tolegal representation and most egregious of all-invocation of the sedition law for the mere factthat she choose to exercise her right to thought,expression and association.

The Sessions Judge in his order hasvindicated the struggle of the many ordinarycitizens across the country who were outragedat this executive outreach and registered theiroutrage through protests, candle light vigils andopen letters to the Government.

In his order the Sessions Judge has clearlystated that, ‘citizens are conscience keepersof government in any democratic nation. Theycannot be put behind bars because they chooseto disagree with the State’s policies.’ He hasdelivered a fitting rebuke to the authorities byhis scathing observation that, ‘the offence of

sedition cannot be invoked to minister to the

wounded vanity of the governments’.It is also noteworthy that the order expressly

says that the prosecution’s evidence of seditionwhich included pictures of protests with a tagline saying, ‘TO STAND UP AGAINSTINDIA’S FAILING DEMOCRACY(AT THEBEHEST OF THE FASCISTIC RULINGPARTY, RSS-BJP), was dismissed with theLearned Judge saying, ‘I find absolutely

nothing objectionable in the said page’.

The Learned Judge correctly appreciatedthe contours of sedition noting that,‘imputations may be false, exaggerated or

even with a mischievous intent but the same

cannot be stigmatized being seditious unless

they have a tendency to foment violence’.The PUCL hopes that both the Delhi Police

and the Union Government views this order asa reminder that as far as the Indian Constitutionis concerned, neither is speaking out a crimeand neither is speaking to an internationalaudience a crime. As the Learned Judge rightlyreminded us that as far as this five thousandyear old civilization is concerned, as the Rig Vedaputs it, ‘Let noble thoughts come to me from alldirections’.

The State should recognise as the Learnedjudge notes, ‘an aware and assertive citizenry,in contradistinction with an indifferent or docilecitizenry, is indisputably a sign of a healthy andvibrant democracy’.

PUCL hopes that the Government realizesthe error of its ways and withdraws thisegregious prosecution against Disha Ravi, NikitaJacob and Shantanu Muluk This is vital as thoughDisha Ravi is out on bail, this case will continueunless the government takes proactive actionto stop this malicious prosecution of India’syoung climate activists.

As the Learned Judge clearly recognized,the FIR in this case, makes a mockery of theIndian Constitution by its strained effort topaint dissent, disagreement and protest as agrand anti-national conspiracy. The FIR paintswhat is a constitutional right in a democracy,namely solidarity actions in support of millionsof Indian farmers such as ‘recording videos’,‘organising gatherings’ and ‘taking pictures’ of


protests as tarred with ‘illegality’ andbesmirched with anti national sentiment.Perhaps the heights of the paranoia of aninsecure government is revealed when the FIRwildly indicts protests to target ‘symbols’ ofIndian culture like Yoga and chai.

If we aspire to safeguard the future of ouryouth, then the government must stoppersecuting India’s youth through the seditionlaw. The law on sedition, like the UAPA, hastoday become a tool to curb youthful curiosityand the passion of young people to make theworld a better place by punishing criticism andcrushing dissent. These laws must be repealedif we want India to awaken into that haven offreedom which our great national poet,Rabindranath Tagore dreamed of in which the‘mind is without fear and the head is held

high’.

We demand that

• The state withdraws prosecution againstDisha Ravi, Nikita Jacob, Shantanu Mulukand all others being falsely implicated inthis frivolous conspiracy case.

• Section 124-A of the IPC be repealed.• The Central government and other

governments should immediately stop thewitch hunt of young people, farmers andactivists who are expressing theirfundamental right to free speech, dissentand assembly seeking accountability,transparency and responsibility from thegovernment, its agencies and officials.

• Laws such as UAPA which criminalise thefreedom to think, express and associatemust also be repealed immediately.

Mr. Ravi Kiran Jain, President, PUCL Dr. V. Suresh, General Secretary, PUCL

free speech becomes a serious liability for it. Free speech promotes public discussions ofgovernment policies and decisions so that power overreach or arbitrariness is corrected andpublic welfare ensues. That results in constant renewal of the Constitution. Sometimesintemperance of language in that cause may upset people in authority. But it only jolts theminto a keen sense of their actual constitutional responsibility. Freedom of the citizens is theimperative condition for the health of democracy. And it enhances the citizen’s self-esteemand creativity to the general good of all. The opposite is explicit or implicit slavery, demeaningthe citizen to a robot without any sense of honour and ultimately leading a country to destruction.

Freedom in concrete terms means democratic rights enforceable in courts, laws passedby parliaments in accordance with the constitution and media and platforms where publiccriticism and dissent from a course adopted by the government in power may be voiced. Asbig corporate houses in cahoots with the ruling party take over the media and public platformsbecome subject to a ‘permission raj’ administered by the police, social media and crowd-funded news portals become the last and perhaps only refuge of the lovers of freedom anddemocracy.

For all its abuses, including instigation of communal passion and incitement of violence byvested interests ,which can hardly be controlled by the new rules if used by the agents ofa vile political power, social media becomes the last bastion of the forces of freedom nowbesieged on all sides.

To put it more bluntly the government may use the new rules to silence and devalue anylegitimate criticism and dissent and encourage real anti-nationals and anti-socials to go on arampage to circulate false news and toxic views.This is a prelude to full-blown fascist reignof terror.

Contd. from page - (12)Fascist Turn of Democratic State...


Toolkits are anti-national, says thegovernment. For most of the world, however,toolkits are only booklets of online informationand, like carpenters’ kits or airline kits, are alsosmart kits.

Politicians are not worried at the outlawingof toolkits because they don’t need themanyway. They already have fool-kits. Toolkitssmack of a “foreign conspiracy” but fool-kitsare 100% desi maal. Old style netas don’t needtoolkits as they already have fool-kits to helpthem win elections and fool voters.

Are toolkits anti-national? As the price ofpetrol hits a century, citizens are burning themidnight oil wondering what toolkits they canuse to combat the dizzying price rise. A toolkitto find a solution to the rising cost of petrol andto conserve fuel might be handy. Wise driversknow the value of a good toolkit in the car.

Toolkits could come in handy against vaccinehesitancy, and a possible new wave ofcoronavirus. Since Covid may be returning innewer deadlier strains, we may need to keepan oxygen toolkit at home. Pollution levels inIndia’s cities are causing us to gasp for breathand reach for air-purifying toolkits. Allhouseholds today are armed with medicine kits.

We also need a toolkit to deal with thecollapsing economy. Given the perilous state ofhousehold finances and rising unemployment

these days, citizens need not only a toolkit, butalso a first aid kit.

When it comes to rights of protestors anddissenters, police need to go by the democracytoolkit. Respecting citizen’s rights, rule of law,right to free speech and association are all partof the Constitution’s toolkit.

For meetings and gatherings we are allfamiliar with conference kits. Climate changerequires us to have toolkits, so that in times ofglobal warming we may have safety kits.

For harmonious social relations we may needa secular toolkit. This could inform us on hownot to discriminate against fellow citizens andhow to deal with fellow citizens. The Gandhiantoolkit of satyagraha, khadi and non-violenceis a handy identity-kit.

Thus toolkits are actually vitally needed todeal with the many challenges in life. That’swhy toolkits cannot be considered anti-national.They often point us in the right Disha.

Sagarika Ghose has been a journalist for

over three decades, starting her career with

The Times of India, subsequently moving to

Outlook magazine and The Indian Express.

She has been a primetime news anchor and

at present is Consulting Editor, The Times Of

India.

Courtesy Edit Page, Humour, TOI, February21, 2021.

Toolkits can be safety kits:They have been declared anti-national, but

real toolkits point us in the right DishaSagarika Ghose

“The people of this country have a right to know every public act, everything,

that is done in a public way, by their public functionaries. They are entitled to

know the particulars of every public transaction in all its bearing.”

Justice K K Mathew, former Judge, Supreme Court of India, (1975)


Are we a nation prone to sedition? The draconianlaw’s increasing application makes it seem so

A mere wisp of a girl, 21 going on 22, is thelatest Indian national to be hauled up for sedition.Disha Ravi is an enthusiastic student activist ofMount Carmel College in Bengaluru. She worriesabout the future of our planet and all the livingthings on its surface. Many young people incountries across the world are worried about theenvironment. But with development as its oneand only guiding light, our leaders are bent onremoving all obstacles in its way. And so it wasthat Disha Ravi was arrested for sedition.

She has been bracketed with one of thenation’s founding fathers, Bal Gangadhar Tilak,who was tried for sedition in 1908 by then Britishrulers. Disha is thus in august company. TheBritish revoked the law on sedition in their owncountry in 2010. Are the people in our countrydeemed to be inherently treacherous, so we armour police with powers to arrest without awarrant which the British sarkar had notcontemplated?

So also, we instruct our police to use the powerfreely to entrap all naysayers and dissenters whorefuse to endorse every government decision.The crime of sedition is enunciated in Section124(A) of the Indian Penal Code, with threeExplanations that follow the text. The Supreme

Court, when confrontedwith adjudicating on theconstitutionality of thisIPC provision whichundermines theguarantee of freespeech in Sections 19(1)and 19(2) of theConstitution, took intoaccount the purport of these three Explanations,and held in its Kedar Nath judgment of 1962 thatunless a person’s speech or writing goes beyondmere criticism of a party in power, it does notconstitute sedition.

It is not enough to attack the party in poweror the government of the day. The attack musttarget the state per se and incite the people towhom the speech or writing is addressed to topplethe state through violence. Unfortunately, KedarNath did not strike down Section 124A itself, asmany feel it should have done to bury the entirefree speech vs sedition controversy for all time!

The advanced democracies and many othercountries of the world have chosen free speechover sedition or treason, as a guiding principle ofgood governance. In India, however, the provisioncontinues to exist. What is more disturbing,

however, is its use in the time of‘acche din’ to silence anygovernment critic disregardingcompletely and, may I say, brazenly,the principle laid down by the SC inthe Kedar Nath judgment.

If the SC takes on the duty ofreminding the government of itsresponsibility to adhere to the lawand its interpretation by the court, itmay stop this deluge of sedition caseswrongly registered against activists.

Julio Ribeiro

( To be Contd....on Page - 23 )


Raising the bogey of the ‘foreign hand’feeds into Modi’s ultranationalist narrative

With Article 370 nullified and the Ram mandir done, he needs new talking

points to burnish his nationalist credentials. International conspiracies to break

up India, defame Indian tea and denigrate yoga is Modi’s Hindutva.

Arati R. Jerath

International criticism of its management ofthe farmers’ agitation has presented anunexpected challenge for the Narendra Modigovernment: A perceptible shift in mood followingformer US President Donald Trump’s electoraldefeat last November. Suddenly, activists of allhues are back in business after being lampoonedand marginalised by Trump’s ultra-nationalist,rightwing politics.

Human rights, civil rights, democracy, climatechange, protection of religious minorities and ahost of other issues that constitute a broad liberalagenda have become important buzzwords in thenew world order Trump’s successor Joe Bidenhopes to shape. Biden listed his foreign policypriorities in recent speeches and conversationswith world leaders. Key among them is to upholddemocratic values and human rights and pursueclimate change goals which Trump had dumped.In his address to the virtual Munich SecurityConference on February 19, Biden warned that“democratic progress is under assault’’ and urgeddemocracies to confront the notion that“autocracy is the best way forward’’. He seemedto suggest that there would be greater scrutinyof the democratic credentials of governmentsaround the world. India could well be on the listin the light of increasing negative publicity in theWestern media, especially since it has alwaysbeen feted for its commitment to democracy.

Given this backdrop, it was decidedly odd thatthe Modi government chose to come out all gunsblazing in a bid to silence its foreign critics on thefarm protests. Not only was its irate response totweets by a celebrity pop star, US Vice President

Kamala Harris’ activist niece and others wayover-the-top, its decision to pursue a case ofsedition for a toolkit tweeted by the teenageheroine of the climate change movement, GretaThunberg, was completely misplaced. But thereal shocker was Prime Minister NarendraModi’s confrontational tone in Parliament.Heaping scorn on activists, he called themandolanjeevi (professional protestors) andparjeevi (parasites). And in an open snub toactivist lobbies abroad, he asked the nation tobeware of “Foreign Destructive Ideology”.

His outburst has pitted him against a sectionof international opinion that wields influence inthe current administration in Washington. Theseare the lobbies that powered Joe Biden to theWhite House and many of them are deeplyembedded in the Democratic Party.

Although Modi has invested considerable timeand energy in cultivating western movers andshakers and building his international brand, itseems he has not shaken off the ghosts of thepast. The liberal opinion that the Democratsrepresent is the very opinion he abhors and theone he clashed with many years ago when hewas denied a visa to the US as Gujarat chiefminister.

Dial back to 2005. Persistent efforts by groupslobbying for human rights and religious freedomalong with widespread negative coverage in theforeign media pressured the George Bushadministration into rejecting Modi’s request for avisa to travel to the US. Mind you, this was aRepublican government, but Democrats in theUS Congress threw their weight behind the anti-


Modi lobbies to prevail on President Bush despiteprotests from the Manmohan Singh government.It’s an insult Modi has neither forgotten nor hashe forgiven, judging from the anger visible in hisbody language and words when he decided touse the floor of the Indian Parliament to hit outat activist groups not just here but abroad as well.Clearly, emotions are running high, suggestingworry, bordering on paranoia, that these lobbiesmay target him again. By upping the ante, theModi government has attempted to pre-empt this.

It is interesting that Modi has fallen back onan old trope: Indira Gandhi’s “foreign hand’’theory. At election rallies in Assam and Bengal,he sought to join the dots between foreignactivists and “international conspirators’’ out to“destabilise’’ India. He even mentioned the toolkitwhich landed 22-year-old environmental activistDisha Ravi in jail as part of this conspiracy. Raisingthe bogey of the “foreign hand’’ feeds into Modi’sultranationalist narrative. With Article 370 nullified

and the Ram mandir done, he needs new talkingpoints to burnish his nationalist credentials.International conspiracies to break up India,defame Indian tea and denigrate yoga is Modi’sHindutva.

There are three years to go for the nextgeneral election, but Modi is thinking ahead. Heknows domestic problems are piling up,particularly on the economic front. He also has aserious military, foreign policy and strategicchallenge on his hands in the form of China. Now,another one has appeared, this time from thedetested liberal lobbies which have beenreactivated. Modi will have to create a toolkitfor survival in a post-Trump world.

This article first appeared in the print

edition on February 27, 2021 under the title

‘Toolkit for nationalism’. The writer is a

senior journalist.

Courtesy The Indian Express, February 27,2021

National Crimes Records Bureau statistics show that the number of sedition cases has steadilyrisen every year since 2016, and in an overwhelming number of cases no violence was intendedor disclosed, leading to acquittal of the accused. But the legal process itself was turned into aninstrument of punishment, as victims of the regime’s enthusiasm spent disproportionate time in jailbefore release.

In an article published last month Colin Gonsalves, well-known human rights lawyer, hasadvocated punitive fines on police officers guilty of overstepping their powers and disregardingcourt mandates, if they apply 124(A) or Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) when theseare not called for. Alternatively, and perhaps more conveniently, courts should haul up the officersfor contempt when they defy the SC’s own ruling in Kedar Nath. That will deter them from tryingto suck up to their political masters.

Disha Ravi possesses the exuberance of youth, which attracted the charge of sedition. Evenformer SC judges are amazed. They smelt no whiff of sedition in her ‘toolkit’ and nothing cussedin the work she is doing.

But the Delhi police thinks otherwise. Its obvious intention is to link the Republic Day violencein Delhi with the toolkit and the foreign Sikh lobby. This is ridiculous. Surely, Disha Ravi cannot besuspected of dancing with Khalistanis! As one who has fought Khalistani terrorism in Punjabmyself, I would summarily reject such an accusation.

The writer, Julio Ribeiro, is a retired IPS officer and a Padma Bhushan awardee.Courtesy The Times of India, 28 February 2021.

Contd. from page - (21)Are we a nation prone to sedition?


What constitutes contempt of court? Here’s how

a UK judgment from 1968 decided the matter

One of the restrictions to free speech, whichhas been enshrined in the Constitution of India,is contempt of court. Oftentimes, the law oncontempt has been used by the judiciary to limitinstances of criticism against it. Fortunately,however, there is well-established precedentthat all criticism does not qualify as contempt.Where, then, is the line?

In India, an overarching law regardingcontempt was introduced with the Contemptof Courts Act in 1971. The law’s origins,however, can be traced back to its colonialhistory and the common law principle thatcourts of records can punish for contempt. Itis only befitting then to turn to a 1968 judgmentof the Court of Appeal of England and Wales,rendered a few years before the Act waspassed, to understand what constitutescontemptuous speech.

In 1966, as a consequence of an internalpolicy decision, the Commissioner of Police inLondon refused to prosecute certainindividuals engaging in gambling. An applicationto mandate the Commissioner to enforce thislaw was set aside by both the Queen’s BenchDivisional Court and the Court of Appeal.Appalled by these decisions, Quintin Hogg, asenior barrister, wrote an article titled ‘TheGaming Muddle’ for the satirical publication‘Punch’, criticising the entire factcircumstance, including the judgment. Hoggwrote:

“[T]he recent judgment of the Court ofAppeal is a strange example of the blindnesswhich sometimes descends on the best ofjudges… So what do they do?… Criticise thelawyers, who have advised their clients. BlameParliament for passing Acts which they haveinterpreted so strangely. Everyone, it seems,

is out of step, except the courts.”Signifying a victory for free speech, the

Court of Appeal held that Hogg was within hisrights to criticise them even though there werefactually erroneous inclusions in his piece. Insetting out how the powers of contempt shouldbe most sparingly exercised, Lord Denning said:

“Let me say at once that we will never

use this jurisdiction as a means to uphold

our own dignity. That must rest on surer

foundations. Nor will we use it to suppress

those who speak against us. We do not fear

criticism, nor do we resent it. For there is

something far more important at stake. It is

no less than freedom of speech itself. It is

the right of every man, in Parliament or out

of it, in the Press or over the broadcast, to

make fair comment, even outspoken

comment, on matters of public interest.”

While deciding to not initiate contemptproceedings, the Court reaffirmed how broad-shouldered it was. Lord Salmon, one of theother judges, stated that “The authority and

reputation of our courts are not so frail that

their judgments need to be shielded from

criticism.” Evidently, the Court recognised thatthe existence of criticism is not by itself achallenge to judicial reputation. It affordedHogg’s criticism “good faith”, and recognisedthe “inalienable right of everyone to

comment fairly on any matter of public

importance”. This, the Court held, was oneof the pillars of individual liberty and freespeech. In their inimitable style however, theyexpressed their quiet displeasure with such apiece having been written. Quoting Hogg’swords back to him, Lord Edmund Davies, said“Silence is always an option.”

Vaidehi Misra



What India’s Supreme Court said in 1950,on sedition and freedom of expression(Romesh Thappar v State of Madras)

Sruthakeerthy Sriram

The last few years have been marked by aseries of protests, where Indian citizens havecollectively exercised their freedom ofexpression. These protests have also propelledthe state to incarcerate certain prominentpublic activists on grounds of maintaining publicorder and by invoking the law on sedition. Thisraises certain inevitable questions – do allperceived breaches of public order, irrespectiveof their degree and potency, merit restrictionon the freedom of expression? When doessuch a breach threaten to overthrow the state?A 1950 judgment of the Indian Supreme Courtprovides food for thought.

Romesh Thappar, a journalist and knownMarxist ideologue, published and edited anEnglish weekly journal called Cross Roadswithin the Madras state (as it then was). Thejournal regularly carried writings critical of thethen Congress government’s policies. OnMarch 1, 1950, the Madras government bannedthe entry and circulation of Cross Roads underSection 9(1A) of the Madras Maintenance ofPublic Order Act, 1949, for securing publicorder and maintaining public safety within thestate.

Thappar challenged this ban as well asSection 9(1A), claiming violation of hisfundamental right to freedom of speech andexpression. The government argued that the1949 Act was a law relating to the security ofthe state, and actions taken under it constituteda reasonable restriction on the freedom ofexpression.

In a resounding victory for this freedom,the Supreme Court ruled in favour of Thapparand set aside the government’s ban on Cross

Roads. The Court categorically stated that“there can be no doubt that freedom of

speech and expression includes freedom of

propagation of ideas, and that freedom is

ensured by the freedom of circulation.”Simultaneously, the Court also held that

unless Section 9(1A) of the 1949 Actconcerned any matter undermining the securityof, or tending to overthrow the state, it wouldbe unconstitutional for violating the freedomof expression, even if it may have beenconceived generally in the interests of publicorder or public safety. The Court stated thatthe Constitution has varying criteria forpermissible restrictions on the freedom ofspeech and expression, and draws a boundarybetween “serious and aggravated forms of

public disorder which are calculated to

endanger the security of the State and the

relatively minor breaches of the peace of a

purely local significance.” Only a higherdegree of threat pertaining to theendangerment of the foundations of the state“could justify curtailment of the rights tofreedom of speech and expression.”

The Court made a rather interestingobservation on the process of drafting of clause(2) of Article 19, which is the provisioncomprising permissible restrictions on thefreedom of expression. In its draft form, thisprovision allowed the government to conceivea law on “sedition” to justifiably restrict thefreedom of expression. Eventually though, theConstitution framers deleted the word seditionfrom the draft. The Supreme Court pointedlycommented on this aspect and said:

“Deletion of the word “sedition” … shows


that criticism of Government exciting

disaffection or bad feelings towards it is not

to be regarded as a justifying ground for

restricting the freedom of expression and

of the press, unless it is such as to

undermine the security of or tend to

overthrow the State. … Thus, very narrow

and stringent limits have been set to

permissible legislative abridgement of the

right of free speech and expression, and this

was doubtless due to the realisation that

freedom of speech and of the press lay at

the foundation of all democratic

organisations.”Ideally, this judgment should put to rest all

doubts about when concerns arounddisturbance to public order would warrantrestrictions on the freedom of expression. Yet,71 years after this judgment, sedition continuesto remain a punishable offence in India, and isinvoked frequently as a restriction on thefreedom of speech and expression. Theslightest apprehension of disturbance to publicorder cannot warrant restraint on this freedom.If that were to be the case, democracy wouldhave a tough time flourishing in India.

Contd. from page - (24)

100th Birthday Celebration...In India, however, in the recent past,

the exercise of the power of contempt hasappeared overbroad. Moving forward,whether the courts ‘fear or resent’criticism will be telling of the faith that thejudiciary has on its own capability andintegrity. The more expansive theapplication of the contempt law, the moreanxious and shaken the Indian judiciary willappear to be.

Part of a series on landmark cases

that have defined freedom of expression

in democracies around the world,

curated by the Vidhi Centre for Legal

Policy. This piece is compiled by Vaidehi

Misra, Senior Resident Fellow, Vidhi

Courtesy TIMESOFINDIA.COM,March 4, 2021.

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How Financially Feasible Would it beto Extend the MSP to All Crops?There are multiple factors at play, which when put together,

paint a more complicated picture than the government having toprocure everything the agriculture sector produces.

Prof. Arun Kumar

All indications are that the stand-off betweenthe farmers and the government continue topersist, even if the larger issue has slowlyvanished from the front page of newspapersand primetime discussions on TV channels.

More importantly, formal talks between thetwo sides have stopped. The Union Budget2021-22 and the address to the parliament bythe president hardly referred to the farmers’problems, while protests have spread with largemahapanchayats taking place across a fewstates in the last month.

Ministers have tried to belittle the movementby repeatedly characterising it as concerningonly one state or that arthiyas or foreign forcesare fuelling it. Farmer leaders in several placeshave been harassed and fines sought to beimposed. These accusations and actions divertattention from the genuine issues raised byfarmers, namely, of their incomes and the pricethey receive for their produce. These issuesneed to be deconstructed.

Farmers further hit by policy shocks

Farmers, many of whom are at the lowestrung of incomes, claim that their profession is alosing one because they hardly ever cover theirfull cost of production. Many young farmerswant to give up farming and migrate to the citiesin search of more remunerative work. Themigrants support their families back in thevillages by remitting funds to them – anotherindication of the destitution in rural India. Thepandemic aggravated the situation for themigrant workers who lost employment andreturned to their villages.

Farmers’ income is a national issue – notjust of the Punjab and Haryana farmers. Thatis why the present government has beenpromising doubling of farmers’ incomes by 2022.Today in 2021, the farmers’ incomes are possiblyless than they were in 2015. This is a result ofthe hit they took due to decline in demandconsequent to demonetisation and now thepandemic. Both of them adversely impacted theunorganised sectors which employ 94% of theworkforce. This sector was also adversely hitby the GST and the NBFC crisis. Four hits infour years to the economy since 2016 and itsimpact on agriculture can only be back breaking.

No wonder farmers have been protestingvehemently, not just recently but for the last fewyears. Before the 2019 elections, big marchesby farmers took place in Maharashtra andoutside Delhi. Farmers from Tamil Naduprotested for long at Jantar Mantar. MadhyaPradesh farmers also protested strongly. Allthese protests have been for obtaining a betterprice than what they get so that they get a fairincome.

Costs not covered

Governments both at the Centre and thestates recognise this. The Centre announced inthe budget for 2019-20, just before the electionsof 2019, the Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojanaoffering 12 crore farmer families Rs 6,000 perannum. The states had announced their ownschemes like, in Telangana and Odisha. The MPgovernment announced the Bhavantar yojanaso that the farmers could get the MSPannounced by the government. These are


income and price support schemes whichrecognise that the farmers are not getting a fairprice.

The price of their produce is crucial for thefarmers since that determines their income. Likefor a business, income is what is left afterdeducting the costs incurred. So, the price hasto be higher than the cost of production. Lowerthe price received, lower the income. Hencethe farmers’ demand for a remunerative pricewhich not only covers the cost of cultivationbut is above that. That is what the MinimumSupport Price (MSP) determined byCommission for Agricultural Costs and Pricesis supposed to be.

The farmers incur two kinds of costs. Whatthey buy from the market like, wage labour,fertiliser and pesticide and what the familyprovides, like own labour, seed and ownimplements. Farmers claim that while the formercosts are counted the latter are only partiallytallied. So, when the government claims that itis announcing MSP which is 50% over the cost,the farmers say that the full cost is not beingcovered. Hence the argument that their businessis loss making.

Industry largely fixes price based on a mark-up on all costs – so a profit accrues. Inagriculture with 14 crore farmers, of whom 86%are small and marginal farmers, farmers largelyhave to accept the price offered to them by thetraders at the farm gate or in the wholesalemarkets. On their own they cannot fix the pricethey receive, unlike for industry.

This is where MSP comes into play. Aminimum price is important for the farmers fortwo reasons. Firstly, it needs to cover all theircosts and provide a reasonable profit. Second,and perhaps more importantly, they should beable to sell at MSP in the market – not below it.

Official data shows that MSP is available to6% of the farming families – although somebelieve this may be an underestimate – and to23 crops. Most farmers do not obtain the MSP,

especially the small ones who are weak in themarket and get coerced to sell at below the MSP.Their weak position is a result of not having thesurplus to carry on production (andconsumption) without borrowing.

Due to this weakness in the markets, thefarmers are demanding that MSP be madelegally binding on everyone.

The question arises why not have MSP forall crops and for all farmers? It is argued that ifthis happens, then private trade will not buy theproduce and the government will have to buywhatever is produced in the agriculture sector.If agriculture produces 14% of GDP, thegovernment will have to buy Rs 28 lakh croreworth of produce. Critics of the MSPprogramme therefore ask: where would themoney come from?

Budgetary implications

There are multiple factors at play here.Firstly, farmers retain a substantial part of theproduce for their own use and the rest ismarketed which the government may need tobuy. Second, the government is not buying forits own consumption but for the economy –consumers and producers. Food would be boughtfor consumption while cotton would be boughtby textile industry. So, whatever is bought wouldalso be sold and the money spent onprocurement would return to the governmentcoffers. It is like working capital borrowed bybusinesses from banks.

Only the subsidy needs to come from thebudget. That is the difference between the saleprice and the costs incurred. The costs wouldinclude the administrative costs as well as ofsupplying the grains cheap to the poor.

That said, it will also not be the case that thegovernment will have to buy everything. It willonly have to offer to buy if the price tends to fallbelow the MSP. But given that this will be a legallybinding price, even private trade (which is notabout to disappear) will buy at this price or higher.



High fuel prices: Is Modi govtactually ‘cheating’ the states?

Abhishek Waghmare

Consumers are paying an exorbitant 180 percent tax on petrol, and 140 per cent on diesel inDelhi and in most other towns in India.

Little wonder then that the centralgovernment expects a staggering Rs 3.46 trillionby levying excise duties on retail sale of the twofuels this year, and Rs 3.2 trillion the next.

States would generally have had reason tocheer, as they command a 41 per cent share inCentre’s tax revenues.

But as the Centre has raised excise dutiesin the form of “cess,” the revenue proceeds areby nature not shareable with states.

Rather, the Centre has been raising cess, andcutting basic excise duties on petrol and dieselfor a long time now.

For most of 2016-17, some 56 per cent ofexcise duty on petrol was levied as cess,revenue which the Centre kept for itself.

Less than half the fuel revenues went to thekitty that is shared with states.

This year, only 9 per cent of excise taxes goto that kitty, followed by 4 per cent next year,according to a Business Standard analysis.

In other words, Centre now keeps 96 percent of the exorbitant tax collected on petrolsolely for itself, and does not share it with states.

Applying the share of cess in total tax in aparticular period for that financial year, andadjusting for the weighted average of diesel andpetrol consumption in India, a simple calculationshows that of the Rs 3.46 trillion expected fromfuel taxes to Centre, states may get a meagreRs 14,000 crore.

They would have received nearly Rs 70,000crore had the imposition of cess been kept at

2017 levels.In 2021-22, states may get only Rs 7,000

crore from the Rs 3.2 trillion the Centre expectsfrom fuel tax.

There is thus a compelling case that theCentre has, in fact, bolstered a part of itsexpenditure effort at the cost of states’ shareof revenues, especially those on fuels.

To be fair, sales tax on fuels gives statestheir own fuel revenue.

But their share in Centre’s tax revenue,which has no less than a Constitutional basiscourtesy the Finance Commission, is beingdenied to them as the Centre levies fuel taxesmore as cess now.

Cess and surcharges earmarked by theUnion Government have grown over time, thereport of the 15th Finance Commission hasnoted.

Their ratio to gross tax revenues (GTR) hadincreased to as high as 20 per cent in 2019-20,and would grow to 24 per cent of GTR in 2020-21, according to Budget documents.

“Given international trends, there is acompelling case for raising India’s tax ratio fromboth macroeconomic and redistributiveperspectives, especially at the sub-national level.

“This is essential for building fiscal space,meeting social protection and infrastructureneeds and driving inclusive growth,” the 15thFC report said, suggesting that taxation shouldbe more balanced.

The scale at which the Centre has raisedcess would result in Centre earning 50 per centmore revenue than all states put together, evenafter including their own revenues from VAT,

Imposing more and more tax in the form of cess as oil price eased, Centre

gradually began earning more fuel revenue than all states put together.


according to Business Standard calculations.From earning 20 per cent less than states

five years ago, the Centre has come a long wayto stamp its claim on taxes it collects, using thecess mechanism.

A cess is a tax levied for a specific purpose,unlike any other tax whose usage is generallynot tied to a specific spending head.

But what is perhaps its most uniquecharacteristic, is that revenue proceeds from acess are not shared with states.

All other tax revenues fall under the “divisiblepool,” and are shared with states under thesharing formula set forth by the 15th FC, at 41per cent.

The enormity of Centre’s excesses into fuelrevenues can be understood from a detailedcomparison with the past.

As much as Rs 21.48 was collected as exciseduties on a litre of petrol in April 2017.

But only Rs 9.48 was collected as BasicExcise Duty (BED), which went to the pool thatis shared among Centre and states.

The rest, which was cess portion, was leviedin two parts: Additional Excise Duty (AED) ofRs 6 per litre and Special Additional Excise Duty(SAED) of the same amount.

About 42 per cent of the shareable portion,or Rs 4 would go to states, giving the Centre Rs17.5 per litre of petrol bought by a consumer.

Of the Rs 32.9 collected as tax on a litre of

petrol today, only Rs 1.4 is collected as BasicExcise Duty (BED), while a staggering Rs 31.5is levied as cess, including the newly introducedAgriculture Infrastructure and Developmentcess, none of which is shared with states.

States thus get a paltry 60 paise as their shareof excise duty per litre of petrol we buy, whilethe Centre ends up getting more than Rs 32.

Similar is the revenue distribution on dieselsale.

States’ VAT component balances this tosome extent.

Until 2014-15, when oil prices reigned high,states made more hay from fuel taxes comparedto the Centre, by earning 37 per cent more fromfuel sales.

Imposing more and more tax in the form ofcess as oil price eased, Centre gradually beganearning more fuel revenue than all states puttogether.

In 2016-17, the Centre went way ahead ofstates on that front.

Three years later, states made a comebackby raising VAT, and closed in on the Centre,earning Rs 2 trillion in 2019-20. In 2020-21,Centre has again went past states with a bigmargin.

A noticeable cut in excise duties seemsunlikely as the Budget has accounted for strongrevenues from this channel in 2021-22 as well. Courtesy Rediff.com, February 24, 2021.

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Let us be Loyal to Human Species GeneralOwing to tremendous revolutionary growth

of communication technology, the planet earthhas become a village. Therefore, worldhumanity has now to develop a philosophy thatwould enlighten all human beings to inculcatethe loyalty to the entire human species and theplanet earth from which all human beings andall other live creatures are evolved. In order tosurvive as free and happy human being ourloyalties must be broadening further to includenot only the whole human community but alsothe entire planet earth’s natural environment thatprotects life.

The growth of modern technology ofcommunication has greatly diminishedgeographic and social distances whereby nationand cultures become more open to influenceeach other. This global interconnection areintensifying their pressure that the presentnational states, national political and economiccommunity must come to end and develop intoone planet nation populated by human speciesas one super tribe.

As Late Paul Kurtz observed that humanismhas a special significance for the worldwidecivilization that is emerging. For the first time inhuman history, beings have become an integralpart of a planetary community. Indeed, no partof humanity can any longer live in haughtisolation or ignorance, indifferent to the needsand interests, sufferings and achievements ofother human beings. The human environmentis now truly global whatever happens in onecorner of the world is or should be of concernto all.

International Humanist and Ethical UnionCongress says, it is dramatically clear today thatearth is made up of interdependent nation statesand that whatever happens in one part of theplanet affects all the rest. Wherever humanrights are violated, all humanity suffers. The

basic premise of thisglobal ethics is thateach of us has a stakein developing auniversal moralawareness; each of ushas a responsibility tothe world communityat large.

The world is a longway from achieving these noble objectives. Butit is the need of day. Man can achieve them ifthey seriously choose to adopt them. It is left totheir ingenuity.

The most important available instrument forhumankind to achieve unity among entirehumankind and loyalty to human species is thebiological evolution of life on our planet. Onlybiological evolution will make man aware of theplace of man in nature and how he is evolvedfrom nature. The knowledge of naturalenvironmental phenomena that helps the survivalof human beings on this planet earth.

A large number of biological Scientists areof the opinion and intensely believe that sometime in the remote past; life has originated onearth from dead inanimate matter as the resultof natural biological processes.

Late Lord Russel explained, for countlessages, the hot nebula whirled aimlessly throughspace. At length it began to take shape, thecentral mass threw off planets, the planetscooled boiling seas and burning mountainsheaved and tossed from black masses of cloudhot sheets of rain deluged the barely solid crust.And now the first germ of life grew in the depthof the ocean and developed rapidly.

In depth study of biological evolution has nowconfirmed and is now also well established thatthere is nothing external or extraneous elemententers the nature of man during the process of

Ramesh Korde


evolution of Homo Species from an inanimate.All human attributes and innate potentialitiescould be deduced from the background ofbiological evolution.

There is also further evidence that life,including human life has evolved from aninanimate matter. The matter in the animal body– human being is also an animal – is that ofinorganic nature. There is not a substance in theanimal tissues which are not primarily drawn fromthe rocks, water, air, etc. This establishes thatlife has evolved from inanimate matters. Theelements that constituents living are all to be foundin inorganic nature. There are no elements thatare peculiar to living organisms.

It is well established that nature exists by itselfand not the creation of any supernatural beingand it is also prior to appearance of HomoSapean. It is the ground on which all life evolved.Therefore, man is the product of nature outsidenature and man there does not exist anythingexcept other live animals.

To achieve unity and loyalty among the entirehuman race or species, the first primary conditionis, man has to emancipate from the ties of blood,social, special loyalties to nation, class, race,political parties and even from religion. Only thestudy of biological evolution of life on our planet,will convert all these tribes into one super tribe.

This is further confirmed by biologists that allhuman beings have the same set of DNAaddresses. Ofcourse their contents may not beidentical. This is the reason why all individuals’human beings are unique.

There are other kinds of evidence suggestingthat all living things are descended from commonancestor. The universality of genetic code is theimportant evidence that all life shares commoncode.

From the above it can be deduced that it isthe biological evolution of life stresses the ultimateunity of entire human race and its interests andthe common destiny of mankind as a whole tosurvive.

Except the ignorant religious dogmatists, allthose whose reasoning critical faculty is welldeveloped and have innate curiosity to seek trueknowledge, have accepted that biologicalevolution of life is a fact and life is originatedduring the course of mechanical process ofnatural biological evolution.

According to Late M N Roy, humanrationality can be deduced from the backgroundof the law governed universe. Man is the productof this law governed universe. Law governeduniverse is deterministic. (Deterministic meansphilosophy of the doctrine that all events includinghuman action are ultimately determined by causesregarded external to will – New OxfordDictionary). Deterministic is a reason in nature.Universe being deterministic, nothing happens innature without a cause. Man having evolved fromthis background of physical determinism – reasonin nature – man inherits this reason. Therefore,man is a rational human being.

According to Darwin’s observation, no animalspecies could have survived in the struggle forexistence in a law governed universe, unlessspecies was equipped with a rudimentary senseof putting cause and effect together (Quoted byLate V.M.Tarkunde).

Rudiments of reason, the ability to connectexperience, are found in lower animals.Rationality therefore is a biological function whichmust have been highly developed in highestbiological form – man.

Man’s rationality therefore, is the mentalcounter part of determinism in nature.Determinism is a reason in nature. Being theproduct of biological evolution, it is found inseveral animals and is most developed in humanbeings.

Human being can never be a finished product.Because fact is, during one’s life time span, allthe innate potentialities are never unfolded. Manis born with tremendous potentialities. What isstored in genes, one would know when they areunfolded and therefore enfoldment of innate


potentialities is an endless process. Late M NRoy called it innate biological heritage.

Geologists have estimated the age of eartharound six billion years and life began to appearon earth’s surface approximately one and half amillion years. In view of this, earth was barrenof life for about four and half billion of years.From this it can be safely deduced that humanbeing is evolved as the result of biological evolutionthat take place in nature. It can be further deducedfrom the above fact that life could not have beencreated by any supernatural being call it God orby any other name.

It is an universal truth corroborated by scienceof biological evolution that all the human beings,irrespective of where they are borne, arebiologically similarly constructed. However whatis stored in the respective genes are not identical.Therefore, each and every individual human beinghas unique personality. In the light of this fact,Late M N Roy had emphatically advocated thatindividual freedom must never be suppressed.

He has also traced the quest for freedom toman’s struggle for existence. Because it worksas an incentive to constant search for knowledgeregarding phenomenal happenings in nature inorder to free man from the tyranny of physicalenvironment. Thus it is called a basic urge forhuman freedom. Further in order to reinforcestruggle for existence man created socialorganization to help man to strengthen his strugglefor freedom cooperatively.

This is how the biological evolution thatresulted into evolution of man, developed mutualaid instinct to seek cooperation of the otherhuman beings to reinforce the struggle forexistence. In absence of this instinct of mutualaid man would not have survived and could nothave protected himself against natural tyrannyand powerful carnivorous animals. Cooperativeefforts were absolutely necessary to combatthese inimical forces.

Natural biological evolving has indicated thatall men, a product of biological evolution are born

with infinite potentialities. Only when these innatepotentialities are unfolded and come to surface,one would know what is stored in genes.Therefore, Humanists advocate establishment offree and open society in order to facilitate to allconstituents of society to unfold their innatepotentialities.

As explained by Late Roy, when life firstappears on the surface of earth, it could not haveany purpose. When life resulted into evolution inthe forms of Homo Sapean, purpose could beattributed to life. He was not a dead matter. Beinglive, he becomes aware of his natural tyrannicalenvironment and also of carnivorous other animalsthat were trying to destroy his existence. Thisawareness results first into consciousness thenintelligence and will in respond to hostileenvironment. The purpose of human life resultsfrom the characteristics feature of sub-humanbiological evolution called struggle for existence.This consciousness, intelligence and will inciteman to change inimical environment to protecthim from destruction of his very existence. Forhis very survival man was forced to acquireknowledge about his natural environment in orderto combat inimical life destructive forces. This ishow it gave birth to science. Scientific knowledgeis always acquaintance with realty ofenvironment that leads to objective truth.

The essence of human freedom can be tracedto biological evolution. When human beingappeared on the surface of the earth as the resultof biological evolution, he was required to freehimself from the tyranny of natural phenomenaand hostile environment dominated by carnivorousanimal, physically more powerful than manthreatening his very existence. The first stone ofhuman freedom was laid. Therefore all valuessupporting human existence are derived frombiological struggle of man for existence, are calledbiological heritage. According to Roy all humanattributes like intelligence, reason, will, instinct,intuition, etc are all rooted in the biologicalevolution.


In view of this, it can be safely be deducedthat only thorough knowledge of biologicalevolution can illuminate the path of human beingsand establish that man is potentially rational andtheir moral impulse is an integral part of humannature. Therefore, only reason as an instrumentavailable to man that discriminate moral fromimmoral behavior of human beings.

According to Late Julian Huxely, biologicalevolution operates by purely quantitativemechanism in the shape of natural selection. Itresults in the qualitative improvement of actualorganism. Natural selection generates novelty;adaptive improvement and advance in generalorganism that successful type tends todifferentiate into dominant type.

He has further said that the biological evolutionin physical sense now has almost come to end.Now man has become dominant product ofbiological evolution. Man has embarked for thepsycho-social evolution which is primarily culturaland ideological where man has become adominant figure, having intellectually wellorganized with mental capacity.

He has also mentioned that improvement ofpurely biological and physiological foundationseems to have reached limit. The only road tofurther advance is through brain and mind.Therefore, evolution becomes primarily andincreasingly on cultural dependents, culturalchanges, where dominant system of ideas whichguide thought and action.

From the above it can be deduced that humanexperience is a raw material for brain and manuses it to convert it into organized thought andideas relating to destiny and have impact on man’sattitude to towards life. However, in parenthesisJulian Huxely said that in the present period ofpsycho-social evolution, quantitative increase ofpopulation is leading to a decrease of quality inpeople and in many respect in their lives.

Man having evolved from physical universe,he is therefore an integral part of acomprehensive evolutionary process and cannot

escape from his responsibility in playing adominant role in it. In this entire evolutionaryprocess of thought, supernaturalism has no roomor any need. This psycho-social evolution is theresult of man’s conscious efforts.

As explained earlier, on human level strugglefor existence becomes struggle for ideas andvalues. This psycho-social phase is based oncumulated human experience and knowledgeacquired influencing traditions. Thereforetraditions should be critically examined in the lightof growth of scientific knowledge because thepsycho-social phase has definite purpose toattaining human freedom and happiness.

It is the biological evolution had stimulatedmutual aid and cooperative efforts to survivehuman species. In absence of these impulsesHomo Sapeans would not have survived.

Biologists have established that man is thehighest product of biological evolution. Humanhistory starts with appearance of Homo Sapeanon surface of earth. On its appearance, he firstbecome aware of his surroundings and tried toadapt to the needs of natural surroundings. Duringthe course of this process, he develops conscious,then intelligence and will to alter surroundings toprotect it and suit its existence in order to freehim from the tyrannical natural surroundings thatwere trying to destroy its very existence. This ishow human freedom can be traced to strugglefor existence.

In building human character both nature andnurture play an important role. Both are essential,what is inherited is genetic and what is acquiredin thought is by nurture. So the social atmosphereof nurture must never put restriction onunfoldment of inheritance of gene. Thereforeindividual human freedom never to be suppressed.

To achieve human solidarity among the entirehuman race, common moral standards areindispensable to social, political and economicsphere. Human history tells us that religion, penalcode or even nationalism has failed to inducemoral standards in public life. Only indepth


knowledge of biological evolution of life canprovide common moral standard

The equality before law, equality as citizenand equal opportunity to all humankind are notdependent on genetic endowment. These arehuman rights and values. As a biological humanbeing all human beings have equal rights. But asregards genetic potentialities are concerned, theyare different and not identical. Ofcourse, all menare born with innate genetic potentialities. It issocial, political and economic environment thatdetermines how and which potentialities wouldbe realized during man’s individual development.Therefore, the pre-condition for thesepotentialities to be unfolded, is that one and allhuman individuals must have freedom to realizehis or her innate potentialities, not obstructing theunfoldment of potentialities of other individualsconstituting society. This mutual aid andcooperative feelings must have developed duringbiological evolution of Homo Sapean. Becausein absence of these impulses human race wouldnot have survived.

Unity among the entire human race can beactualizing only if in-depth knowledge of biologicalevolution of life penetrated the hearth of eachand every home of human being. This iscorroborated by E.S.Nesbot in his book ‘LivingEarth’ he wrote, discovery of molecule biologythat all organisms are related. All most allorganisms build their proteins of the Omni acidand organisms use the same code to translatethe information shared by nucli-acid into proteins.These codes are universal genetic shared by alllife with only minor exceptions. Implication ofthis is that all life is descended from a singleorganism or from very small interbreeding group.

On the pre-human level, struggle for existenceis mechanical adjustment and natural selection.This means on sub-human level environment isneither altered nor changed to suit the existenceof life. It is life that adjusted to the needs ofenvironment. But on the appearance of HomoSapean having attributes of intelligence and will,

this struggle for existence is carried on a higherlevel, no longer mechanically adjustment but byintelligent choice, to alter and change environmentto sustain life and grow. In the pursuance of thatpurpose, pre-supposes of judgment. Ultimatelythe capacity of judgment is the function ofmorality. When the struggle for existence on thehuman level carried on according to a consciouswill and intelligently, it is nothing but urge forfreedom. This is how freedom can be traced tobiological evolution.

Man is born biologically equal but withdifference. Previous experience of human isstored in genes of all human beings. This storedexperience could not be identical. Therefore eachand every human being has a unique personality.In view of this biological fact, human individualfreedom must never be suppressed.

Life first develops consciousness, then willand then intelligence to combat hostile naturalenvironment. Ultimately biological urge forexistence is nothing but urge for freedom fromhostile environment. This human freedom istraced to biological struggle for existence whichis absolutely required to develop and evolveindividuality and personality of human being.

Late Roy had explained that consciousnessis the property of the geological ward, means tobe aware of the environment. Simple awarenessis supplemented by reaction to the things of whichthe organism becomes aware. From that stageof biological evolution begins the growth ofnervous system to serve the means ofinterrelation between the organism andenvironment.

If Homo Sapean did not carry the basic innatebiological urge to cooperation with his fellow man,he would not have survived as species.Compassion, kindness, mutual aid, a fundamentalurge to cooperate within tribe must have beenthe pattern for early groups of man to survive intheir precarious natural environment.

A.M.Wichester in his book ‘Biology and itsRelation’ said man is soft, weak animal and no


physical match for the powerful muscles, fangsand claws of other aggressive animals thatmight wish to destroy him. Man stand superioronly in his intellect and thought that hasdeveloped him to the dominant position that henow occupies on the earth.

Therefore, it is understandable how everyman realizing his physical incompetency,learned to create crude implements andweapon that place him on a par with hisstruggle with but less intelligent competitorsfor a living place on earth. Since first tools wereprobably made of wood, they long had beenvanished. But other was made of stones whichhave persisted through ages. This givesevidence of the existence of man on earthabout million years ago have been found. Adefinite course of human or mankinddevelopment can be through increasedingenuity of mankind in devising tools.

According to Late Julian Huxely, thebiological evolution process is not directed bysome curiosity purposeful urge butautomatically moving in the direction ofadoption and improvement.

According to Darwin, an organ evolvesgradually and each successive stage has to beadvantageous for it to favor natural selection.

The universally of genetic code is animportant evidence that all life shares commonorigin. All living things are descended fromcommon ancestor. This evidence comes fromcertain similarities between species and alsofrom fossils records.

The application of knowledge of biologicalevolution of life to human activities can helphumanity to know our common values andimprove our social relations. Because biologyis identical in all people irrespective of theirnationality, caste, creed and religion. As againstthis political and religious factors encourageseparation of groups and nations that result intoantagonism and warfare.

The scientific theory of biological evolution

provides syntactive account of human origin.It is based upon evidence drawn from widerange of sciences.

Rudiment of reason, the ability to connectexperience of cause and effect can be tracedin lower animals. Rationality therefore is abiological function which must have highlydeveloped in highest product of biologicalevolution –the MAN. It is the rationality of manthat subordinates selfishness of man toenlightenment self-interest which is a socialvirtue.

It is the biological evolution which hasconclusively established that man and all otherforms of life are the result of, not ofsupernatural act of creation of God but of aninfinitely long process of biological evolutionstretching over at least two million years.

When human species appeared on earth asthe result of biological evolution, its first concernwas to preserve its existence. For this he wasforced to understand natural environment thatwas benine as well as hostile.

To develop loyalty to human species, pursuitof knowledge of biological evolution of life andits dissemination is the need of the day.

To understand biological evolution, one hasto cultivate scientific outlook. Because sciencelike religion never claims an absoluteexplanation. It is always tentative, subject tochange, modification and at times rejection ofits some tenets in the light of new discoveriesof science and new human experience.Accumulated scientific knowledge givesrational explanation of all human experience.

Ramesh Korde is a Radical Humanist

of 93 years age, associated with the Radical

Humanist movement since 1950. He has

used the terms Radical Humanism, New

Humanism, Scientific Humanism and New

Renaissance interchangeably.

Mobile No. 09879545389;Email: [email protected] [email protected]


28 Athens, Greece

29 Auckland, New Zealand

30 Augusta, GA, the US

31 Aurangabad, India

32 Aurora, IL, the US

33 Azamgarh, India

34 Azimganj, India

35 Badajoz, Spain

36 Bagalkot, India

37 Bahawalpur, Pakistan

38 Balham, the UK

39 Balotra, India

40 Balurghat, India

41 Bangalore, India

42 Bangladesh

43 Bansberia, India

44 Banská Bystrica, Slovakia

45 Bareilly, India

46 Barnala, India

47 Barsat, India

48 Batala, India

49 Bath, the UK

50 Bedford, VA, the US

51 Beijing, China

52 Belgaum, India

53 Belgrade, Serbia

1 Abu Dhabi (UAE)

2 Accra, Ghana

3 Agartala, India

4 Agumbe, India

5 Ahirka, Indfia

6 Ahmedabad, India

7 Ain Arnat, Algeria

8 Ajman, the UAE

9 Alamsahi, India

10 Albion NY, the US

11 Alcobendas, Spain

12 Alegre, Brazil

13 Aligarh, India

14 Allahabad, India

15 Altona, Australia

16 Ames, Iowa, the US

17 Amherst, MA, the US

18 Amsterdam, The Netherlands

20 Ancaster, ON, Canada

21 Ängelholm, Sweden

22 Angul,India

23 Antwerp, Belgium

24 Arima, Trinadad and Tobago

25 Arizona State University

26 Ashburn, Verginia, the US

27 Assagao, India

54 Bellville, South Africa

55 Bénin, Nigeria

56 Benoni, South Africa

57 Beograd, Serbia

58 Berhampore, India

59 Berlin, Germany

60 Birmingham, the UK

61 Bethlehem, PA , the US

62 Bettendorf, Iowa, the US

63 Betws, the UK

64 Bhagalpur, India

65 Bhandara, India

66 Bhilai, India

67 Bhimavadiaram, India

68 Bhimavaram, India

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70 Bhubaneswar, India

71 Bilaspur, India

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73 Birmingham, the UK

74 Blacksburg, VA, the US

75 Boisar, India

76 Bolton ON, Canada

77 Boston, MA, the US

78 Boydton, VA, the US

79 Brasilia, Brazil

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249 Katy, Texas, the US

250 Karur, India

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256 Kiel, Germany

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Only if the price tends to fall will the government need to procure and hold stocks and thenthe price will automatically go up. So, the cost to the government will be the costs of stockholding and not the value of the entire crop.

However, with MSP announced for all agricultural produce, the cropping pattern will shiftand excess production of wheat and paddy in certain States would stop. For instance, more ofthe needed oilseeds and pulses would get produced as they become more remunerative. So, thepresent subsidy for excess stocks of wheat and paddy would greatly decline. Further, as farmersget a higher price, various subsidies to them can be scaled down.

So, MSP for all crops and procurement would not necessarily cost the budget much morethan what is being spent now on various subsidies. Undoubtedly, it would require much widerand better administrative machinery. There may be inflation for wage and salary earners, bothrural and urban. The minimum wages would have to be raised. But the pandemic has alreadyflagged the issue of paying workers a living wage to improve their resilience during a crisis. Thehuge margins of trade and businesses which are the source of rapidly rising inequality andshortage of demand leading to a slowing economy would need to be checked.

In brief, announcing MSP for all of agricultural produce would lead to development frombelow and is doable within the present resources. The challenge would be administrative andinflationary pressures but fairness demands that the living standard of others should not be atthe expense of the farmers’ incomes.

Prof. Arun Kumar is author of Indian Economy’s Greatest Crisis: Impact of the Coronavirusand the Road Ahead. Courtesy The Wire, 24 February, 2021.

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