Latest news with #Manusmriti
The Hindu
27-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
'Not found suitable' is new Manuvaad: Rahul Gandhi
Eligible candidates from Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST) and other backward class (OBC) communities are being kept away from education leadership roles by deliberately labelling them as 'not suitable', Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Tuesday (May 27, 2025), indicating that the term is being used as a euphemism for casteist thinking. Also Read | Myth of meritocracy, caste-based disparities in IT sector ''Not Found Suitable' is the new Manuvaad now. Eligible candidates from SC/ST/OBC are being deliberately declared 'unsuitable' so that they are kept away from education and leadership,' Mr. Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, said in a post on X. 'Manuvaad' refers to principles of a society governed by Manusmriti, the ancient Hindu text. The Congress leader said that over 60% of reserved Professor posts and more than 30% of reserved Associate Professor posts have been kept vacant by using this 'Not Found Suitable (NFS)' mechanism. 'This is no exception – the same conspiracy is going on everywhere, IITs, Central Universities. NFS is an attack on the Constitution. NFS is a betrayal of social justice,' he told students of the Delhi University Students Union (DUSU) in a recent interaction. Blunting the weapon of education Mr. Gandhi shared a video of the interaction, in which he can be heard telling the students that 'the Hindutva project's foundation is to erase the history of the SCs, STs, and OBCs'. Quoting B.R. Ambedkar to hail education as the biggest weapon for equality, Mr. Gandhi accused the Narendra Modi-led government and the RSS of subverting this power. '...the Modi government is busy blunting that weapon,' he alleged. Mr. Gandhi said that implementing reservation was a matter of fighting for rights, respect, and participation. 'I spoke to the students of DUSU, now we all together will answer every anti-reservation move of BJP/RSS with the power of the Constitution,' he said.
India Today
27-05-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Let me focus on...: Karnataka IAS officer on being called 'Pakistani' by BJP MLC
A controversial remark made by BJP MLC N Ravikumar against Kalaburagi Deputy District Commissioner Fouzia Taranum is snowballing into a political controversy with political leaders across Karnataka taking a stance. The officer, herself, however, refused to engage or comment further.'I don't wish to comment on this matter. It's a personal decision, and I believe that should be respected. I'd rather let my work speak for itself. Let me focus on getting things done,' said Fouzia Taranum, the senior IAS officer who was targeted by MLC controversy began after Ravikumar allegedly made a communal reference, reportedly linking the officer to Pakistan, prompting strong reactions from the state ministers. Ravikumar had questioned her handling of an alleged ambush and people's arrest of a fellow BJP leader. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah described Ravikumar's comments as 'intolerable' and accused him of attempting to sow social discord. 'Nothing will happen to that lady, but it is to create enmity in the society,' he stated, confirming that a police complaint and FIR would be filed against the Chief Minister DK Shivakumar also condemned the statement, highlighting the gravity of the issue. ''The Indian IAS Officers Association met me this morning. This is very shocking. This is the respect they are showing to women officers,' he said. Shivakumar called for a response from BJP leadership and emphasised the state government's commitment to protecting the dignity of its women civil a separate social media post on X, he called the remarks 'unacceptable and derogatory,' pointing out Taranum's distinguished service and accolades. Taranum, according to Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, is 'one of the 22 recipients of the prestigious Best Electoral Practices Award' conferred by the President. 'Targeting such an accomplished civil servant with hateful and vilifying statements reflects the deeply toxic mindset prevalent in the BJP's ranks,' Shivakumar said, adding that the Karnataka government 'stands firmly with Ms. Fouzia Taranum and upholds the dignity and integrity of our civil services.'Minister Priyank Kharge said Ravikumar's comment reflected a mindset aligned with the 'Manusmriti ideology' and questioned whether the BJP would act against its own legislator. 'He's calling an Indian Administrative Service officer from Pakistan. Will the BJP take any action?' Kharge Minister Ramalinga Reddy, acknowledged Ravikumar's previous contributions in the Legislative Council, but was baffled by the comment. 'Even illiterates wouldn't talk like that. He is a second-time MLC. This is the culture of the BJP. He should apologise, and the BJP should too,' Reddy state president BY Vijayendra, however, downplayed the issue and blamed the Congress-led government. 'Ravi Kumar has already apologised for his statement and still the government filed FIR against him,' Vijayendra a separate case has been registered against Ravikumar in Kalaburagi under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act for making derogatory statements against the SC community. The FIR follows a complaint by a private allegedly made derogatory remarks against Dalits, too, at the rally on May 24 where he made the comments against Deputy Commissioner Taranum.
News18
27-05-2025
- Politics
- News18
‘Biggest Brand Ambassadors Of Lies': Dharmendra Pradhan Slams Rahul Gandhi Over ‘NFS' Row
Last Updated: Dharmendra Pradahan launched a scathing jibe at Rahul Gandhi over his remarks on the issue of faculty appointments under reserved categories A political tussle broke out between the BJP and the Congress on Tuesday after Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi accused the government of deliberately keeping away the eligible candidates from SC, ST, and OBC communities from education and leadership. Union Minister Dharmendra Pradahan launched a scathing jibe at Gandhi over his remarks on the issue of faculty appointments under reserved categories, saying that the grand-old party has betrayed the backward classes and is the 'biggest brand ambassadors of lies and deceit in the country today". What Rahul Gandhi Said? The Congress leader on Tuesday alleged that eligible candidates from Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) were being deliberately declared 'not found suitable' to keep them away from education and leadership. Sharing a video of his recent interaction with students of the Delhi University Students Union (DUSU) on X, Gandhi said, 'Not Found Suitable' is the new Manuvaad now. Eligible candidates from SC/ST/OBC are being deliberately declared 'unsuitable' so that they are kept away from education and leadership." 'Not Found Suitable' अब नया मनुवाद है।SC/ST/OBC के योग्य उम्मीदवारों को जानबूझकर 'अयोग्य' ठहराया जा रहा है – ताकि वे शिक्षा और नेतृत्व से दूर रहें। बाबासाहेब ने कहा था: शिक्षा बराबरी के लिए सबसे बड़ा हथियार है। लेकिन मोदी सरकार उस हथियार को कुंद करने में जुटी है। दिल्ली… — Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) May 27, 2025 Further alleging a broader conspiracy against reservation policies in institutions like IITs, Central Universities, and Delhi University, Gandhi said, 'Manuvaad' is the ethos of a society governed by Manusmriti. This is no exception – the same conspiracy is going on everywhere, IITs, Central Universities. NFS is an attack on the Constitution. NFS is a betrayal of social justice." BJP Responds Senior BJP leader Dharmendra Pradhan responded to Gandhi's allegations and acuused the grand old party of decades-long betrayal of the backward classes. 'The Congress royal family has always deceived SC, ST and OBC, but the prince does not know the history of his own family against the deprived and anti-Dalit. That is why every day the Congress, on the basis of an imported toolkit, presents a bundle full of lies for the prince," he said in a post on X. राहुल गांधी और पूरी कांग्रेस पार्टी आज देश में झूठ और फरेब की सबसे बड़ी brand ambassador बन चुकी है। SC, ST और OBC को कांग्रेस के शाही परिवार ने हमेशा छला है, मगर शहज़ादे को अपने ही परिवार का वंचित और दलित विरोधी इतिहास पता नहीं है। इसीलिए आए दिन कांग्रेस आयातित toolkit के आधार… — Dharmendra Pradhan (@dpradhanbjp) May 27, 2025 He further criticised the UPA government's track record, saying that when it left office in 2014, '57% SC, 63% ST and 60% OBC teacher posts were vacant in central universities." Pradhan emphasised that the Modi government had actively worked to fill these positions. 'The number of vacant posts, which was 37% in 2014, is 25.95% today, and the process of filling these vacant posts is still going on in the government of Honorable Prime Minister Modi," he added. Citing recruitment data, Pradhan highlighted the difference between the two regimes. 'During the Congress tenure from 2004-14, there were only 83 SC, 14 ST and 166 OBC faculty in IITs, whereas only 261 SC, 72 ST and 334 appointments were made in NITs. Whereas during the Modi government's tenure from 2014-24, 398 SC, 99 ST and 746 OBC teachers were appointed in IITs and 929 SC, 265 ST and 1510 OBC teachers were appointed in NITs," he stated. He also pointed out reforms brought in under the Modi government, including doing away with the PhD requirement for assistant professor roles and enacting legislation to safeguard reservation. 'To liberate the deprived class from that injustice, Prime Minister Modi's government dedicated to social justice for the first time introduced The Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Teacher's Cadre) Act, 2019, after which NFS is now history," Pradhan said. He blamed the historical policies of Congress for the emergence of the NFS category. 'The NFS – 'Not Found Suitable' that Rahul Gandhi is talking about, was the result of the anti-Dalit, anti-exploited and anti-deprived Congress thinking that did politics in the name of Babasaheb." Attacking the Congress's stand on the Constitution, he added, 'The Congress party, which takes the name of the Constitution on every issue, is itself the biggest attack on Babasaheb's Constitution." Location : New Delhi, India, India First Published: May 27, 2025, 17:38 IST News politics 'Biggest Brand Ambassadors Of Lies': Dharmendra Pradhan Slams Rahul Gandhi Over 'NFS' Row
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Business Standard
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Business Standard
'Not found suitable' new Manuvaad, will fight anti-reservation moves: Rahul
"I spoke to the students of DUSU, now we all together will answer every anti-reservation move of BJP/RSS with the power of the Constitution," says Rahul Press Trust of India New Delhi Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday alleged that eligible candidates from SC, ST, and OBC communities were being deliberately declared 'not found suitable' to keep them away from education and leadership. Gandhi made the remark in a post on X, sharing a video of his recent interaction with students of the Delhi University Students Union (DUSU)." "'Not Found Suitable' is the new Manuvaad now. Eligible candidates from SC/ST/OBC are being deliberately declared 'unsuitable' so that they are kept away from education and leadership," the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said in his post in Hindi. 'Manuvaad' is the ethos of a society governed by Manusmriti. Gandhi quoted B R Ambedkar to hail education as the biggest weapon for equality, and accused the Narendra Modi-led Union government and the RSS of subverting this power. "... the Modi government is busy blunting that weapon," he said. Gandhi said that more than 60 per cent of the reserved posts of Professor and more than 30 per cent of the reserved posts of Associate Professor have been kept vacant by using the 'Not Found Suitable (NFS)' mechanism. "This is no exception the same conspiracy is going on everywhere, IITs, Central Universities. NFS is an attack on the Constitution. NFS is a betrayal of social justice," he said. The former Congress president said getting reservation was a matter of fighting for rights, respect, and participation. "I spoke to the students of DUSU, now we all together will answer every anti-reservation move of BJP/RSS with the power of the Constitution," he said. In the video, Gandhi is heard telling the students that the Hindutva project's foundation is to erase the history of the SCs, STs, and OBCs. "Why is 90 per cent's history not in our books? Why is only 10 per cent's history in our books? Why is it not written, for example, in our history books that for 3,000 years, Dalits have been treated like dirt, have not been respected, have not been given any space in our society?" he says during the interaction. On May 22, the DU objected to Gandhi's unannounced visit to its North Campus, calling it a breach of institutional protocol and a disruption of student governance operations. "Shri Rahul Gandhi has done this for the second time... coming to the university without any intimation and information to University of Delhi," the proctor's office had said in an official release. That day, Gandhi interacted with students belonging to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes on the North Campus. The session was held at the office of the DUSU president, who belongs to NSUI, a Congress-affiliated outfit. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Indian Express
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
From Manusmriti to British Empire: what history tells us about the practice of manual scavenging in India
Manual scavenging remains a harsh reality in India. 'I studied commerce and banking, but I couldn't find work. Even though I am educated, the panchayat hired me to clean toilets because I am from this community,' said Kailash, a man from Maharashtra's Jalgaon district, as cited in a 2014 Human Rights Watch report. Kailash belongs to one of Maharashtra's lower castes, historically associated with the occupation of manual scavenging. His wife, Bimla, added, 'We have farming and labour work, but then if I go for farming work I get threats from the panchayat…I am afraid to lose my house.' Threats from the panchayat compel certain castes to remain in menial occupations, with even the police refusing to register their complaints. It is the lowest in the hierarchy who are left to adopt 'least desirable and defiling occupations', as explained by B N Srivastava in Manual Scavenging in India: A Disgrace to the Country (1997). Ironically, the Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act, 1993, declared the hiring of manual scavengers and building of dry toilets to be a punishable offence. The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013, however, acknowledges a constitutional obligation to correct the historical injustice and indignity endured by manual scavenging communities, aiming to provide alternate livelihoods and comprehensive support, the report notes. But how rigid is this occupational hierarchy? Who decides the fate of scavengers, and what does ancient Indian literature tell us about the practice of manual scavenging? From ancient India to the Empire The International Labour Organization (ILO) describes manual scavenging as the act of cleaning of septic tanks, gutters and sewage lines, and the removal of human waste from public streets and dry latrines. Scholars Nihal Raj, Manish Tiwari and Suyasha Singh Isser (2024), in their journal article From Shadows to Spotlight: Unveiling the Saga of Manual Scavenging in India, argue that the majority of those who engage in manual scavenging are Dalits, of whom women account for 95-98 per cent. B R Ambedkar, a strong opponent of caste-based discrimination, traced the origins of manual scavenging to 600 BC. One of the earliest references is found in the Naradasamhita, which lists the removal of human excreta as one of the 15 duties for slaves. In Vajasaneyi Samhita, as cited by Srivastava, the Chandals and Paulkasa have been referred to as slaves for the disposal of night-soil or human faeces. In addition to the Samhitas, scholars have also found the Manusmriti endorsing the practice. 'The Manusmriti delineates the obligation of those belonging to the untouchable caste to provide service to those of higher castes, without having the right to voice complaints,' opine Raj, Tiwari and Isser. They note that scavengers were typically granted land to build houses as compensation for their services; however, this land could be forfeited if those services were not provided. The practice persisted, and was observed in the Mauryan Empire as well. Records indicate the presence of scavengers in one of the ancient towns of Pataliputra (now Patna in Bihar). Interestingly, several scholars trace the institutionalisation of 'sweeping and scavenging' as a profession to the advent of Muslim rule in India. The lack of sanitation infrastructure for women observing the purdah compelled them to seek out secluded locations for defecation, necessitating the disposal of waste. This, in turn, led to the employment of war captives to clean latrines, bucket privies, and dispose of night-soil at distant places. These captives, when freed, were not accepted back into society and formed a separate caste – the Bhangis, which continued to practice manual scavenging. This caste, according to sociologist Bindeshwar Pathak in Road to Freedom: A Sociological Study on Abolition of Scavenging in India (1999), was renamed as Mehtar by Emperor Akbar. According to the 1960 Enquiry Committee on Scavengers, led by N R Malkani, families belonging to the untouchable caste in Hindu society continued to engage in scavenging work despite converting to Islam. 'This argument,' according to social activist and writer Gita Ramaswamy in India Stinking: Manual Scavengers in Andhra Pradesh and Their Work (2005), 'fits neatly into the Hindutva theory that all social evils emanate from Muslim rule…a narrative [which] consequently downplays the role that caste has played in India.' The British administration further institutionalised the profession of scavenging in India. Official posts for manual scavenging were created across institutions of the empire, including the railways, military, courts, and industries. The lack of waterborne sewage systems necessitated the hiring of scavengers. At the same time, industrialisation and commercialisation of land had rendered traditional artisan and farming communities unemployed, leading many to take up scavenging. According to the 1931 Census, as cited by Pathak, the total number of scavengers was estimated at 19,57,460, including 10,38,678 males and 9,18,782 females in India. 'This is not to say that the British invented caste or manual scavengers; rather they intervened specifically to institutionalise it,' concludes Ramaswamy. Further reading: Nikita writes for the Research Section of focusing on the intersections between colonial history and contemporary issues, especially in gender, culture, and sport. For suggestions, feedback, or an insider's guide to exploring Calcutta, feel free to reach out to her at ... Read More
