From Golden Age to Varna Age
VB Editorial | August 16, 2025 |
From the Red Fort this Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi once again spoke of his “resolve for a prosperous, self-reliant India.” It was his 12th consecutive speech from the same stage, a record surpassing Indira Gandhi. Yet, what stood out was not the record itself but the hollowness of repetition. The Prime Minister himself admitted that speeches cannot build a nation — and yet, a decade later, the difference between his first address in 2014 and his words in 2025 is hard to find.
Ten years ago, the country placed its faith in Modi’s promises. The hope was that India’s fortunes would change. But what is the reality? Economically, India has slipped. GST has shackled businesses, and now reforms in GST are being portrayed as a gift, not an apology. Operation Sindhoor is being advertised as a security success even as the Pahalgam attack exposed glaring failures. NITI Aayog’s own chief has said the current 6.5% growth rate cannot make India a developed nation.
Meanwhile, hunger, unemployment, and atrocities against Dalits are rising. The Global Hunger Index shows India slipping further. Violence in the name of religion is becoming common. Mobs lynch innocent people in the name of cows. On the 79th Independence Day, many states attempted to impose bans on meat. The irony is staggering: India is one of the world’s largest beef exporters, yet its poor are denied nutritious food. Farmers cannot sell cattle they rear, while their livelihoods are destroyed. Violence continues in Manipur. Militancy festers in Kashmir.
Even democracy is under question. Reports of electoral fraud are emerging across states. In Bihar, voter roll manipulation by the Election Commission has been widely exposed. The Supreme Court itself has raised concern. Yet, the Prime Minister remained silent on all of this in his Red Fort address.
Instead, he chose to celebrate the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), calling it “the largest non-governmental organisation engaged in nation-building.” This single declaration reveals much. For the RSS, there is no history of fighting for farmers, Dalits, workers, or women. Its seniors did not join the freedom struggle. Savarkar, fearing Kala Pani, wrote mercy petitions to the British and lived on their pension. When Netaji called on the youth to join his army, Savarkar advised them against it.
M.S. Golwalkar, the ideological architect of the RSS, upheld the caste system and rejected the Constitution. For decades, RSS offices did not hoist the national flag. When young nationalists hoisted it at the Nagpur headquarters in 2001, they were dragged into court cases for 12 years. Nathuram Godse, Gandhi’s assassin, drew inspiration from RSS ideology. Sardar Patel himself banned the RSS for conspiring against the nation. Its name has come up in cases from Malegaon to present-day extremist violence. Abroad too, demands for action against its affiliates continue.
The government that has crushed countless NGOs working for the environment, farmers, Adivasis, and Dalits now expresses pride in the RSS. What future does this signal? An India shaped by RSS ideology means an India shaped by Manusmriti — where caste hierarchy, Brahminical dominance, and untouchability would once again define society.
This is the exact opposite of what Ambedkar envisioned. He dreamed of a golden age built on equality. Instead, the government is pushing India towards a Varna Age rooted in inequality. To ignore the RSS’s finances and its unconstitutional activities, while glorifying it from the Red Fort, is not just an error of judgment — it is a dangerous shift in the nation’s direction.
That is why this year’s Independence Day speech has left many Indians anxious. From the dream of equality, India seems to be slipping into an age of division. From the Golden Age to the Varna Age — this is the worry staring the nation in the face.
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Grok obscene AI content: X submits response, IT Ministry examining it, say sources
New Delhi (PTI): The IT Ministry is examining the response and submissions made by X following a government directive to crack down on misuse of artificial intelligence chatbot Grok by users for the creation of sexualised and obscene images of women and minors, sources said.
X had been given extended time until Wednesday, 5 PM to submit a detailed Action Taken Report to the ministry, after a stern warning was issued to the Elon Musk-led social media platform over indecent and sexually-explicit content being generated through misuse of AI-based services like 'Grok' and other tools.
Sources told PTI that X has submitted their response, and it is under examination.
The details of X's submission were, however, not immediately known.
On Sunday, X's 'Safety' handle said it takes action against illegal content on its platform, including Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), by removing it, permanently suspending accounts, and working with local governments and law enforcement as necessary.
"Anyone using or prompting Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content," X had said, reiterating the stance taken by Musk on illegal content.
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On January 2, the IT Ministry pulled up X and directed it to immediately remove all vulgar, obscene and unlawful content, especially generated by Grok (X's built-in artificial intelligence interface) or face action under the law.
In the directive on Friday, the ministry asked the US-based social media firm to submit a detailed action taken report (ATR) within 72 hours, spelling out specific technical and organisational measures adopted or proposed in relation to the Grok application; the role and oversight exercised by the Chief Compliance Officer; actions taken against offending content, users and accounts; as well as mechanisms to ensure compliance with the mandatory reporting requirement under Indian laws.
The IT Ministry, in the ultimatum issued, noted that Grok AI, developed by X and integrated on the platform, is being misused by users to create fake accounts to host, generate, publish or share obscene images or videos of women in a derogatory or vulgar manner.
"Importantly, this is not limited to creation of fake accounts but also targets women who host or publish their images or videos, through prompts, image manipulation and synthetic outputs," the ministry said, asserting that such conduct reflects a serious failure of platform-level safeguards and enforcement mechanisms, and amounts to gross misuse of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in violation of stipulated laws.
The government made it clear to X that compliance with the IT Act and rules is not optional, and that the statutory exemptions under section 79 of the IT Act (which deals with safe harbour and immunity from liability for online intermediaries) are conditional upon strict observance of due diligence obligations.
"Accordingly, you are advised to strictly desist from the hosting, displaying, uploading, publication, transmission, storage, sharing of any content on your platform that is obscene, pornographic, vulgar, indecent, sexually explicit, paedophilic, or otherwise prohibited under any law...," the ministry said.
The government warned X in clear terms that any failure to observe due diligence obligations shall result in the loss of the exemption from liability under section 79 of the IT Act, and that the platform will also be liable for consequential action under other laws, including the IT Act and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
It asked X to enforce user terms of service and AI usage restrictions, including ensuring strong deterrent measures such as suspension, termination and other enforcement actions against violating users and accounts.
X has also been asked to remove or disable access "without delay" to all content already generated or disseminated in violation of applicable laws, in strict compliance with the timelines prescribed under the IT Rules, 2021, without, as such, vitiating the evidence.
Besides India, the platform has drawn flak in the UK and Malaysia too. Ofcom, the UK's independent communications regulator, in a recent social media post, said: "We are aware of serious concerns raised about a feature on Grok on X that produces undressed images of people and sexualised images of children".
"We have made urgent contact with X and xAI to understand what steps they have taken to comply with their legal duties to protect users in the UK. Based on their response, we will undertake a swift assessment to determine whether there are potential compliance issues that warrant investigation," Ofcom said.
