Amid confusion, KC(M) resolves to stand firm with Left front
Raising various concerns such as wildlife attacks and the Munambam land dispute, a section in the KC (M) has been demanding the leadership to leave the LDF for quite a while. They argue that continuing with the Left will be a setback for the party as their core vote base - settler farmers and Christians - has increasingly turned against the LDF, owing to various issues including forest department's failure to end wildlife attacks on forest fringes. The implications of the Nilambur bypoll result further exacerbated the situation.
'The party should interpret the Nilambur outcome as a critical indicator. Along with the consolidation of minority votes, anti-incumbency sentiments played a pivotal role in the defeat,' said a leader.
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The Wire
2 hours ago
- The Wire
Delhi: Exhibition on India's Freedom Struggle Celebrates Inclusive Nationalism and Women Freedom Fighters
S.N. Sahu At a time when India's history is being distorted by the Modi regime, the exhibition celebrates the roles played by Hindus, Muslims, Christians and people of other religious persuasions in freeing India from colonial rule. ' Hamaara Itihaas – Archives of Freedom Fighters', the exhibition organised and curated by Sagari Chhabra, is quite fascinating and captures the saga of freedom struggle and its manifold aspects. Organised at the Art Gallery, Kamaladevi Complex, India International Centre, 40 Max Mueller Marg in Delhi, it is open for public viewing from August 9, 2025, and will run till August 23, 2025. The defining aspects of the exhibition is centered around the role of women freedom fighters in different phases of our struggle for independence. First provisional government of India It is tragic that India's history is being distorted by the Modi regime, and the Moghul period is being depicted in NCERT books as brutal, in negation of the historical accounts showing the commonalities of people of that period, regardless of faiths they pursued. It is in this context that the exhibition assumes significance, for it celebrates the roles played by Hindus, Muslims, Christians and people of other religious persuasions in freeing India from colonial rule. It is educative that the exhibition, while explaining the commencement of the first war of independence in India in 1857, and some of the struggles preceding that, explores details of the lesser known first provisional government of independent India, established in 1915 in Afghanistan by Maharaja Mahendra Pratap. A respected figure of our history, he followed an inclusive approach and it was evident from the very composition of that government, of which he was the President, Maulana Barkatullah, the prime minister, and Maulana Ubaidullah Sindhi, the home minister. The objective of the provisional government was to liberate India from British rule. For the daring act of leading a government outside India, Mahendra Pratap faced sedition charges and his properties were confiscated. Ultimately, he left the country and worked outside India for its freedom. In his weekly journal, titled Young India, Mahatma Gandhi wrote on July 14, 1929: 'Raja Mahendra Pratap is a great patriot. For the sake of the country, this noble man has chosen exile as his lot.' Pratap was a member of the first Lok Sabha and defeated Atal Bihari Vajpayee in the elections. In 1929, Mahendra Pratap sent a letter to Gandhi, outlining the idea of non-violence. He wrote, ' Ahimsa, as I understand it, is not to give pain to anybody in mind or body by one's thought, talk or action. However, to be a follower of this principle does not stop here. A follower of ahimsa has to change all those conditions under which himsa is practised or becomes possible. I call it worst kind of himsa, opposite of ahimsa, when a man tolerates or aids himsa of others. Many people in India today deliver some very fine sermons on the beauties of ahimsa; however, they do little to destroy the himsa of the British.' Elsewhere, Mahendra Prata wrote, 'In the true spirit of ahimsa, I cannot force my will on others'. That utterance is intensely relevant for India which, after 2014, is witnessing violent imposition of majoritarianism, with minorities being attacked and many lives being snuffed out in the name of what they eat, how they dress and who they worship. As I visited Sagari Chchabra's curated exhibition and saw at the very beginning a picture of Mahendra Pratap, I was reminded of Gandhi and Pratap's nuanced reflections on non-violence. In no exhibition on freedom struggle have I ever seen any depiction of the first provisional government before. It preceded the provisional government headed by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose as prime minister in late 1940s. Global scope of freedom movement It is quite fascinating to see the exhibition showcasing oral testimonies, photos, audio, video and film recordings of freedom struggle which covered in its scope not just India but also Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Myanmar and many other European countries and Canada. It is delightful to see photos and documents from London, Paris, Geneva, Stuttgart, San Francisco and other places, showing that India's freedom struggle was both revolutionary and non-violent. The exhibition also showcased rare documents of the papers ' Bande Mataram' and ' Talvar ', started by Madam Bhikaiji Cama, a Parsi, who for the first time hoisted a version of the Indian flag outside India, at the International Socialist Conference in Stuttgart. The depiction of the Ghadar Party, based in Vancouver and San Francisco, in the exhibition is also very captivating. Netaji and the Indian National Army It is well known that Netaji Subhas Bose was described by Mahatma Gandhi as a prince among patriots and so, the exhibition, with its special section on Netaji's phenomenal role in freeing India from British rule, is very impactful. In addition to casting light on the Netaji-led provisional government, the exhibition specially focuses attention on Rani Jhansi regiment of Indian National Army (INA), the first regiment of the world, entirely consisting of women and led by Captain Lakshmi Sahgal. The spirit of INA was so infectious in inspiring women that a lady freedom fighter's words from that period, that 'sarees should go to hell' and 'what ladies needed were uniforms, caps, belts and boots to fight for liberation of India' summed up the temper of that time. Trial of INA heroes The trial of INA heroes Colonel Prem Sahgal, Colonel Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon and Major-General Shah Nawaz Khan became a trial of the British empire. British intelligence officer Hugh Toy, in his book The Springing Tiger, paid tribute to Netaji and wrote that that trial and subsequent Naval Mutiny hastened the independence of India. While explaining to the visitors about the exhibition, Sagari said that when the three heroes were put on trial, the slogan of that time – 'Lal Quila Se Aai Awaj, Sahagal, Dhilon and Shah Nawaj (A voice rose from the Red Fort, of Sehgal, Dhillon and Shah Nawaz)' – stirred new heights of inclusive nationalism for people Gandhian era Finally, the section on Mahatma Gandhi in the exhibition shows how women, and that too ordinary women from all parts of India, willingly participated in the freedom struggle because of Gandhi's non-violence movement for the freedom of India. This section depicts specifically the Dandi March of 1930 launched by Gandhi to break the iniquitous salt law, preventing Indians from manufacturing salt, and achieve independence. A multitude of women joined the Salt Satyagraha, the exhibition shows, breaking the salt law with the march that shook the British empire by the sheer strength unleashed by totally unarmed men and women. Gandhi, who was arrested and put behind bars, was declared 'Man of the Year' by the Time magazine in 1930. The exhibition also screens the documentary film, ' Asli Azaadi', directed by Sagari Chhabra, 1999, on women freedom fighters. In these trying times, when history is distorted and people operating the state apparatus are deriding the values of freedom struggle, this exhibition serves not just as inspiration but also as education. The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments. Advertisement
The Hindu
2 hours ago
- The Hindu
Suresh Gopi maintains silence on voter list discrepancies as protests by BJP, CPI(M) rock Thrissur
Political tempers flared in Thrissur on Wednesday as the controversy over alleged voter list manipulation ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections spilled onto the streets, triggering protests by Bharatiya Janata Party and Communist Party of India (Marxist) workers. Amid the tension, Union Minister and Thrissur MP Suresh Gopi arrived in the city at 9.30 a.m., his first visit since the allegations surfaced. While greeted with a grand reception by BJP workers at the railway station under tight security, he avoided interaction with the media, responding only with a sarcastic statement: 'Thanks for all your help.' Throughout the day, he refused to address media questions on alleged electoral irregularities involving him and his family. He did not respond to questions about the attacks on clergy in Chhattisgarh and Odisha too. Mr. Gopi visited Aswini Hospital to meet five BJP workers injured in clashes with CPI(M) activists on Tuesday night and later inspected his camp office, where CPI(M) demonstrators had poured black oil on the signboard. He skipped the BJP protest march, travelling via Angamaly to visit family of nun Preethi Mary, who was attacked in Chhattisgarh, before proceeding to Kothamangalam to meet the family of a student who recently died by suicide. Unrest began on Tuesday evening when CPI(M) workers marched to Mr. Gopi's office over the voter list row, blackening its nameboard. The police arrested one activist involved. Tension escalated as BJP workers launched a counter-march to the CPI(M) office. An altercation followed, leaving five BJP activists with minor injuries. On Wednesday morning, the BJP district committee, led by former State president K. Surendran and State general secretary Shobha Surendran, marched to the City Police Commissioner's office demanding action against those responsible for the attack on the MP's office and party workers. The police blocked the march with barricades, prompting workers to climb over them waving party flags. Water cannons were deployed three times to disperse the crowd, but the protesters stood their ground. Addressing a public meeting later, Mr. Surendran warned the CPI(M) and the Congress against 'trampling upon the mandate' of the people of Thrissur. Ms. Shobha Surendran denounced the vandalism at the MP's office as an insult to democracy and the city's voters. The CPI(M) too took out a protest march against attack on its office by the BJP workers. The All India Youth Federation, which staged a night march on Tuesday, accused the Election Commission of being reduced to a political instrument of the Sangh Parivar and demanded a stronger wave of public protests against voter list manipulation. Addressing the march, CPI State Council member K.K. Valsaraj accused the Centre of using its influence to dismantle the democratic election process, alleging collusion between the BJP and the Election Commission in large-scale voter list tampering. He criticised the continued silence of Mr. Gopi, calling it suspicious, and accused the Election Commission of trivialising serious allegations with 'nonsensical' explanations.
Hans India
3 hours ago
- Hans India
BJP leader Surendran slams LDF, UDF on voter list allegations
Thrissur: Senior BJP leader and former Kerala state president K. Surendran on Wednesday ridiculed both the CPI(M)-led LDF and Congress-led UDF over their allegations of large-scale voter list manipulation in Thrissur, where Union Minister Suresh Gopi is the MP. Speaking to reporters in Thrissur, Surendran questioned how the state's two dominant political fronts remained silent if, as alleged, a party without even a single MLA in Kerala managed to add 60,000 "illegal" votes. "If you couldn't detect such a thing, you should hang yourselves," said Surendran. Surendran asserted that Suresh Gopi would not only win again in 2029 but also in 2034, with an even larger mandate, dismissing the current controversy as an attempt to dent the minister's popularity. "These allegations will only increase public support for him," he claimed. Explaining the BJP's position, Surendran pointed out that the Election Commission now allows three revisions of the voter list annually, compared to one earlier, and that any citizen residing in a constituency for over six months is eligible to register. "Suresh Gopi and his family had rented a house in Thrissur as part of his political work and duly transferred their votes there," added Surendran. He acknowledged that a small number of votes had been shifted from other districts but insisted the figures were negligible. "MLAs and MPs from both the Congress and CPI(M) have votes registered in multiple places. Why is this a problem only when it's Suresh Gopi?" he asked. The BJP leader also criticised the opposition for raising objections based on the claims of "a single woman" rather than following proper legal channels. He cited his own 2016 Assembly election loss by 89 votes, where he later proved 80 fake votes in court without creating a media uproar. "Whether the opposition likes it or not, Suresh Gopi will be here for the long run," Surendran declared, likening the BJP to a "majestic elephant" that would remain unshaken by "small jackals making noise".
