J&K plans to mark 5 August by taking national media on tour through the UT during pandemic
Jammu and Kashmir administration is planning to take the national media for a guided tour through the Union territory to showcase its achievements in the time since Article 370 was invalidated, effectively scrapping its earlier held special status.
Five IAS officers have been nominated to coordinate the tour — Dheeraj Gupta, principal secretary, Housing and Urban Development department; and Rohit Kansal, principal secretary, Power Development/Information Department are the two nodal officers who will be assisted by three joint nodal officers.
The list of journalists and media persons to be invited is yet to be finalised, say officials.
Grapevine has it that the visit from national media — and, possibly foreign correspondents— will coincide with the first anniversary of the scrapping of the special status on 5 August. This comes at a time when the UT administration is facing flak for its below par performance in terms of development.
Only 17 of the 63 projects of the Prime Minister Development Projects have been completed since 2015. Meanwhile, officials from different departments are preparing promotional videos of the work undertaken in the past one year.
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BJP’s Assam unit assembles in time for ‘Mann ki Baat’ — not to listen to PM but to talk sports
While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lays significant emphasis on its leaders watching Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s weekly radio programme ‘Mann Ki Baat‘, its Assam state unit seems to be singing a different tune.
The Assam Olympic Association scheduled a meeting on 26 July at 11 am — the exact time that the ‘Mann Ki Baat’ programme airs, and on an occasion as significant as Kargil Divas. The AOA is chaired by none less than Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, and as it happens in sports administration bodies, it has a significant membership from office bearers of the ruling BJP.
While the CM authorised the meeting, he wasn’t present in it, but some BJP office bearers — including a senior spokesperson — attended the online meeting. For a party, which is known for discipline and near-devotion to its top two leaders, this did seem like an odd move and has raised eyebrows in the ranks of the party, and fuelled some gossip. Others, however, point out that administrative work should take precedence over all else.
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Cow urine advocate, martial arts specialist — BJP’s Dilip Ghosh now a golfer
BJP’s Bengal unit president Dilip Ghosh is making news on social media — not for his advocacy for the health benefits of cow urine this time. He is the new golfer in town. Over the past few days, he has been spotted playing golf in Newtown’s Eco Park.
Ghosh is also known as an able martial arts specialist, locally called Lathiyal. A party insider said that “Dilu” da (as he is fondly called) is now trying to enter the ‘elite club’ of Bangalee Bhadralok.
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It is important to reiterate the reason why 5 August was chosen by BJP to abrogate Article 370 so that people understand the philosophy of the party in power. It was in 1938 that the Muslim Conference (which later became the National Conference) headed by Sheikh Abdullah gave the call for observing 5th August 1938 as Responsible Government day. This was a revolutionary step for till then the National Conference was chiefly agitating for more jobs and other facilities for Muslims changed tack and started agitating for the change from feudal rule by a Hindu Maharajah to a responsible government in which all people of the State irrespective of caste,creed or religion would be stake holders. Some Hindus and Sikhs including Jia Lal Kilam, Kashyap Bandhu and Sardar Budh Singh supported this demand and took part in Drafting the National Demands Document.This led to a National Demands agitation which was supported by All India States People Conference led by Jawaharlal Nehru. The National Demands document was adopted first by the people of Rajkot and then by people of many other Princely States kick starting a struggle for responsible government in all Princely States. The movement against feudal rule and the anger against feudal rulers was according to Ian Copland used by Patel and Menon to persuade the rulers of Princely States ruled by Hindu Rulers to submit to the rule of a secular Congress. BJP considers the 5th August Responsible Government Day celebrated on 5th August 1938 in Kashmir as responsible for the ultimate replacement of Hindu Rule by a secular rule and hence its choice of 5th August for fragmenting and destroying the Jammu and Kashmir State. It may seem odd to many but there is a big group represented by the party in power which believes in Hindutva and would have preferred an India with Hindu Maharajahs i.e. a Hindu Rashtra. It considers the integration of States ruled by Hindu Maharajahs into a secular India by Nehru’s party as a great setback.The Malegaon episode shows that this viewpoint is very much alive.As it was the Responsible Government Day celebrated on 5th August 1938 which kick started the movement in Princely States against the Maharajahs hence it is considered a black day by Hindutva parties .This is why Article 370 was abrogated on August 5.