Democracy has been hijacked: Abdussalam Puthige
Lecture in memory of Gauri Lankesh
Bengaluru, Jan 29: Varthabharathi Editor-in-Chief Abdussalam Puthige said that “the democracy has been hijacked by rich in the country and it should be taken back. Our problems will be solved only through establishing the democratic system in the country”.
Speaking at the screening of documentary ‘Ammi’ and a special lecture in memory of Gauri Lankesh, organized by the Gauri Memorial Trust at the St. Joseph College here on Tuesday, he said that “most of the progressive thinkers and rationalists have been insisting that the government should be dethroned. We are disappointed due to communal government. But is there any alternative to this government? The leaders who identify themselves as the leaders of the secular political parties are not speaking about communalism and fundamentalism anywhere. They are not using the term ‘fascism’.
Those who worship Nathuram Godse are offering floral tributes to Gandhi and give lecture about the Father of the nation. Today we are observing Gauri Lankesh day who was killed by the same Pariwar. We have been celebrating the Republic Day on January 26. But unfortunately, the day remind us of the killing of the hope of an Independent India”, he said.
“The present system and the media have been representing the slavery as boss and covering up the reality. The people are kept under illusion with matters like Ram Mandir, mosque and talaq. We will not fight against the system till we assume ourselves as leaders. Without conflict we will not get freedom and justice very easily. Only conflict would ensure justice and it could be possible only through sacrifice. The justice we get at free of cost would not get implemented”, he said.
In India, just 1 per cent of people have control over 74 per cent of wealth. The number of people who die due to hunger in Somalia, Sudan and Uganda equals the number of deaths in one state in our country. Every day, 19 crore people sleep without food in the country. “Manu Smriti and casteism are the real problems in the country. Till day, untouchability is existing in the society as more than 60-70 per cent people are still practicing it. Around six months back, the first citizen of the country Ramnath Kovind and his wife have also experienced the wrath of casteism. Unfortunately, the government has initiated inquiry into it after three months, which shows the intensity of casteism” he said.
In India, media has not remained as an independent entity. Globally, India is in 138th position in terms of independent media sector. The media which was supposed to be the mirror to the society has been shattered. Those who have control over the Parliament, Constitutional system and political parties have been controlling the media sector too. They do not want to make money out of it. But they want to control the entire society, he said.
Rationalists Prof Babu Mathew and Nagaragere Ramesh, Trust member VS Sridhar, advocate Balan, JNU student Najeeb’s mother Fatima, Gauri Lankesh's sister Kavitha Lankesh and others were present.
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ED searches: Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah accuses Centre of targeting Cong leaders
Chamarajanagara (Karnataka) (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday accused the central government and its agencies of consistently targeting Congress members by using searches on their properties, and questioned why similar action is not taken against BJP leaders.
He was reacting to searches conducted by the Enforcement Directorate on Monday on several individuals, among them the sons of Karnataka Congress MLA N A Haris and the grandson of former Union Cabinet minister K Rahman Khan, in connection with a cryptocurrency-linked money laundering case.
"The central government always targets Congress leaders. Will they raid the houses of BJP leaders?" Siddaramaiah said in response to a question. More than a dozen premises in the city were searched as part of the operation carried out by the ED under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The premises searched comprised those of Mohammed Haris Nalapad and Omar Farook Nalapad, the sons of the MLA; Aqeeb Khan, the grandson of veteran Congress leader K Rahman Khan; and an alleged crypto hacker, Srikrishna Ramesh, alias Sriki, officials said.
The money laundering case stems from Karnataka Police FIRs and charge sheets filed in a 2017 case involving the hacking of national and international websites, theft of bitcoins, and the sale of these stolen virtual digital assets (VDAs) through crypto platforms by the alleged hacker Sriki and his associates.
Mohammed Haris Nalapad, Omar Farook Nalapad, and Aqeeb Khan are alleged to be beneficiaries of the proceeds of crime generated through this crypto-linked activity, officials added.
