Urdu council NCPUL faces backlash for promoting Savarkar through Urdu translation
New Delhi: The Narendra Modi government has come under criticism for allegedly using state-backed cultural institutions to promote Hindutva ideologues, following the publication of an Urdu translation of a book glorifying Vinayak Damodar Savarkar by the National Council for the Promotion of Urdu Language (NCPUL), an autonomous body under the Ministry of Education.
The translated book, titled “Veer Savarkar aur Takseem Hind ka Alamiya,” is the Urdu version of “Veer Savarkar: The Man Who Could Have Prevented Partition” by Uday Mahurkar and Chirayu Pandit, originally published in 2021. The Urdu edition was launched at an event held at the Prime Minister’s Museum on Thursday.
At the launch, Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal described Savarkar as a “visionary deeply sensitive to national unity and integrity,” and claimed that “had Savarkar’s ideas been implemented, the country could have been saved from disintegration,” The Observer Post reported.
The translation was done by Prof. Mazhar Asif, Vice-Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia. The authors stated that their work sought to present “truthful and unbiased information” and to counter “misconceptions spread by a particular political ideology,” as quoted by The Observer Post.
However, historians and academics have sharply criticised the move. Prof. Nadeem Rezavi, secretary of the Indian History Congress and a history faculty member at Aligarh Muslim University, called the development “shocking,” accusing the government of attempting to rewrite history, The Observer Post reported.
“Savarkar was among the earliest proponents of the two-nation theory, even before the Muslim League adopted it in 1940,” Rezavi said. “In his 1937 address to the Hindu Mahasabha, Savarkar declared that India was home to two nations — Hindus and Muslims — a statement that deepened communal divisions and contributed to the atmosphere leading to Partition,” according to The Observer Post.
Rezavi also pointed out that under Savarkar’s leadership, the Hindu Mahasabha formed coalition governments with the Muslim League in Sindh and Bengal during the Quit India Movement. “He even supported Travancore’s bid for independence in 1947 as a counter to a secular Indian state,” he added, as reported by The Observer Post.
A former NCPUL official also criticised the council’s decision, saying it marked a “departure from its original mandate.” “The NCPUL was established to promote Urdu language and literature, not to propagate the legacy of divisive political figures,” the official said, The Observer Post noted.
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Unemployed 'youngsters like cockroaches' become media, activists; attack system: CJI
New Delhi (PTI): Likening some unemployed youngsters to cockroaches, Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant on Friday said they go on to "become" media, social media and RTI activists and start attacking the system.
The comments came while a bench of CJI Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi was pulling up a lawyer for "pursuing" a senior advocate designation. It said there were already "parasites" in society who attack the system and asked the petitioner whether he wanted to join hands with them.
"The entire world may be eligible to become senior (advocate), but at least you are not entitled," the bench told the petitioner lawyer.
A visibly anguished CJI observed that if the Delhi High Court would confer senior advocate designation upon the petitioner, the apex court would set that aside seeing his professional conduct.
The CJI also referred to the kind of language used by the petitioner on Facebook.
"There are already parasites of society who attack the system and you want to join hands with them?" he said.
"There are youngsters like cockroaches, who don't get any employment or have any place in profession. Some of them become media, some of them become social media, RTI activists and other activists and they start attacking everyone," he said.
The bench also asked the petitioner whether he did not have any other litigation.
"Is this the conduct of a person who seeks to be designated as a senior advocate?" the bench asked.
It said senior advocate designation is something that is conferred on a person and is not to be pursued.
"You are pursuing it. Does it look proper?" the top court said, asking whether a senior advocate designation was a status symbol to be kept ornamentally.
It also observed that it wanted to ask the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to verify the degrees of many of those who were wearing black robes as there were serious doubts over the genuineness of their degrees.
It said the Bar Council of India would never do anything on this issue as they "need their votes".
The petitioner apologised to the bench and sought permission to withdraw the petition. The bench allowed the withdrawal of the petition.
