With wholesale price inflation entering double digits and likely to rise further, one can’t help wondering if the BJP-led Central government has any concrete plan to contain prices and ensure that the common man does not face further hardship. The price of essential commodities has been steadily rising, leaving common citizens with hardly anything left to save for a dry day or for investments for the future. Amid this is all that tall talk by our leaders about a Dollar 5 trillion economy!
There is already enough unrest on the streets across the country because of the SIR exercise which shows no sign of abating. A pro-people government should have been receptive to the plaints of the distressed and the poor but is anyone listening?
Ashraf Mohammed
Bengaluru, Karnataka
‘Bangladesh/France-Type Unrest Planned’
Mr Kiren Rijiju, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister has alleged recently that a ‘dangerous conspiracy’, similar to the unrest in Bangladesh and France was planned for India. He claimed that ‘anti-India gangs and some politicians,’ colluded to mislead and instigate young people to trigger violent street protests, riots, arson and looting.
But, why is Mr. Rijiju remaining silent when The Indian Express, has reportedly exposed with evidence alleged electoral irregularities that have brought the BJP to power?
Is peacefully protest in a democratic manner a crime?
Chowdhry Nisar Ahmed
Noorullah pet, Ambur T.N.
Are Indian Muslims Enjoying the Results of Freedom?
India won freedom in1947 after massive struggle conducted by its strong citizens against the British rule in India. After winning freedom, they assumed that it would pave the way for equality, harmony and justice for all in India.
In 1875, Darul Uloom,Deobond was founded by Maulana Muhammad Qasim Nanotvifor imparting Islamic education and patriotism to Muslims in India. Later the seminary emerged as a citadel for massive freedom struggle launched by Maulana Mahmudul Hasan,also known as Shaikhul Hind under the name and style of “Reshmi Rumal Tehreek” inspiring and persuading all people to fight the British for emancipating India from its dominion. He was subsequently convicted of it and sent to Malta Prison.
Moreover, there is a long list of more Muslim freedom fighters imprisoned in various jails and even some of them martyred by the British. Of them, Hyder Ali and his son Tipu Sultan who ruled over the state of Mysore sacrificed life fighting the British. Maulana Mohammad Baqir was a reputed journalist executed by the British for writing articles on the importance of freedom struggle against the British rule. Maulana Abul Kalam Azad was the first education minister in free India and during the struggle he published Al-Hilal and Al-Balagh, two Urdu magazines persuading people to participate in the freedom movement in India.
In spite of their selfless great contributions to the freedom struggle, Muslims in India are, now under Modi rule confronted with various problems threatening their existence and identity in their own country. Muslims are now persecuted and deprived of the rights and privileges granted to them under the Constitution. They are now displaced and slain in frequent communal riots, their religious places and seminaries targeted and vandalised and even many of them disenfranchised by deleting their names from Electoral Roll prepared by ECI after SIR and thereby undermining democracy in India. Can this freedom equally benefit all communities in India? Netaji Subash Chandra Bose, the founder of Azad Hind Fauj once said: “Freedom implies not only emancipation from political bondage but also equal distribution of wealth, abolition of caste barriers and social inequalities and destruction of communalism and religious intolerance.”
Muhammad Abdus Samad
Ambari,Dhupdhara, Assam