The Bits and Pieces – As I Please – 12

 

The Bits and Pieces – As I Please – 12

Ekta Diwas – October 31 - National Unity Day (राष्ट्रीय एकता दिवस) is celebrated in India on 31 October. It was introduced by the in 2014 by the Government of PM Narendra Modi. The day is celebrated to mark the birth anniversary of Vallabhbhai Patel who had a major role in the political integration of India. The official statement for National Unity Day by the Home Ministry of India cites that the National Unity Day "will provide an opportunity to re-affirm the inherent strength and resilience of our

nation to withstand the actual and potential threats to the unity, integrity, and security of our country." We take a pledge, just as a routine ritual, which reads like this “I solemnly pledge that I dedicate myself to preserving the unity, integrity, and security of the nation and also strive hard to spread this message among my fellow countrymen. I take this pledge in the spirit of the unification of my country which was made possible by the vision and actions of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. I also solemnly resolve to make my own contribution to ensure the internal security of my country.”

Sardar Patel was a great leader of India. There are no two opinions about this. The objectives of the National Unity Day are lofty and important for the very existence of India that is Bharat. But the sad aspect of all this is that those who did not like or own Sardar Patel because of his stern views and actions on communal outfits are playing divisive politics criticizing PM Jawaharlal Nehru and Congress Party exactly working against the very ideals of ‘preserving the unity, integrity and security of the nation’, to my mind. These political stunts on these important National Days must stop forthwith, if we are really interested in remembering great leaders like Sardar Patel.

Yet another sad aspect of the day is – PM Indira Gandhi was also murdered on 31 October 1984. She was assassinated by two of her bodyguards, both of whom were Sikh fundamentalists seeking retribution for the events at the Golden Temple in Amritsar in June of that fateful year. Indira Gandhi was a leader of our country and beyond by her own right. She also stood for, like Sardar Patel, unity, integrity and security of the country. It seems GOI has totally ignored her and negated her sacrifice for the very lofty

ideals of the National Unity Day. It is very unfortunate. On the other hand, the culprits of the dastardly and barbaric riots targeting the Sikh community in Delhi and elsewhere in the wake of Indira Gandhi’s assassination could not be brought to book to the satisfaction of the affected families of innocent Sikhs and the Sikh community at large by any of the Administrations after these sordid and heart ranching incidents. It was undoubtedly an uncalled for and highly condemnable retribution by the hardcore majority Hindu community against the hapless and innocent Sikh minority. Unfortunately, the political vested interests projected these inhuman any bastardly, I am sorry to use this uncivilized word, incidents as the doing of the Congress leaders to avenge Indira Gandhi’s murder. It amounted to willful twisting of the facts by the vested interests. Most of us are not ready to call spade a spade because of the ill-conceived notion of so called communal unity. The Sikh community must get justice for the riots of 1984 under law of the land. Why Indira Gandhi, a nationalist of the highest order, should be ignored, on her Punia Teethi, October 31 – Martyrdom; which we celebrate as the National Unity Day? Is it not hypocrisy? While I greet my fellow Indians on the National Unity Day, the birth day of Sardar Patel, I also remember, with reverence, Indira Gandhi, the worthy daughter of India.

Mera Rona Nahi, Rona Hai Ye Sare Gulistan Ka
Woh Gul Hon Main, Khazan Har Gul Ki Hai Goya Khazan Meri

(This is not only my wailing, but is that of the entire garden
I am a rose, to me every rose’ autumn is my autumn)

 

Hindutava Agenda – Subtly at Work   - The other day, GOI has released its draft National Labour Policy, 2025 – Rashtriya Sharam Shakti Nitii, 2025. It hails Manusmriti. A story in the Tribune of October 30 says that Manusmriti has once again entered the political battlefield, this time through the Centre’s draft Labour Policy 2025, which claims that the ancient text “embeds the moral basis of labour governance within India’s

civilisational fabric, centuries before the rise of modern labour law.” But the Opposition
has sharply objected to the government’s invocation of Manusmriti, a text long criticised for its caste-based hierarchy and exclusionary codes. The Congress leaders accused the Modi government of seeking to “replace constitutional morality with the Manusmriti’s moral order”. This return to the principles of the Manusmriti is in keeping with the RSS’s most cherished traditions. It had attacked the Constitution soon after it was adopted - on the grounds that it did not derive inspiration from the ideals and values of Manu as embodied in the Manusmriti,” posted Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on X. The new draft National Labour & Employment Policy includes elements identified by critics as Hindutva-inspired, particularly its framing of work as a "sacred and moral duty" based on ancient Hindu texts like the Manusmriti and Arthashastra. Critics argue this approach, which uses terms like "dharma" and "rajdharma," ignores modern concepts of workers' rights, fair wages, and safety and could reinforce a caste-based hierarchy by downplaying the need for legal protections in favor of a moral/religious framework, as reported by The Wire and The Telegraph. 

Earlier the National Education Policy, 2020, identified potential Hindutava Elements through its emphasis on "civilisational values," promotion of Sanskrit, inclusion of philosophical concepts like those found in the Bhagavad Gita, and a nationalist narrative. While proponents frame these as fostering holistic development and traditional values, critics argue it promotes a Hindu-centric curriculum that could downplay secularism and India's multicultural history. 

The Hindutava agenda of the GOI, it seems, is subtly a work. It is a matter of concern and worry as the Hindu text like Manusmriti and Ram Charit Manas are the votaries of Chatur-Varna Vivastha from which the graded inequality flows and these denigrate the women folk. The so called division of labour in the Varan Vivastha emanates not from the skill or knowledge but from birth. Where are we heading? It is a matter to ponder over.  

तुम्हारी तहज़ीब अपने ख़ंजर से आप ही ख़ुद-कुशी करेगी

जो शाख़-ए-नाज़ुक पे आशियाना बनेगा ना-पाएदार होगा