New Delhi: The slew of paper leaks and exam cancellations involving the National Testing Agency (NTA) marks the “beginning of a new (form of) organised crime” which is “flourishing” in the country, said an article published in Organiser on 2 July.
The article by Devendra Singh in the English mouthpiece of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) went on to add that in the “fuss over paper leaks, the fundamental fact didn’t catch the attention of the media that these exams suffer from some serious and fundamental structural flaws”.
“On the other hand, a ‘crisis of credibility’ of the examination institutions has jolted the minds of crores of youth in the country, which is an issue of utmost concern,” it read.
It added that the question is “not only” about the NTA, but also institutions such as the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) and the various state Public Service Commissions.
For the NTA, it recommended a ‘restructuring’, redistribution of executive powers and a ‘decentralised’ approach, besides the need to redefine the functions and responsibilities of NTA board members.
“Core functions like printing of questions paper, transportation etc. should not be outsourced to private firms. Experts, who have been controller of examination in UPSC or State PSC or institutions of unblemished repute, must be given key responsibilities in its functioning,” it added.
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‘Jai Palestine’ remark by Owaisi
An editorial in the RSS’ Hindi mouthpiece Panchjanya published on 30 June by Editor Hitesh Shankar targeted AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi over the latter’s remarks during his swearing-in as an MP in the 18th Lok Sabha.
Owaisi had concluded his oath with the slogan: “Jai Bheem, Jai Meem (AIMIM), Jai Telangana, Jai Palestine.”
Criticising the remarks, Shankar referred to a 2016 statement by the MP from Hyderabad that he would never chant “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” even if someone were to put a knife to his throat. “Owaisi leads the same party that incited Razakars to massacre Hindus and campaigned to spread communal violence. Till date, he has never expressed remorse over his party’s tainted history and the barbaric killings of Hindus,” read the opinion piece.
Adding, “The question is, why and how is the heart of the party and its leaders melting for the people of Palestine when it does not melt for the people of India?”
Shankar went on to express his views on the idea of a pan-national Muslim identity.
“If there are Muslims in any other country outside this one, we are one, this idea of Ummah or brotherhood is not humanity but based on race and religion. The idea of any MP expressing loyalty towards a foreign entity, without the Government of India and the Ministry of External Affairs taking such a stand, is extremely dangerous because it is an indirect challenge to the sovereignty of India.”
Destruction & revival of Nalanda
In an article for Organiser published on 1 July, Editor Prafulla Ketkar wrote about how the inauguration of the new campus of Nalanda University by Prime Minister Narendra Modi goes beyond the structural overhaul and is a celebration of the spirit of Nalanda.
“Restoration of the campus and revival also represent the resilient idea of Bharat. Wherever Arab, Turk or Mongol invaders attacked and ransacked to establish religious supremacy, societies, cultures and civilisations were destroyed whole. Bharat also lost a large chunk of preserved knowledge and territories as a result of Partition and population as a result of conversion; the oldest civilisation managed to survive and resurrect the old spirit.”
Quoting Dr B.R. Ambedkar, Ketkar wrote about how “Muslim invaders” sacked Buddhist universities in pre-Independence India — Nalanda, Vikramashila, Jagaddala and Odantapuri, to name a few.
“They razed to the ground Buddhist monasteries across the country. The monks fled in the thousands to Nepal, Tibet and other places outside India. A very large number were killed outright by the Muslim commanders. How Buddhist priesthood perished at the sword of Muslim invaders has been recorded by Muslim historians themselves,” he added.
Touching on how the inauguration of the new campus led to renewed interest about Nalanda, Durga Nand Jha, Executive Chairman of the Delhi-based think tank Centre for Policy Analysis, wrote in an article for the Organiser published on 2 July about how Nalanda was destroyed in the 12th Century by troops led by Bakhtiyar Khilji.
“With the help of 200 cavalry, Bakhtiyar Khilji had invaded the large fortified compound (of Nalanda University),” Jha wrote, quoting Tabaqat-i-Nasiri — a history of the Islamic world written in Persian in the 13th Century by Minhaj-i-Siraj Juzjani.
“While the battle was going on at the main gate, Bakhtiyar managed to reach the back gate of the fortified compound and captured the fort. After capturing the fort, he got possession of immense wealth. All residents of that place were the Brahmins, They used to keep bald heads, They all were slaughtered,” wrote Jha.
Setback for Xi’s Tibet policy
In an article for Panchjanya, Tibetologist Vijay Kranti wrote on the Resolve Tibet Act passed in the US Congress. The legislation allows the US State Department to “counter disinformation about Tibet from the Chinese government” and reject “false claims that Tibet has been part of China since ancient times”.
Kranti wrote that, though Beijing has criticised the law, the truth is that the development is a major setback for Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Tibet policy.
“The new bill passed in both houses of US Congress this month says the Chinese government should resolve Tibet issue through cordial talks with exiled Dalai Lama and his representatives. President Xi Jinping is furious with this bill because although it has been named ‘Resolve Tibet Act’, the conditions written in it, like the previous two similar bills, are challenging every claim of the Chinese government that considers Tibet as its colony.”
According to Kranti, the law presents a “golden opportunity” since it articulates clearly what India “has been striving to say to China but never had the courage to say in clear words”.
He added that time has now come for New Delhi to join hands with other countries that do not agree with China’s position on Tibet. India, wrote Kranti, can also play a key role in expanding such an alliance to a dozen countries in South and Southeast Asia, which bear the brunt of Chinese aggression owing to Beijing’s control over the rivers of Tibet.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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