Let’s gear up to celebrate festival of democracy
Finally, the date for celebrating democracy has been announced. In the given scenario, people fear the festivals in our country. Police come wielding lathis during any festival of any faith in the streets. Deputy Commissioner calls for ‘celebration of the festival’ in peaceful manner. Peace meetings are held time and again. Common people pray to god that the festival should end without any complications.
Right now, the festival that has been announced is that of the democracy. It is the festival of all festivals. Hence the country is looking forward to this with trepidation, excitement, anxiety and expectations. This time, the results of the election would decide the path the country would be taking, rather very clearly.
Hence people are tense about the results along with the incidents that are bound to happen during the elections. Former Election Commissioner has said money and violence will cross all limits this time. This is not a tough reality given the fact that people are getting killed even without any elections. Fake Cow protectors have donned the role of culture keepers and have taken law into their own hands. Hence people are worried about their whims during the election time.
Now all the parties are bent upon clinching the power somehow. Ambani and Modi have to return to power using whatever routes so that the Rafael issue does not turn into their waterloo. If they lose power, the Rafael ghost will hunt them down. Heads will roll inevitably. Hence this election is a do or die situation for major corporates as well. Hence the industrialists are bound to fund this election big time.
On this occasion, people are seeking votes in the name of sacrifices made by the army. This has to be called as an assault they are launching on the moral courage of soldiers. Election Commission has warned against this. But a BJP activist called Chakravarthy Sulibele has used the image of soldier Abhinandan to seek votes, attracting huge criticism.
According to him, even soldiers have to work for the BJP. “If you want to be like soldier Abhinandan, vote for BJP. That is your surgical strike” reads his social media message. Though this has been done blatantly, election commission has hardly taken cognizance of this. Why should the BJP seek votes in the name of a soldier and not in the name of Modi? Why has BJP reached this point?
BJP leaders cry hoarse about PM Narendra Modi developing this country and bringing it to a stage where the whole world is noticing the nation. Demonetisation was a success. GST has eased trade and businesses, country has opened up to digitalization – these are their claims. Why is BJP then not claiming demo as a success? The party could well take details of benefits of demonetization, and turn the endorsement into votes!
For instance, the details of how much black money was confiscated alone can help BJP sweep the polls. Modi is claiming that he has defeated terrorism. But what defence does he have to present to the data that the country has come under terrorist attack more number of times in last four years than before? Kashmir situation wasn’t this bad in the last four years. BJP sought votes over severed soldiers’ heads in 2014. People trusted them. They assumed BJP could do good to the valley and to soldiers.
But in 2019, our 40 soldiers lost their lives to a sole terrorist. Today Modi is wielding the power. If UPA was responsible for the terrorist act those days, today BJP should be held responsible for whatever happened today. What reason does Modi give for not being able to protect the soldiers? This government hasn’t been a great support to the soldiers. How do they go to people again seeking votes in the name of soldiers? Isn’t this a betrayal to the martyrs? No nation loving person would tolerate this. Hence BJP has to stop encashing the deaths of soldiers.
People’s responsibility does not end with criticizing political leaders alone. Corrupt voters are as much responsible for the situation the country is in now. The country is on the threshold of a democratic process. Voters have to help democracy succeed without falling for corruption or money or goodies. The vote that we cast would be deciding on the future of this country which has hundreds of years of history and sacrifice. The voters have to write the new future to this country in the perspective of the history.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Karnataka open to making Tulu second additional official language: Minister
Bengaluru (PTI): Minister Shivraj Tangadagi on Wednesday told the Legislative Assembly that the Karnataka government is in favour of declaring Tulu as the state’s second additional official language.
He said the government is studying the measures adopted by West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh, both of which have additional official languages.
The minister was responding to a question by Puttur Congress MLA Ashok Kumar Rai during Question Hour.
Tulu is predominantly spoken in the coastal districts of Udupi and Dakshina Kannada, and legislators across party lines from these regions, including Speaker U T Khader, have been demanding that the government declare it as the state’s second additional official language.
At present, Kannada is the state’s only official language, while English is also used for official purposes as an additional language.
"I am continuously following it up. We have written to West Bengal and sent a committee of officials to Andhra Pradesh, where Urdu was recently declared the second official language. The committee has gathered information and returned, but is yet to submit its report," Tangadagi said.
He added that once the report is submitted, a meeting involving the Speaker, district in-charge ministers, and legislators from Tulu-speaking districts will be convened with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. "I want to assure you that we are in favour of this," he said.
Earlier, noting that several states have two or three additional official languages, Rai demanded that Tulu be declared an official language at the earliest, stating that it would not impose any financial burden on the government.
"Tulu has a history of 3,000 years, has its own script, and is included in Google Translate. The language is being researched in Germany and France, and universities have allowed examinations in Tulu," Rai said, adding that this was a unanimous demand of 13 legislators from Tulu-speaking Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts, with no opposition.
Saying it had been a long-standing demand, Rai added that a Cabinet meeting was likely to be held in Mangaluru in the coming days and urged that a decision be announced there.
BJP MLA Vedavyas Kamath also demanded early action to declare Tulu an official language. He even spoke in Tulu in the House with Speaker U T Khader, who hails from a Tulu-dominant region and speaks the language fluently.
Kamath said a committee headed by educationist Mohan Alva, constituted by the previous BJP government to examine the issue, had studied the matter in detail and compiled all relevant information.
