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Kolkata Law College Rape Case: BJP seeks Mamata's apology, resignation

Kolkata Law College Rape Case: BJP seeks Mamata's apology, resignation

Time of India14 hours ago

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The BJP on Saturday demanded an apology and resignation from West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over the gang-rape of a law college student in Kolkata, alleging all the accused are linked to the ruling Trinamool Congress."This is in a way state-sponsored brutality and a heinous crime motivated by politics," BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra said, citing portions of the victim's statement that mentioned threats to her and her family.He added that BJP president J P Nadda has constituted a four-member fact-finding committee comprising MPs Biplab Kumar Deb and Manan Kumar Mishra and former MPs Satyapal Singh and Meenakshi Lekhi. The panel will visit the state and submit its findings."In a state led by a woman chief minister, people expected more sensitivity towards women, but what we see is complete insensitivity," Patra said.He also took a swipe at the Congress, invoking the 50th anniversary of the Emergency, and alleged that former PM Indira Gandhi had questioned the utility of the Constitution and suggested it should be changed.Citing media reports from that time, Patra said Gandhi had once spoken of making basic changes to the Constitution and had questioned whether it served democracy.

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Keeladi: excavating the past
Keeladi: excavating the past

The Hindu

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  • The Hindu

Keeladi: excavating the past

A newly laid road runs through Keeladi, a village in Sivaganga district of Tamil Nadu, that has now earned a significant place on India's political and cultural map. A steady stream of visitors, particularly students, flock to the state-of-the-art museum established by the Tamil Nadu government which showcases the findings from the Keeladi excavation site. On the other side of the village, nestled among coconut groves, workers under the supervision of archaeologists continue to excavate land once believed to have been a thriving industrial hub. Square-shaped trenches reveal remnants of furnaces containing soot and ash, confirming that Keeladi was a centre for manufacturing beads made from quartz, carnelian, glass, agate, and other materials. Carbon dating of charcoal discovered at the site in February 2017 established that the settlement dates back to 6th century BCE. These excavations offer compelling evidence that urban civilisation existed in Tamil Nadu during the Sangam age. The findings also indicate trade and cultural exchange with the Indus Valley Civilisation. For Tamil Nadu politicians, particularly the leaders of the ruling DMK, the findings provided the much-needed grist for their political narrative. Chief Minister M.K. Stalin in January this year announced a $1 million prize for experts or organisations that succeed in deciphering the script of the Indus Valley Civilisation, pointing out that 60% of the graffiti marks found in Tamil Nadu had parallels to the symbols found on Indus seals. Long-standing divide The findings also fuelled the long-standing Aryan-Dravidian divide, and some expressed reservations about accepting the findings from Keeladi. This was followed by the transfer of archaeologist Amarnath Ramakrishna of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), who led the first two phases of the excavation, to Assam in 2017. The third phase was overseen by another archaeologist, P.S. Sriraman, who reported that there was no continuity in the brick structures. Excavations resumed only after the intervention of the Madras High Court. The Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology also took up the project and, in its report, asserted that Keeladi was once a site of urban civilisation, a claim that remains a point of contention among archaeologists. Those who dispute the claim of an urban settlement point to sites such as Harappa, Mohenjo-daro, and others in Gujarat, which, they argue, 'bear testimony to the existence of an urban civilisation,' whereas Keeladi, they contend, is just another excavation site without sufficient evidence to qualify as an urban centre. The return of the 982-page report by Amarnath Ramakrishna of the ASI, with instructions to provide further evidence and rewrite it, stirred yet another controversy. In Tamil Nadu, this move is perceived as indicative of the BJP-led NDA government's bias against discoveries emerging from the South. The current dispensation at the Centre is seen as reluctant to accept anything projected as superior to the Indo-Aryan heritage. Given the Centre's stance on Indian culture, language, and religion, the ASI's directive to Mr. Ramakrishna and his subsequent transfer is viewed with suspicion — even if there is a genuine academic basis for it. Mr. Ramakrishna, rather than pursuing the matter through academic channels, has joined the chorus of Tamil Nadu politicians, though many believe the Centre's motives are clear for all to see. Mr. Ramakrishna, from the beginning, has been maintaining that there has been no evidence for religious worship. What remains undisputed is the need for extensive excavation in Keeladi and surrounding areas. Madurai and its neighbouring regions along the banks of the Vaigai are undeniably ancient settlements. It is crucial to have excavations on the scale of those at Harappa and Mohenjo-daro to substantiate the claim of a flourishing urban civilisation in Tamil Nadu. The ASI has the responsibility of undertaking this effort with the support of the Tamil Nadu government.

‘Golden time to remove socialism, secularism from Constitution': Himanta joins debate on Preamble
‘Golden time to remove socialism, secularism from Constitution': Himanta joins debate on Preamble

Indian Express

timean hour ago

  • Indian Express

‘Golden time to remove socialism, secularism from Constitution': Himanta joins debate on Preamble

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday said this is a 'golden time' to remove the terms 'socialism' and 'secularism' from the Constitution. He said the Constitution had been 'completely transformed' by the addition of the two terms through the 42nd amendment under then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's leadership. 'Fifty years after the Emergency, be it the RSS or be it several intellectuals in the country, they have said that this is the golden time to remove the words socialism and secularism from the Constitution. We are a mature democracy… We don't need to adopt the terminology of secularism from the British or American constitutions; we will take our secularism from the Bhagwat Gita,' Sarma said. He was speaking at the Assam launch of the book 'The Emergency Diaries — Years that Forged a Leader'. According to the publisher, the book is a compilation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's experiences during the anti-Emergency movement. Sarma said an 'Indian concept' of secularism had already been enshrined in the Constitution with Article 14, which guarantees equality before law to all persons. 'Our Constitution's Article 14, where it says that there cannot be different treatment against anyone in the country by the State, that is the foundation of our secularism. At the time of framing the Constitution, Ambedkar had said that there is no question of mentioning the word secularism in the Constitution. Article 14 clearly says that the State cannot discriminate against anyone. That is the highest level of secularism… After Prime Minister Indira Gandhi introduced the word secularism in the Constitution, be it courts or intellectuals, they began looking at secularism through a Western lens. Because the word secularism is not conceived in the Indian context… We are not neutral… We are with the Hindus and we are with the Muslims, also. Here, secularism is a positive concept,' he said. Speaking further on this, he said, 'If we are neutral, we cannot work for sattras (Vaishnavite monasteries in Assam), namghars (community prayer halls), temples, cannot discuss matters of the Vedas, we cannot discuss about the Gita… Now, how can Himanta Biswa Sarma be secular? I am a hardcore Hindu. I cannot be secular. How can a Muslim person be secular? He is a hardcore Muslim. But in Hinduism, it is written, Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the world is one family). If you are a hardcore Hindu, you have to reflect on Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam. In Islam, it says that you always have to think positively towards the destitute. That means our secularism is never inspired by the Western definition of secularism… We are not neutral. We are positively aligned because India is a spiritual nation.' He also said that socialism was never a part of Indian civilisation nor of the 'economic ideals that Mahatma Gandhi had spoken about, which was trusteeship'. 'In our civilisation, no leader spoke about socialism. It is an ideology based on conflict… Because of that, we fell behind in competition with other countries… This socialism that was included in the Constitution did not have to be demolished by the BJP. The Congress, with Prime Minister Narasimha Rao and Manmohan Singh themselves, demolished it and they brought liberalisation to our economy… Narendra Modi and Atal Bihari Vajpayee took this liberalisation philosophy further,' he said, referring to the economic reforms of the early 1990s.

Those who fought Emergency should always be remembered: PM Modi
Those who fought Emergency should always be remembered: PM Modi

New Indian Express

timean hour ago

  • New Indian Express

Those who fought Emergency should always be remembered: PM Modi

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday played remarks of leading anti-Emergency politicians in his monthly radio broadcast to slam the then Congress government for atrocities on people, and said they should always be remembered as it inspires people to stay alert to keep the Constitution strong. Speaking in his Mann Ki Baat radio broadcast, Modi said those who imposed the Emergency not only murdered the Constitution but also made judiciary their puppet. His condemnation of the Congress for the Emergency-era excesses without naming the party of the then prime minister Indira Gandhi came amid an ongoing bitter war of words between the ruling BJP and opposition parties, which have claimed that an undeclared Emergency prevails under the Modi government. Modi said people were tortured on a large scale during the Emergency for the 21-month period between 1975 and 1977. "There are many examples which cannot be forgotten," he added. He played bits of speeches of former prime minister Morarji Desai and Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and former deputy PM Jagjivan Ram related to the period.

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