STOP DEMEANING INDIA'S ARMED FORCES-ADHM DRAMA

The Army, for that matter, any of our armed forces and para military forces do not need advocates like Raj Thackeray of the non-descript party MNS. Who is he? What is his locus standi? A party which could get just a single MLA to the Maharashtra assembly blackmails an industry and gets the chief minister of the state to cow down, is beyond shameful.

Fadnavis should resign if he cannot ensure even a simple thing like running of a movie in a theatre. MNS, a party which is a copy cat version of its sibling party Shiv Sena in goondaism has nothing but nuisance value. A hand full of goons, the so called supporters or party workers of MNS and Shiv Sena have time and again brought down the film industry to its knees and forced ruling governments to strike illegal deals. Is the entire police force of Maharashtra incapable of handling a few hundred goons of such parties?

The Indian Armed Forces are held in very high regard by the ordinary citizens of this country. The force does not need any political party to make it what it is. Clearly MNS which has not garnered any space in media for some time jumped to get some attention. And what better way than stopping a film from being screened. It has become a trend by political parties to question the patriotism of anybody they want to exploit and manipulate for their own vested interests. What is Rs.5 crores? Nothing!!!! The Army doesn't need such funds brought about by extortion, arm twisting and muscle flexing. They have enough and more. Above all donations should be voluntary and anonymous; done quietly, not with fan fare to get media attention.

And even if one were to believe it was the film makers who themselves made the offer, it is shameful. KJO and others did it only to ensure their crores spent on the movie is not blocked. One is not saying they cannot be patriotic but timing is everything. If they were so moved by the URI ATTACKS and other attacks in which our soldiers keep dying everyday, they should have done it then, and not when their film was being blocked.

The question of hiring Pakistani artistes or any artistes should come voluntarily by film producers if they are in sync with mood of the country. If they don't the people will decide whether to see or boycott such movies. But making a song and dance literally of it is really a waste of everybody's time and energy.

Also there is always the legal recourse available to film producers. Why didn't KJO got to court to fight for his film's release like many others have done in the past, instead of bowing down to the diktat of an unconstitutional authority. Clearly shows a weak person for whom his money blocked was more important than principles. Sometimes in life you have to stand up to bullies. And if famous, moneyed people like Karan Johar and Mukesh Bhatt cannot do so, who can. He would have won the country's support and the Army would have admired him; more for it than his measly five crores.

INDIA'S APARTHEID

We have a constitution which guarantees equality to all citizens, irrespective of their caste, creed, religion, gender, class. But the truth is farthest from this wonderful preamble.
Seventy years after independence nothing has changed.

In Kalahandi, already infamous for deaths due to starvation in the past, showed us what we do to our poor and those without means of any kind. A man walks 12 kms with his dead wife's body on his shoulder with his daughter weeping beside him. There are people on the road who merely gawk like they do always in every tragedy, be it accident, rape, murder, lynching There is no sense of empathy or responsibility towards another person in distress. No one comes forward to help. But then you could say they were all poor too. Even though I would say you are never too poor to help. But what about those who are in the establishment. The hospital, the doctors, the civil administration. They could not arrange anything. Are they not accountable for anything.

This is India's cruel, indifferent humanity.

The kind of apartheid we follow is mind boggling. Like not allowing women and dalits in temples, killing female child at birth, poor representation of minorities in jobs, continuing to use human scavengers, upper castes killing those from lower castes wanting to marry, not allowing dalits to take water from wells even in drought situations, parading them naked, making them drink urine and eat human excreta. It goes on and on. It doesn't ruffle any politicians conscience.

So many recent incidents remind us daily we are socially and morally bankrupt and we are selective in our brutality. The flogging of Dalits in Una, the lynching in Dadri, the hacking of a poor dalit couple for not being able to pay rupees 15 for biscuits they bought. Extreme violence over minor things. This emboldened powerful lot which either has money power or muscle power or political power or are merely in a larger number so they can beat, kill, molest, burn people openly and walk away. Who do they fear? None. They know nothing will happen to them. And governments rush to cover up.

The biggest reason is the vote bank politics practiced by our political parties. They go to election each time fanning communal and caste issues. Parties distribute tickets on basis of caste, religion, family ties and proximity to party leaders. The clout and winnability depends on how big you are in terms of money and muscle. Credibility and integrity be damned. We are a nation which sends the maximum of criminals into our assemblies and parliament.

The perpetrators of all forms of apartheid know their victims are poor, helpless people who do not even dare to complaint leave aside file a police complaint. And the lengthy, unhelpful judicial system will never give them any justice.