Disinformation Hindus Misinformation

Freedom goes hyperbole!

Not just freedom to write and report by media professionals, globally threat to live freely and practice one’s Dharma is under attack K.A.Badarinath “Freedom is the goal of the universe. Nor love nor hate nor pleasure nor pain nor death nor life nor religion nor irreligion: not this, not this, not this.” This was one of the most comprehensive definitions to freedom provided by revered Swami Vivekananda, India’s greatest monk, Hindu philosopher in a letter to one Church sister Mary Hale on June 26, 1895. Freedom to write, think, interpret and see life as such is the essence of human life. And, this freedom is all the more significant in the context of press globally that routinely is at the receiving end for having spoken the truth or exposed inhumanity. From Syria, Russia, United States, United Kingdom to European geographies, freedom to responsibly write has been constantly under attack with no reprieve for reporters of media outlets, be it print, broadcasting corporations, radio or digital networks. In the name of region, religion, caste, creed, sex and otherwise, violence in all shades and hues is perpetuated without reprieve. It happens more so in the trumped up liberal societies internationally. Discussing freedom on international press freedom day becomes also pertinent as on this very day United Nations took upon itself 30 years back to protect freedom for media to report fearlessly on happenings across the globe. Well, in these thirty years, globalization and corporatization of media that was hitherto a commitment and conviction to societies and communities has made discharging this responsibility all the more difficult. Cutting edge technologies like artificial intelligence, machine learning and robotics has given a new dimension to media that’s real time, hard to regulate and many a time sans responsibility. Discussing freedom makes sense when it’s exercised with responsibility. Political establishments, security agencies and terror groups have many a time seen free media as biggest hindrance to achieving their ulterior goals. For instance, Neither President Xi Jinping of China nor his Chinese Communist Party been a great votary of press freedom. Given a single party rule, the rigour of communist regimes made periodic attempts to even restrict human thinking, behaviour, families or even procreation. Same is the case with another military style communist regime led by President Kim Jong Un. These two are classic cases of turning respective communist parties into family enterprise or solo. Even in the most celebrated liberal democracies, freedom to live on one’s terms is skewed. Otherwise, there’s no plausible explanation for hatred heaped on minority Hindus either in US, UK, Canada, Australia or elsewhere. Constantly being targeted either in Columbia, California or elsewhere like Leicester in UK does not guarantee any freedom to even live, practice one’s ‘Dharma’. In countries run by religious fascism of extreme variety exemplified by Taliban in Afghanistan, military establishment in Pakistan, grooming gangs of UK and IS run Caliphate in Syria, threats to freedom is too grave to even discuss, decipher or interpret in saner terms. Gone are the days that hailed liberty, democracy and freedom centric slogans in these very countries. Constant threats to life, living spaces and eking out an earning honourably has become the basic issue in most of these ‘liberal minded’ societies that lecture the globe on freedom of every variety beginning with media to religion. A quick look in the mirror would reflect realities of life in these touted liberal democracies that time and again taken upon them to ostracise others on these very issues. Periodic reports dished out by USCIRF including latest speaks about non-availability of religious freedom in India. While credibility of this report or the team that trashes India needs to be called out, does this organization even recognize what’s happening in its own back yard? Gun running and violence related crimes due to factors like skin colour, religious faith or even the physical build of an individual is something the ‘most liberal democratic’ leadership in US refuses to even recognize. As per a last week’s BBC report that quoted not for profit organization, the Gun Violence Archive, there have been 160 mass shootings in United States so far in 2023. This report also puts the figures for mass shootings at 600 in each of the three preceding years. While freedom to live fearlessly is under threat, press and media freedom is a wee-bit complicated in both UK and US where lobbies, technology companies and access to information highway determine as to what messages are delivered to readers or narratives woven in conversations that are completely slanted and uni-focal. Freedom to live and report is definitely under threat. Threat perceptions have undergone a sea change. There’s no way any group, community or Dharmic people that can live unhindered. This may have to be recognized by all stakeholders. A global consensus on achieving freedom on different planes must be achieved. Lip service to freedom is like lip syncing in music. It’s not real. (author is Director & Chief Executive at non-partisan think tank, Centre for Integrated and Holistic Studies based in New Delhi)

Disinformation Hindus Human Rights Media

627

Is it outright ignorance?

Western media’s refusal to acknowledge India’s Progress and transformative changes should be brought to closer scrutiny. K.A.Badarinath / Neha Dahiya Why’s it that several Western media editors are anti-India in their stance? Many media friends from Western world are either outright ignorant, pursue an editorial line given by their top management or oblivious to transformative changes that have turned this country into bulwark against tyranny, intolerance and is bustling with multifaceted activity. The view from London’s West Minister or US Capitol Hill may not fit into what’s on ground zero in India. Pathetic abhorrence about the country’s economic heft, celebration of diverse faiths, rule of law, thriving democracy and not for profit organizations that operate in multitude tantamount to driving a view point. It may not be easy for western trained minds to understand Indians sensitivity when casual and flippant comments are made. These commentators just may not fully comprehend this complex country, Hindutva, Modi or BJP and would have taken a line that’s far from truth. For that matter, rise of patriotic Hindus that love their country being equated with Mussolini’s forces is something that borders on ignorance par excellence. For instance, when The Guardian, The New York Times or BBC says 200-odd million Muslims in India are either being treated as second class citizens or subjected to genocide, do these responsible media outlets fully gauge the implications? I’m tempted to quote a recent research paper produced by Indian Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council member Shamika Ravi titled ‘A secular Democracy in Practice: Objective assessment of Amenities Programs in India’. The study that focuses on bottom 20 per cent households demolishes this preconceived view that minorities have been targeted in India. On the contrary, the study based on a nationally representative sample of 1.2 million households across 2015-21 shows no discrimination whatsoever against minorities. If at all, there’s bias in favour of minorities especially the Muslims who have been large beneficiaries of government schemes and projects to provide electricity connections, open bank accounts, access to toilets, mobile connectivity. In a few cases, the minorities dominated by Muslims have gained more than Hindus. The study cites the case of access to electricity provided to 71 per cent Muslim households while it was 68 per cent for Hindus. Bank accounts coverage in Muslim households was as high as 77 per cent. Even the myth that Hinduism purportedly dominated by ‘Brahminical order’ discriminates against low caste communities and tribes gets busted. While access to bank accounts for backward classes was 75 per cent, for scheduled castes and tribes it was over 70 per cent. Centre for Integrated and Holistic studies (CIHS), as a think tank based in New Delhi has recently put together a detailed report on State of Religious Minorities in India. The report’s in-depth analysis based on evidence and data provided by Indian Government and other agencies establishes that minorities have been big beneficiaries of specific schemes and projects for socio-economic progress of these faith-based groups. As per the report, 49,000 major infrastructure projects were sanctioned by Central Government for minorities including Muslims and their demarcated areas in last nine years till date. From schools, medical colleges, universities, top-notch health care centres, skill development institutes, service centres to sports facilities and handicraft hubs have either already become operative or in the process of execution. As per Ministry of Minority Affairs, students of religious minorities will have to study subjects that place them on par with other students. While the Ministry does not interfere in their traditional systems of education, it promotes subjects that enhance critical thinking, reasoning and incorporates scientific thinking. Religious minorities were allotted 35 graduation colleges, 177 residential schools, 1,572 school buildings, 23,473 classrooms, 14,311 smart classrooms and modern teaching aids, 689 student hostels, 94 ITI buildings, 20 skill centres, 15 polytechnics, 2,397 health projects, 413 sadbhava mandapas (community centres), 168 common service centres, 553 market sheds, 100+ hunar haats, 6,762 toilet and sanitation projects, 84 sports facilities, 27 working women hostels and one unani medical colleges. Central Government’s scheme for Education of Madrasas and Minorities (SPEMM) was reportedly rolled out. Madrasas which avail these schemes benefit from curriculum redesign and redevelopment that includes introduction of subjects like science, mathematics, social studies, Hindi, and English. Other skill development schemes like Seekho aur Kamao (i.e. Learn and Earn), USTTAD (Upgrading The Skills and Training in Traditional Arts / Crafts for Development), Nai Manzil, Haj Management were introduced by the government that were specifically for Muslims in India. A recent editorial in ‘The Guardian’ talked about laying an epitaph to multi-ethnic secular democracy in India. Again, this is a line that’s completely misplaced given that Election Commission of India is the most authoritative, independent and autonomous institution that does not allow elbow room for discrimination against any religious class, faith practice, castes, tribes or a political class. Even women representation in all four tiers of well-established Indian democratic structure has been on the rise. As per data provided by Law & Justice Minister Kiran Rijiju on December 9, 2022, Lok Sabha or lower house of Indian parliament has 14.94 per cent women members while upper house or Rajya Sabha accounts for 14.05 per cent. Similar is the case with state legislative assemblies, district councils to panchayats that represent lowest rung of Indian democracy at village level or clusters. If strong democratic institutions, law and order machinery coupled with judiciary were not enough, public scrutiny at virtually each level makes Indian democratic experience all the more unique though it’s a wee bit chaotic. This again demolishes Western perception that Indian democratic institutions ‘serve a particular ideology’. Western media reportage claims time and again that information gets censored routinely by the government and civil society organizations were hounded out. This is far from truth. As per Registrar of Newspapers for India, over 114,000 newspapers and publications in over 100 languages have formally been registered by the time Covid 19 set in India. This does not include scores of TV channels, websites

Disinformation Hindus Human Rights Misinformation

738

‘Hatred against Hindus does not shock people’

Treated as ‘oppressors’, British Hindus face bullying, hatred, bigotry & slurs. Teaching on Hinduism with prejudice & colonial mind set Charlotte Littlewood Research I conducted last year for the Henry Jackson Society study found a 173 per cent increase in anti-semitic incidents in UK schools over the past five years. With the more general rise in anti-semitism a regular headline, what was almost more shocking than the research was just how little it shocked people. This year, we have looked into the experiences of Hindu pupils and found that 51 per cent of Hindu parents surveyed said their child had faced anti-Hindu hate in schools. Where are the protesters against this intolerance? Why is it that in an age of supposed anti-racism, attacks on both the longest standing victims of race hate and a people held under British colonial rule for hundreds of years draw so little concern? David Baddiel’s thesis rings true: Jews don’t count because they are not the right kind of victim. Contemporary anti-semitism draws on centuries-old bigotry that depicts them as “too rich” and “too powerful”. Now it seems this idea has barred another group of victims from victimhood: Hindus. For sections of the left, the world is divided into the “oppressor” and “oppressed”. Should you fall into the oppressor class you are everything that should be opposed and can never be a victim? Jews are viewed as white and powerful, imperialist and establishment, therefore deemed not able by definition to face racism and incapable of being victims. Hindus, it seems, have joined them. Last summer, more than 600 people took to the streets of Leicester in violent protest against alleged “Hindutva”, a term unfamiliar to many. To some it means Hindu nationalism, to others simply outward expression of “Hinduness”. While Muslim and Hindu youths had fought in what looked like gang-style territorial violence, there was little evidence of any political nationalist allegiances with India. Instead, concern over Hindu extremism lead to threats to find Hindus and “chop them up”, to “chase Hindus out of Leicester like they were chased out of Kashmir”, vandalism of vehicles and homes that displayed Hindu symbols and attacks on Hindu temples — all while the majority of mainstream media seemed to comment on any aspect other than Hindu-hate. Despite the evidence pointing towards youth gang violence dressed up as “Hindtuva” terrorism, reporting on the unrest in Leicester either endorsed the notion of “Hindutva” by giving a voice to key Islamist activists, or ignored the specific issues in Leicester by discussing nationalism on the subcontinent. Mohammed Hijab, for example, who declared at a pro-Palestine rally in 2021 that “we love death” and rallied the crowds in Leicester with anti-Hindu slurs, referring to them as “violent vegetarians” and declaring he was leading a Muslim patrol, was interviewed on Channel 4. The reporter described him as an influencer with conservative views. The results of our study showed parents reporting their children to have experienced anti-Hindu hate, with cases ranging from having beef thrown at them to physical assaults, being held accountable for politics in India and the caste system and being told the bullying will stop when they convert to Islam. But despite such harrowing case studies, less than one per cent of British schools have reported any form of anti-Hindu bullying incidents in the last five years. This particular form of hatred appears poorly understood and is at times fed by teachers with substandard and prejudicial colonialist teachings on Hinduism. Similar accusations have, of course, been made on teaching about Israel and Palestine in schools and a lack of consistent understanding and approach to defining antisemitism. The British Hindu community has joined the Jews in not being fit for victimhood. The perceived economic success of the community, the relative lack of engagement in issuing critiques against the West — indeed, enthusiastic embrace of it with a Hindu prime minister — bars Hindus from the class of the oppressed. India’s growing relationship with Israel has led far-left activists to associate Hindutva with Zionism, the death knell for leftist victim support. It is an uphill battle but we must challenge at every opportunity this narrative of “oppressed” and “oppressor” classes, which underlie antisemitic and anti-Hindu frameworks of thinking — or risk seeing intolerance and extremism continue on their upward trajectory. (Charlotte Littlewood is a researcher at the Henry Jackson Society. This article was first published in London-based The Jewish Chronicle)

Disinformation Hindus Media Misinformation

587

Does ‘The Guardian’ understand Hindu way of life?

Making intolerable, unsustainable charges of caste bias on Hindus in UK, US or elsewhere is untenable. Get your facts right! UK based ‘The Guardian’ editorial board has made a completely flawed off the mark comment on caste related issues in India. In the edition dated April 17, 2023, titled, “‘Caste is anti-Asian hate’: the activists fighting ‘less visible’ discrimination in the US”, written by Claire Wang, shows a fabricated story of Thenmozhi Soundararajan. The comment centres around Soundararajan and a few others like her. Families of these individuals seem to have go through caste based discrimination purportedly for being dalits. For the moment, none may want to even question the facts narrated by these individuals that formed an organization in New York infamously known as Equality Labs. These individuals and the organization brand themselves as staunch believers of Babasaheb Ambedkar and were low caste Hindus. Equality labs branded itself as an organization that undertakes community research, cultural and political organising, popular education and digital security. In practice, it disproportionately spews venum on the very concept of ‘Hindu dharma’, sanatan way of living and instigating most Americans against minority Hindus. Personal grouses of few individuals that had difficult past has been trumped up as a community issue of low caste Hindus in India and elsewhere in the world especially US through Equality Labs. For Instance, Thenmozhi was a University of California Berkeley student who purportedly was tramautised by her teacher. Well, there’s no documentary evidence or veracity of her story is unknown. But, she’s taken upon herself to paint all Hindus with a Demonic brush which has conveniently been propagated by ‘The Guardian’. Unlike Thenmozhi and her gang, Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar never attempted or discussed demonisation of Hindus or Hindutva. In contrast, Ambedkar consistently advocated for equal rights for everyone, regardless of gender, caste, colour, or religion. For ‘Dharmic’ practitioners, discrimination of every kind is anathema as Hindus believe in an all inclusive and just society. Political director of Equality Labs is neither a Dalit or a Hindu. Sharmin Hossain, originally from Bangladesh, tweeted about the need to demolish Hindutva citing rampant dominant caste bias. Self proclaimed Dalit activists in reality do not want California school children to study contributions of Hindu sages from low castes as part of World History. Otherwise, there’s no plausible reason for Thenmozhi and her friends to campaign for removal of Dalits contributions from world history books. She allied with groups such as the South Asian Faculty Group (SAFG), which opposed inclusion of sages like Valmiki, Ravidasa, and Vyasa that have low caste origins in the text books way back in 2016. On November 7, 2017, she was found provoking and harassing Dalit, Bahujan and other Hindu American children as well asa parents gathered for a public hearing in the California Department of Education (CDE) in Sacramento. Eventually, she was removed from the building by police and security staff for an hour. This group also lobbied with several entities or individuals to prejudice their nefarious agenda. For example, Former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey had once stoked a placard that read, ‘Smash Brahminical Patriarchy’. This action fuelled the anti-Hindu debate, and unsurprisingly that poster was designed by Thenmozhi Soundararajan. In reality, neither Dorsey had an inkling of what he was standing for nor Soundararajan. Falsification and manipulation by Thenmozhi didn’t stop here. During the organised Farmer’s Protest or Citizenship Amendment Act of India, Equality Labs, led by Thenmozhi manipulated information and pretended to be a victim. However, Thenmozhi and her self-identified Dalit community were never a discussion point in the protests that were centred around agriculture reforms and price issues. On Seattle City Council resolution relating to trumped up caste discrimination issues, First Hindu and Indian State Senator of Ohio, Niraj Antani, said, “I condemn in the strongest terms the ordinance passed by the Seattle City Council. Caste discrimination simply doesn’t exist now.” “Adding it to their non-discrimination policy is Hinduphobic and is a tool for those who are anti-Hindu to use to discriminate against Hindus in America, India, and around the world. Instead of passing this racist policy, Seattle should be passing policies to protect Hindus from discrimination, ” Niraj Antani added. On April 10, 2023, the California Civil Rights Department voluntarily dismissed a case against Cisco systems engineers Sundsar Iyer and Ramana Kompella who were victims of false allegations of caste based discrimination for the past three years. Iyer and Kompella were blatantly targeted because of their Hindu identities. Equality Labs promotes a narrative against Hindus citing upper-caste and Brahmins which is potentially dangerous, particularly given recent events in America and in India wherein, misinformation has lead to violent attacks on Hindus. For instance, the organisation has linked Hindu festivals like Holi to Hindu fascism and Brahmin dominance. Hindus and Hinduism is not exclusivist and its known for inclusivity. Equality Labs has been accused of supporting the Pakistani deep state-funded “free Kashmir” campaign and labelling Delhi riots, where the majority of victims were Hindus, as an “anti-Muslim pogrom.” Equality lab allied with radically anti-Hindu groups and participates in conferences like Dismantling Global Hindutva which perpetuates Hindu hatred and Anti-India agenda. It constantly looks for an opportunity to denigrate India and promote Hindu hatred using run of the mill speeches and activities from business interactions.

Disinformation Hindus Media Misinformation

620

What ails ‘The Nation’?

Abolitionists’ magazine in US has gone topsy-turvy on Russia, India and Jews, Hindus; hogged headlines for its toxic work culture CIHS Desk Is US based weekly magazine ‘The Nation’ swinging wild, unpredictable and swayed by its beliefs on issues ignoring facts and realities? The drift from practicing classical liberalism to far Left and then to spread of Hinduphobia seems pretty obvious in this ‘new avatar’ of ‘The Nation’. A cursory analysis of its news packaging and opinion pages over years demonstrate radical change in the classical liberalism based discourse that it was once known for. ‘The Nation’ has come under close scrutiny more than once in recent past due to its intransigence and lack of sensitivity towards its readers’ preferences and sensitivities. Toxic work environment and charges of sexual harassment within the editorial organization also became the media fodder. From pursuing anti-Semitism, coverage of Russia to peddling false narratives about India and Hindu culture apart from top deck changes in editorial leadership has brought the magazine to focus for unenviable reasons. This downslide of ‘The Nation’ has not happened in a jiffy. Way back in 2015, the publication had to offer an unqualified apology for having written a stinging piece against Senator Bernie Sanders. The Senator with Jewish origin was targeted for his stance on Israel. The Nation’ and its editorial board seem to have not learnt its lessons from this unsavoury episode. Otherwise, it would not have committed another flip flop down the line. In an article, the magazine had demonized Jews by drawing a comparison of Israeli policies towards Palestinians with the Holocaust which was crass. While ‘The Nation’ management brazened out accusations of promoting anti-sematic ideas, it denied any wrong doing on its part. These were not just a couple of instances where ‘The Nation’ bungled on its editorial waywardness. In 2014, the magazine published an essay by filmmaker Oliver Stone and historian Peter Kuznick that held United States responsible for the rise of ISIS, Islamic State. It kicked up a row and was widely booed as its conspiracy theory was regarded as misguided and unfounded. It’s not just the editorial inconsistency that ‘The Nation’ came to be known for. The media company came to limelight after its personnel complained of toxic atmosphere and sexual predation. In 2017, a former intern at The Nation accused contributing editor Stephen F. Cohen of sexually harassing her during a trip to Russia. The magazine investigated and forced to sever its ties with Cohen. The incident raised broader questions about sexual harassment in American media and journalistic fraternity as well. Close on the heels were several women charging then literary editor, Leon Wieseltier of sexual harassment. The accusations, which were detailed in a report by the magazine’s ombudsman included claims that Wieseltier had made inappropriate comments and touched women without their consent. Wieseltier was again forced out from The Nation. Even as ‘The Nation’ struggled to smart after these insidious incidents, in 2019 yet another explicitly work place issue hit the publication. Its poetry editor Stephanie Burt resigned from her position after being accused of sexual harassment by a former student. The student alleged that Burt had engaged in years of inappropriate behaviour including sending sexually explicit messages, touching her without her consent. Burt denied the allegations but resigned from The Nation shortly after these came into public domain. About a year later, several former interns at The Nation wrote an open letter alleging that they had experienced sexual harassment and misconduct while working at the magazine. The letter published in ‘The Cut’, detailed several instances of harassment by senior staff members including unwanted touching and comments about their appearance. The Nation’s then editor, Katrina vanden Heuvel, apologized to the former interns and announced that the magazine would be conducting an investigation into these allegations. Not much was known on the outcome of this probe. While sex scandals made ‘The Nation’ a talking point, its stand on Russia and India apart from changes in editorial leadership turned the magazine into a rag pick. In 2018, through an article by Aaron Maté, ‘The Nation’ challenged reports relating to Russian interference in the presidential elections of US. The article argued that evidence on Russian involvement was weak and it was distracting the people from issues like role of money in politics. The article led the publication into a controversy with some of its readers accusing it of promoting Russian propaganda.[i] In 2019, the magazine published yet another article written by James Carden who argued that US should improve its relationship with Russia. It contended that US was too quick to demonize Russia, this could help ease tensions and promote stability. But, some readers argued to the contrary and pointed out that Russia was a security threat and that US should take a more confrontational stance. On India, ‘The Nation’ reportage has been completely off the mark, one sided and promoted Hinduphobia. For instance, in a write up headlined ‘India’s Press Crackdown: The Silencing of Journalists in Kashmir’, little known author Suchitra Vijayan failed to flag key issues confronting people in Kashmir valley. The write up was silent on dubious role played by Pakistan’s security establishment, its dirty tricks department, ISI and funding radical islamists leading to spread of radicalism in a few areas of Kashmir valley. Instead, ‘The Nation’ targeted Indian government’s handling of terror modules in the valley.[ii] ‘The Nation’ seems to have forgotten the widely agreed position that terror has no colour, creed, gender, region and religion. Again, in 2020, the magazine gave its forum to one, Ahmed bin Qasim who wrote a piece, ‘Delhi Is on Fire and My Kashmiri Parents Are in Prison’. Qasim argued that Indian government’s crackdown in the valley was part of a broader campaign to suppress dissent and promote Hindu nationalism in India. The article argued that Hindu nationalism led to authoritarianism in India thereby hate crimes against minorities. The article portrayed a false fearful image of Indian minorities.[iii] These were not isolated instances of ‘Hinduphobic’ stand

Disinformation Hindus Human Rights Media Misinformation Opinion

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Ram Navami processions Reality, Myth & Propaganda

Citizens & Lawyers Initiative, a relatively unknown organization or forum of any consequence in a bundled voluminous report on ‘Ram Navami’ and ‘Hanuman Jayanti processions has the audacity to describe these festival marches that are in vogue for millennia as ‘Routes of Wrath’. Justice Rohinton Nariman, a former judge of Supreme Court of India has lent his name with the foreword to this ‘hit job’ of an ‘agenda driven’ report that’s full of falsehoods, half-truths and propaganda to drive ‘Hinduphobia’ globally and further divide an intrinsically sensitive socio-economic groups that constitute Indian society. Divisiveness is the narrative in this report. Agenda is to ‘criminalize’ the over one billion Hindus in India and elsewhere. Break the social fabric that’s delicately balanced and stir up communal divide apart from weakening India in perceptions and narrative battle waged by a few self-centered individuals, organizations and groups that are well funded, groomed and motive under question.

Fact Sheet Geopolitics Hindus Human Rights Leadership Misinformation

660

Majority Sikhs with India, against Khalistan

Western powers allowing handful Khalistanis to over their streets, resort to vandalism may be a way to pressurise India on Russia Neha Dahiya / New Delhi Barring a miniscule, vociferous and terror prone variety, majority Sikhs in India and elsewhere may not subscribe to the very concept of Khalistan. Silent majority may not have come out openly to say so. But, groundswell opinion of Sikhs may not be found in columns of print media, digital networks or TV shows that are beamed across. Whether Sikhs want a separate homeland called Khalistan becomes increasingly significant in wake of recent developments in Punjab and noisy, violent as well as aggressive protests being staged across world capitals. Also, for a research-based organization like Centre for Integrated and Holistic Studies (CIHS), gauging the mood of Sikh society was important before making out a case on the issue. Ground inputs, media reports, publicly available intelligence suggests that there’s no popular support for Khalistan whatsoever either within or outside India. Violence and demonstrations orchestrated by Khalistani proponents is only to drum up support for their elusive concept of a separate homeland. There’s enough documentation in public domain to drive home the point that Khalistan and Kashmir (K2) were a project of Pakistan’s dirty tricks department, ISI to foment trouble in Indian Border States by propping up sub-nationalism, religious activities. Otherwise, Amritpal Singh, a small time businessman from Dubai is just a handle with drug lords that are pushing narcotics illegally from across the border. He’s a fugitive with no popular support and seen by some as a ‘robin hood’ variety. And, Amritpal is not a ‘preacher’ as made out by the Western media that lacks basic understanding of the issue. Otherwise, there’s no reason why Sikh leaders in India and abroad would dare come out against this fugitive on the run from law enforcement agencies in India. They are of the view that Amritpal and his outfit Waris Punjab De may have captured imagination of a few misled youth. But, publicly influential Sikh leaders hold the view that he has ruined dignity of the Sikh community and teachings of Gurus. On March 19, 2023, Khalistani protestors pulled down the Indian tricolour and made an attempt to storm the Indian High Commission in London. Prior to this, Khalistanis have had derided India and called martyr Bhagat Singh as a traitor or a terrorist, defaced statues of Mahatma Gandhi in western cities and did not spare Hindu religious places scribbling provocative, anti-India, anti-Hindu and Pro-Khalistan slogans on the walls of the temples. Silent majority in Sikh society have begun to speak out slow but cautiously. For instance, President of Takht Sri Patna Sahib managing committee Jagjot Singh Sohi condemned the incident of pulling down our national flag. It has sent the wrong message across the world. “We would request the London government to take strict action against those people responsible for this shameless act. There are few people living outside the country and engaged in such work. The people of the Sikh community are doing great work in the world, but time and again, such people malign the name of our community”, added Jagjot Singh Sohi. “No one else except Gurpatwant Singh Pannu — founder of banned Khalistani terrorist organisation — is behind this episode. He is a controversial person and keeps on doing such things. He has no followers in India, and he has only a handful of people supporting him”, Sohi said. There’s considerable underlying anger within the Sikh society on tactics, activities and posturing by the Khalistani elements. Insult to Indian flag has disappointed several prominent leaders that do not subscribe to Khalistan or dissociate from India for a separate homeland. Balgendra Singh Shami, a sikh community leader from Washington DC partly blamed the western media for the ‘hype’ around Khalistani activists violence unleashed in San Francisco and the American capital Shami said, “There are more than a million sikhs who live in North America and out of that only 50 show up outside Indian Embassy (San Francisco) to protest.” Sounding a word of caution and reconciliation Balgendra Singh Shami, “Whatever happened in Punjab is very unfortunate. I also condemn the violent incident that happened in the United Kingdom and the Indian consulate in the United States. As we are a democratic country, we have full right to protest, but it should be peaceful”. Another Sikh leaded Jasdeep Singh was quoted as saying “We condemn any violence that has happened outside the Indian Embassy in San Francisco or the desecration of the Indian flag in London. Everybody has a right to protest, but it should be peaceful & no violence or vandalism should happen”. Moderation has been hallmark of most sikh leaders in western cities. Interestingly, not many have even referred to Khalistan or even offered lip sympathy. Former president of Haryana Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak committee, Baljit Singh Daduwal, said, “We should not take any such step which will affect the sikh community across the world. Punjab needs peace, brotherhood and development”. Most sikh and Hindu leaders have pushed the development plank as a meeting point for larger peaceful co-living within and outside India. United Kingdom Member of Parliament, Bob Blackman summed up the violence in Western cities by a handful of Sikhs. Blackman said, “this (Khalistanis) is a very small, ultra-small section of the sikh community. Vast majority of sikhs in this country (UK) absolutely reject the Khalistani project. It’s not going to happen, as we know… My message is very simple to the police, when this (violence) happens; those people need to be arrested and dealt with properly.” President of Shiromani Akali Dal Sukhbir Singh Badal was more emphatic notwithstanding his party’s rejection in the last couple of state elections. Badal pointed out, “The people of Punjab do not know Amritpal. Media has built him up and media has created the fear that Khalistani sentiment is reviving and growing in Punjab. We Sikhs do not want Khalistan. We want a strong and

Geopolitics Leadership Policy

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Tactical Power Shift

India & Japan for open Indo-Pacific, game changing bilateral ties define Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s visit to New Delhi Prachi Mishra Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s two-day visit to India is part of on-going bilateral engagement between the countries agreed in 2006. Since then, Indian and Japanese leaders have consistently worked on strengthening ties and auguring a stronger and open Indo-Pacific. Prime Minister Kishida’s visit signals growing influence of QUAD. It is also significant as India and Japan presently hold the G20 and the G7 presidencies respectively. Kishida’s visit comes in the wake of San Shinzo Abe’s tragic death. Prime Minister Abe is regarded as a great friend of India seeking to reconnect two classical civilizations. Kishida’s statements have pointed to a turning point with continuity in bilateral strategic relations. Highlight of his visit was to unveil a plan on Open and Free Indo-Pacific for which he committed US $ 75 billion. Japan and India have a long and shared history of bilateral relations, strategic cooperation, and a resolve to build a peaceful Indo-Pacific. Historical connect India and Japan share centuries-old relationship. Their ties can be traced back to the sixth century when Buddhism was introduced in Japan and adopted as a way of life in Japanese society. In 752 AD, Bharatiya Buddhist monk Bodhisena consecrated the Todaiji Temple at Nara. The towering Buddha statue at Tara has weathered many storms and stood the test of times. All through the last few centuries, India and Japan have never been adversarial towards each other and their relations have been free of disputes. In the recent past, Swami Vivekananda, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Rabindranath Tagore, and JRD Tata have been Indian cultural ambassadors to Japan[1]. In contemporary times, India and Japan signed a peace treaty after the Second World War which not only established India’s diplomatic relations in Japan but also uplifted morale of Japanese people who were recovering from the aftermath of the war. India also extended its iron resources to the war-torn Japan and helped immensely in its reconstruction. The first yen-loan was extended by Japan to India after Premier Nobusuke Kishi’s official visit to India in 1957. The two nations also find a lot of commonality in upholding democratic principles and rule of law. There have been umpteen trade and commerce deals between India and Japan. Set up in 1903, the Japan-Indian Association is the oldest global informal organisation in Japan. Economic and commercial cooperation Trade and commerce ties between India and Japan have steadily strengthened over last few decades. Both nations have a mutually beneficial relationship; Japan has tapped into India’s emerging and expanding market while India has relied on Japan for technology transfers and financial assistance. India-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement signed in 2011 is the most holistic agreement that not only facilitates movement of goods and services but also human resource, shared development of intellectual property, and custom processes. Japan has been the largest financial donor for India. Over the years, Japan has supported India in infrastructure and technological development in sectors like railways and roadways, power, and environment. The most recent and the most relevant projects are Ahmedabad – Mumbai High Speed Rail, Western Dedicated Freight Corridor, Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor, and the Chennai-Bengaluru Industrial Corridor. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation was also facilitated by Japanese assistance. Table 1 lists items of trade between India and Japan. Table 1. Import-export goods in Indo-Japan trade ties. Imports from Japan to India Exports from India to Japan Machinery and instruments Petroleum products Transport equipment Chemicals and compounds Iron and steel goods Fish and by-products of fisheries Electronic equipment and goods Metal ores and scrap Organic chemicals Clothing, textiles, accessories Tools Iron and steel products During financial year ending March 31, 2022, India was the 18th largest trading partner for Japan. Concomitantly, Japan was the 13th largest trading partner for India. Also, Japan’s foreign direct investment has soared in the last few years, with India becoming the 5th largest investing country for 2021-22. India has seen a sharp rise in the number of Japanese firms totalling to 1455 that operate in India. Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 show the value of trade carried out between the two countries since 2008. Fig. 1.Trade values of Indo-Japan trade. Source: Ministry of Trade and Commerce, Government of India. Ministry of Economy, Trade, Industry, Government of Japan. CIHS Analytics Fig. 2. Foreign direct investment from Japan to India in the last few years. Source: Ministry of Trade and Commerce, Government of India. Ministry of Economy, Trade, Industry, Government of Japan. CIHS Analytics. India has been the biggest recipient of the Japanese Official Development Assistance (ODA) loans in the last few years. India receives these loans from Japan under the latter’s “Act East” policy and “Partnership for Quality Infrastructure”. Table 2 summarises Japan’s ODA towards India. Table 2. Japan’s ODA towards India[2] Loans 312.25 billion Yen 2021-22 Grants 5.12 billion Yen 2020-21 Technical Cooperation 8.5 billion Yen 2021-22 The two countries have strengthened their relationship by focusing on developing strong supply chains through the India-Japan Industrial Competitiveness Partnership. Both India and Japan have also been striving for environmental protection and reduction of greenhouse gases. Their Clean Energy Partnership which was formulated in March 2022 focuses on achieving carbon neutrality and working towards energy security. Along with the Japan-India Energy Ministerial Dialogue, it also aims for a strategic cooperation plan in the fields of hydrogen, ammonia, and LNG. Science and technology cooperation Both India and Japan have benefitted from their science and technology cooperation over last several decades. While Japanese firms have revolutionised the Indian technology market, Indian software engineers, scientists, mathematicians, and technologists have contributed immensely to scientific research and development in Japan. India and Japan signed bilateral Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement in 1985 to foster an era of scientific advancement in the Indo-Pacific. Subsequently, the India-Japan Science Council (IJSC) was set up in 1993 facilitated several advancements. Till date, it has[3] Over 550 students have attended exchange programs through a

Media

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Explainer: Recognition of same-sex marriages

On March 13, 2023, Indian apex court transferred a plea for recognition of same-sex marriages to the constitutional bench. Justice DY Chandrachud, PS Narasimha and JB Pardiwala listed the hearing from April 18, 2023. In an affidavit, Indian government has opposed the plea seeking legal recognition of same-sex marriages. Indian government said that marriage is accepted ‘statutorily, religiously and socially’ only between a biological man and a woman. The affidavit argued that any deviation from this accepted form could only be voted by lawmakers and not ruled by courts.

Geopolitics Leadership Policy

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Stability or chaos, What next in Nepal?

Rohan Giri Amid political uncertainty and bleak future, Himalayan former Hindu Kingdom, Nepal elected its new President in 78-year-old Ram Chandra Paudel. Paudel is a senior Nepali Congress leader and defeated Nepal Communist Party (United Marxist Leninist) backed Subas Chandra Nembang. In the 52,628 weightage-based votes, Paudel secured 33,802 and was anointed Nepal’s President while Nembang polled 15,518 votes. After Nepal Pratinidhi Sabha or House of Representative was in session for 64-days with 275 members, Nepal Communist Party (United Marxist Leninist) broke away from the ruling coalition alliance and the government. The break up in ruling coalition was triggered by reported disagreement on the presidential candidate. As per Nepal Parliament’s current status, a party or an alliance will have to muster the support of at least138 members to gain majority and continue in governance. Nepal Communist Party (United Marxist Leninist), the second-largest party in the coalition government with 79 members has recently deserted the ruling alliance. The alliance, however, does not appear to have suffered significant losses since the Nepali Congress Party has 89 members, Nepal Communist Party (Maoist Center) – 32 members, and Rashtriya Swatantra Party has 20 members. These three parties command a comfortable majority with no threat to the government as of now. Desertion of CPN (UML) is widely being attributed to Prime Minister, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, “Prachanda” violation of December 25, 2022 agreement put together to assume power by the coalition. As a consequence, eight CPN (UML) ministers including Deputy Prime Minister in the Prachanda-led incumbent government resigned en masse thereby creating a flutter. Previously, in 2017, the alliance between China’s front-man Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli and Maoist guerrilla Pushpa Kumar Dahal fell apart. The churn in political coalitions demonstrates the potential for future uncertainties in Nepal. In an earlier report, it was predicted that the coalition would be difficult to survive as the co-existence of Maoists and Marxists influenced by China has seen about ten swearings-in and then thrown out of power in the last few years. To deal with such a situation, “under Clause 2 of Article 100 of the Constitution of Nepal, a prime minister would be required to seek a vote of confidence again if a coalition partner or political ally broke away or withdrew support from the government. In such a situation, Prime Minister will have to secure a fresh vote of confidence in 30 days. If the prime minister failed secure confidence vote by March 26 in the present context, Prachanda will lose office. Given the present numbers and assuming there would be no further cross overs or desertions, Prime Minister Prachanda is expected to sail through in the Parliament. Nepal, which established democracy in 2008 by ending the monarchical system of about 240 years, was successful in establishing democracy. However, with the change in the design, have they left behind their values as well? Nepal, a Hindu nation, has fallen into China’s trap. As a result, China’s debt has grown in the name of the country’s development, the leaders have become China’s puppets, and the path to instability is being taken in the name of disagreement. This mountain kingdom was different from that. The way to increase Nepal’s development and reduce instability will come from the nation’s own values, which are the Hindu values of a Hindu nation. Looking back ten to fifteen years, the contradiction between Hindu majority India and Nepal, which were very close, has grown. The Nepali leadership’s increasing closeness to the dragon is the only reason for this. So the actual cause for breaking the alliance is different from what we see on the information mediums; in reality, Beijing’s representative, KP Sharma Oli, wanted to take all the important political, economic, and strategic calls internally and externally but failed to do so. The following trust vote will decide who will lead Nepal and the next strategy. If the situation as it is now seen remains the same, then the current coalition can stay in power even further. (Rohan is a journalism graduate from Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) New Delhi, and Manager Operations at CIHS.)

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