Yes, Hindu Religion is in danger!
During this Christmas season, several Churches have been attacked. Miscreants had the audacity to vandalize schools for celebrating Christmas. On the pretext of religious conversions, the attack on Christians has become a daily affair. The Anti-Conversion Law has been proposed in the state only to harass the Christian minority community. Whenever elections are round the corner, politicians become anxious about Hindu Dharma. Their hate speeches pollute society much more than the air pollution in Delhi. While making allegations about religious conversions, an MP gives a call for the conversion of Pakistanis into Hinduism. And, he says all of this in the precincts of a religious mutt. The police who foist suo-motu cases against comedians seem to be enjoying these hate speeches.
It does not require any courage to form a group of rowdy elements and attack schools. In fact, only cowards indulge in such activities. The attacks reflect the frustration of the perpetrators who target the Christians having failed to match them in their service to the people – be it in education or health. The attackers seem to have problems not with the alleged conversions but with the service that the Christians carry out in India. Everyone knows that these services are reaching the Dalits and the downtrodden who have historically been deprived of education and health facilities. Upper castes did not even tolerate their physical proximity and did not allow them to touch community water sources. The entry of Muslims and Christians in the country slowly paved the way for these sections to get liberated from excruciating clutches of the caste system.
If Christians indulge in conversions through their services, the Sangh Parivar people should retain them through their services to the downtrodden and Dalits. Even if they didn’t do any service, they should own them up by treating them with dignity and equal social status. Neither will they do it, nor will they tolerate others do it. At stake here are the services rendered by Christians. If the provision of service is considered a crime in the eyes of a religion, how can it be accepted as a religion at all.
The economy is in tatters today. The government lacks in resources to provide for the basic needs of people. At the same time, the government is spending huge amounts for the construction of temples, statues, and cowsheds. This is not benefitting the people in any way. The money can be spent meaningfully for meeting the needs of the poor. The government should also encourage religious organizations of all hues to spend money on the poor. Instead, the government is harassing religious organizations that are engaged in the service of the poor. On the pretext of cow protection, the government sacrificed farmers interests. A situation has now been created where the government is forced to spend lakhs of rupees on sheltering the barren cows at a time when it has no funds to spend for the education and health sector. In such a situation, if a religion/community comes forward to help the poor, it is laudable. In fact, all religions should compete with each other in providing such services. If Churches who have been rendering yeoman’s service from the time of the British are indeed converting people by luring them, Hindus would have been reduced to a minority long ago. How is it that the Hindu religion is in danger now when the BJP is in power, something which did not happen even when the British ruled the country?
It is however true that the Hindu religion is in danger today but not in the way that these elements are projecting. The Hindu religion that was led by saints and noblemen such as Swami Vivekananda, Narayana Guru, Mahatma Gandhi has been captured by rowdies, goondas, suspected terrorists, and politicians. Someone who gives a call for mass rape identifies himself as a Hindu Yogi. Those who are facing criminal cases call themselves as protectors of Hinduism and indulge in all kinds of criminal activities but take protection under the garb of Hinduism. It is because of such elements that the Hinduism is truly in danger. True spiritual leaders should think of how to protect Hindu religion from such dangerous forces.
Similarly, banks in this country are in danger. So are government institutions. The country’s borders are in danger. The education system is in danger. The financial system is in danger. Politicians should discuss how to protect these institutions. Otherwise, India will find itself in a sorry state. We must first protect the country. Later we can discuss how to protect religions.
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.
Centre in SC 'strongly' opposes setting up ex judges panel to monitor stubble burning
New Delhi, Nov 22: The Centre on Friday opposed in the Supreme court a proposal to form a committee of former apex court judges to oversee the implementation of measures to curb stubble burning, a key contributor to Delhi-NCR’s air pollution.
The suggestion was put forth before a bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih, hearing a case related to the rising pollution in Delhi-NCR, by senior advocate and amicus curiae Aparajita Singh.
She sought to leverage the expertise of judges as part of the proposed fact-finding committee.
The amicus said the judges had previously dealt with air pollution and stubble burning issues.
A bench headed by former Supreme Court's Justice Madan B Lokur had heard pleas related to pollution and the role of stubble burning as a contributing factor in the past.
In 2020, a bench headed by the then CJI Justice S A Bobde set up a panel headed by Justice Lokur to deal with the issues relating to stubble burning. The order was later recalled.
On Friday, the amicus curiae proposed that a committee of these judges could monitor and hear all stakeholders, including farmers and government authorities, for a comprehensive approach to address the crisis.
"A committee of experienced judges familiar with these issues could efficiently oversee the situation and hear individual grievances,” said Singh.
The proposal, however, was met with strong resistance from Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, representing the Centre.
Bhati asserted the Centre and the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) were taking adequate measures and that adding another oversight layer would be counterproductive.
"We strongly oppose this suggestion. There is no need for an additional judicial committee as your lordships are already monitoring the situation. We are answering all concerns, correcting shortcomings, and making progress,” said ASG Bhati while opposing the creation of "any more tier".
The amicus clarified her suggestion was for a fact-finding committee, but Bhati countered the statement, saying the government was already working with the available data and frameworks to address the issue effectively.
During the hearing, senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan highlighted that changes in the timing of stubble burning, coupled with seasonal wind patterns, had worsened Delhi’s air quality.
The amicus curiae further flagged discrepancies in data reported by the CAQM and other sources regarding burnt areas in Punjab and Haryana.
"The burnt area in Punjab has increased to 19.1 lakh hectare from 15.1 lakh hectare in 2021, a 24% rise. Similarly, Haryana’s burnt area rose from 3.5 lakh hectare in 2021 to 8.3 lakh hectare in 2023. This contrasts with CAQM data, which claims a reduction in farm fires in Haryana,” Singh said, raising concerns about the accuracy of official reports.
The ASG defended the CAQM’s methodology, arguing that reliance on unverified sensors would undermine the process.
The amicus curiae, however, emphasised the need for scientifically validated protocols involving experts, with Punjab and Haryana also participating in the efforts.
The bench observed that while satellites could detect farm fires, burnt area showed their exact extent.
"We would like to have that data," it said.
In an order on November 18, the top court directed the Centre and the CAQM to procure farm fire data using geostationary satellites, as opposed to NASA’s polar-orbiting satellites, to ensure real-time monitoring.
The court noted that existing data from NASA satellites was limited to specific time windows and directed the involvement of ISRO in utilising stationary satellites for comprehensive day-long monitoring.
The court will review compliance with these directions and the latest developments on stubble burning measures in its next hearing.
