New Delhi: Padyatras, or foot marches, have been a way of connecting with the masses and influencing Indian politics since Mahatma Gandhi’s time.
In an editorial for the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) mouthpiece Organiser, Prafulla Ketkar compared the padyatras of two leaders — K. Annamalai, the Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief, and former Congress president Rahul Gandhi.
In the editorial published on 4 March, Ketkar argued that Annamalai “provides an alternative to the establishment”, while Rahul Gandhi “looks to claim for entitlement”.
The second phase of Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra started on 14 January from Manipur and is expected to end on 20 March in Mumbai, while Annamalai embarked on My Land, My People Padyatra on 28 July last year, which culminated on 27 February.
Ketkar wrote that Rahul Gandhi did not address the issue of dynastic corruption while planning his padyatra.
“Addressing the baggage issue of dynastic corruption was never considered while conceiving the yatra. In his corner meetings, he seems to preach or accuse somebody. The organisational machinery is not there to support the exercise, hence the takeover of yatra by a coterie of advisers with their agenda,” wrote Ketkar.
Describing Annamalai’s yatra, Ketkar said the IPS officer-turned-politician is challenging the DMK establishment, with a clean slate and with the track record of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s welfare schemes.
“His approach is not of entitlement or arrogance but of human touch and listening. His entire party machinery worked with the same objective and spirit; as a result, the culmination is seen as the political storm in Tamil Nadu politics,” added Ketkar.
According to him, the impact of these yatras will be directly proportionate to the intent and content. The conviction and commitment required for the people and cultural edifice of the nation are critical while embarking on the yatra, he wrote.
“While employing modern communication techniques, Annamalai relied on this ancient wisdom, but Rahul Gandhi seems to have missed it.”
Also Read: ‘Education shops extorting Indian students’ — Hindu Right press warns against study abroad trend
‘Rebirth’ of Savarkar & many ‘deaths’ of Gandhi
On the 58th death anniversary of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, Makarand R. Paranjape, a professor of English at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), wrote in the Open magazine how Savarkar, who was once lost in the pages of history, seems to have come alive once again.
In the column titled “Gandhi vs Savarkar”, published on 1 March, Paranjape opined that it is an irony of history that Savarkar has exacted sweet revenge on his detractors and critics.
“After a long hibernation, he (Savarkar) has been resurrected in augmented glory. Today’s India counts him as one of our great heroes. What is more, Hindutva, the ideology that he promulgated and propagated, is now all but India’s, some would go so far as to say, official, state religion. How times change! Savarkar is no longer the prophet crying in the wilderness; he is the nation’s (un)anointed ideologue,” he wrote.
Adding, “Did the cult of the revolver triumph over that of the spinning wheel? Perhaps.”
According to Paranjape, Savarkar, dead and cremated, has been resurrected with unprecedented magnitude, if not magnificence. “Gandhi was assassinated only once, has been slain over and over again by those who hate him,” he wrote, drawing a parallel between Gandhi and Savarkar’s varying approaches to gaining Independence.
Yet, Paranjape added that though Savarkar seems to have come alive once again, Gandhi’s place has become even more important in modern politics. He cited the example of Prashant Kishor, who is using Gandhi as a symbol to rally an anti-BJP front in Bihar.
“Today, Prashant Kishor, trying to vitalise an anti-BJP front in Bihar, has the Mahatma as mascot. Because he knows that the people of India have neither forgotten nor turned their backs on Gandhi. Kishor has the uncanny idea that only Gandhi, the cancelled Mahatma and no longer the father of the nation, can be harnessed to counter ‘Mahatma’ Modi.”
Both Gandhi and Savarkar had learnt how to die for India, that is Bharat, Paranjape wrote, adding that each demonstrated it in his unique way by dying bravely and dying alone.
“But we, their heirs, howsoever we might differ from one another, must learn the art of living, not dying, let alone killing one another, for our country.”
Also Read: ‘Grave blunder’ to view Israel-Palestine strife as mere territorial conflict — Hindu Right press
Collecting tax from temples
The Karnataka government’s decision to amend the law that regulates the taxation of Hindu temples has sparked a debate on the role of temples in the economy.
As reported by ThePrint earlier, in Karnataka, a bill which sought to enable the collection of 10 percent of the revenue of state-run temples earning more than Rs 1 crore, and 5 percent from temples with revenues between Rs 10 lakh and Rs 1 crore, was defeated in the legislative council after being passed in the Vidhana Soudha.
Weighing in on the move, Hitesh Shankar, the editor of Panchjanya, a magazine affiliated with the RSS, wrote that temples are not mere sources of revenue, but have a deeper significance for the society.
“It seems that some people have considered the temple as a milch cow. Perhaps it is them who have coined the term ‘temple economy’. After the consecration of Ram Lalla, ‘Al Jazeera’ to ‘The Guardian’, has been writing articles on ‘temple economy’. Actually, ‘temple economy’ is not in our thought process. It’s deeper than that. Temples are for peace of mind, and peace of wealth (i.e. its management). Because in our culture Lakshmi has been called ‘chanchala’ (capricious),” said the editorial dated 4 March.
According to Shankar, temples alleviate hunger and pain and bring sobriety to life.
“How can anyone even think of collecting ‘tax’ from such temples? Leaving aside anti-Hindu sentiments and vote-gathering tactics, there is a need to understand the nuanced socio-economic structure of temples and its contribution,” he added.
Shankar also emphasised the significant economic contributions of temples throughout Indian history.
Mentioning historian Burton Stein’s study, which highlights the role of temples in economic development, he wrote, “Along with pilgrimage, development of economic structures and strengthening of many areas has also happened due to temples.”
Moreover, he discussed the multifaceted role of temples beyond religious functions, such as their contributions to education and disaster relief efforts.
“What were the Brihadisvara Temple and Gangaikonda Cholapuram Temple in Thanjavur? These were not just religious centres but also played an important role in the economy.”
Need for UNSC reforms
The latest issue of Rashtriya Chhatrashakti, a magazine for students run by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) featured an article by Indian scholar K.N. Pandita, who quoted Stewart Patrick, the director of the Global Order and Institutions Programme at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, on the failure of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to adapt to the changing world.
In the article published in the February edition of the magazine, Pandita stated that the UNSC, which was established in 1945, has remained unchanged despite significant global shifts — notably the emergence of developing nations like India and Brazil.
“P5 (Permanent 5) countries have retained veto power, allowing each to unilaterally block Security Council resolutions that are not aligned with their national interests. What is the result of this situation? It is ‘council paralysis, exacerbated by deepening geopolitical rivalry between Western democracies and authoritarian China and Russia’,” he wrote.
He also discussed the challenges of reforming the UNSC, given the criticism and the reasons for change.
There are many obstacles, such as the difficulty of amending the UN Charter, the different positions of various countries, and the disagreement over the extension of the veto power to new permanent members of the UNSC, he added.
“What holds back the UNSC from initiating a reform process given so much criticism and plausible reasons for reforms? Yes, there are reasons which pop up once we make a dispassionate analysis. As we know, there is a tall order of amending the UN Charter, with different countries taking varying positions on the issue.”
Another hindrance, he highlighted is the veto power granted to five permanent members.
“There is strong disagreement among member states regarding ‘whether’ and ‘how’ the current veto provisions should be extended to new permanent members of UNSC?”
(Edited by Richa Mishra)