Stop reading history on WhatsApp: Raj Thackeray on row over Aurangzeb’s tomb
Mumbai (PTI): Maharashtra Navanirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Sunday slammed attempts to incite communal tension over Aurangazeb’s tomb and said history shouldn’t be viewed from the prism of caste and religion.
He also asked people not to rely on WhatsApp forwards for historical information.
Addressing his annual Gudhi Padwa rally at Shivaji Park here, Thackeray said the Mughal ruler wanted to “kill a thought called Shivaji” but failed and died in Maharashtra.
Afzal Khan, the Bijapur general, was buried near the Pratapgadh Fort and it couldn’t have been done without Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s permission, he said.
Thackeray’s comments came amid demands by right-wing outfits for the removal of Aurangzeb’s tomb located in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district. Protests over the issue had also triggered violence in Nagpur earlier this month.
"Don’t we want to let the world know that these people sought to destroy the Marathas but were wiped out instead. Stop reading history on WhatsApp and rather delve into history books,” he said.
Urging people not to get provoked and distracted, he said that socio-political situations were different in pre-Shivaji and post-Shivaji eras.
"We have forgotten the real issues of the present time. Hindus who feel awakened after a movie are of no use. Did you learn about Sambhaji Maharaj’s sacrifice because of Vicky Kaushal and about Aurangazeb because of Akshaye Khanna,” he asked.
Thackeray was referring to the recently released period drama ‘Chhaava’, based on the life of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, who was tortured and executed by Aurangzeb.
He said Aurangzeb was born in Dahod, Gujarat. Those who provoke people for their selfish political aspirations are not concerned with history, he asserted.
Thackeray said a country cannot progress on the basis of religion and cited the example of Turkey and how it “reformed” itself.
“Religion should remain within the four walls of your home. A Hindu identifies as a Hindu only when Muslims take to the streets or during riots; otherwise, Hindus are divided by caste,” he said.
The MNS chief claimed that the BJP-led government’s popular ‘Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin’ scheme would be scrapped. “I told you earlier, but you believed them and not me,” he said.
Opposition parties have been attacking the Mahayuti government of BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP in the state for not raising the monthly financial assistance under the Ladki Bahin programme from Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,100 as promised in their poll manifesto before last year’s assembly elections.
Thackeray reiterated his party’s stand on the use of the Marathi language being made mandatory for official purposes. “If you live here and don’t speak the language, you will be dealt with appropriately,” he warned.
He also slammed the pollution of rivers in the “name of religion” and showed a purported video claiming that bodies were being burnt and dumped into the river Ganga.
“What kind of religion is this if we destroy our natural resources. Rs 33,000 crore has been spent on cleaning the Ganga and it is still going on. Shouldn’t we reform ourselves,” he asked.
Thackeray claimed that Maharashtra’s rivers are also extremely polluted. Of the 311 most polluted river patches in the country, 55 are from Maharashtra, he said.
Mumbai had five rivers and four of them have been killed, he said. The lone “surviving” river, Mithi, is about to die, he said, adding that sewage water, encroachments and discharge of chemical waste into the rivers are killing the water bodies.
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SC invalidates appointment of 25,753 teachers, other staff in West Bengal schools
New Delhi (PTI): In a major jolt to the West Bengal government, the Supreme Court on Thursday invalidated the appointment of 25,753 teachers and other staff in state-run and state-aided schools, and termed the entire selection process "vitiated and tainted".
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar upheld a Calcutta High Court verdict dated April 22, 2024, annulling the appointments and ordered the Trinamool Congress-led state government to initiate a fresh selection process to be concluded within three months.
"In our opinion, this is the case where the entire selection process is vitiated and tainted beyond resolution. Manipulations and frauds on a large scale, coupled with attempts to cover-up, have dented the selection process beyond repair.
"The credibility and legitimacy of selection are diluted, and accordingly, we have to keep it (order of the high court) with some modifications," the CJI said while pronouncing the verdict on as many as 127 petitions pertaining to the Calcutta High Court verdict.
The CJI also said the employees whose appointments have been annulled are not needed to return their salaries and other emoluments earned so far.
It, however, made relaxation for certain disabled employees on humanitarian grounds, saying they would remain in the job.
The bench fixed pleas, including the one filed by the West Bengal government challenging the high court direction for a CBI probe, for hearing on April 4.
The detailed judgement is awaited.
On February 10, the top court reserved its judgement on a batch of petitions in the matter and said that those who got jobs wrongly may be knocked out.
The top court commenced the final hearing on December 19 last year and heard the parties on January 15, 27 and February 10 before reserving its verdict on the politically-sensitive case.
Citing irregularities such as OMR sheet tampering and rank-jumping, the high court had invalidated the appointment of 25,753 teachers and non-teaching staff in state-run and state-aided schools in West Bengal.
On May 7 last year, the apex court stayed the high court's order over the appointments made by the state's School Service Commission (SSC).
The top court, however, permitted the CBI to continue with its probe into the matter.
The case stemmed from the alleged irregularities in the 2016 recruitment process conducted by the West Bengal SSC in which 23 lakh candidates appeared for 24,640 posts and a total of 25,753 appointment letters were issued.
The apex court had termed it a "systemic fraud".
The high court instructed those appointed outside the officially available 24,640 vacancies, those recruited after the expiry of the official date, and those who submitted blank OMR sheets but obtained appointments to return all the remunerations and benefits received by them with 12 per cent per interest.
Former West Bengal education minister Partha Chatterjee and Trinamool Congress MLAs Manik Bhattacharya and Jiban Krishna Saha are among the accused being probed in the recruitment scam.
