Citizenship Bill undermines 'documented position' of Bhupen Hazarika: Son
Guwahati : Taking a swipe at BJP, Assamese singer-composer Bhupen Hazarika's son Tez Hazarika has said his father's name and words were being invoked and celebrated publicly even as plans were afoot to pass the "painfully unpopular" Citizenship (Amendment) Bill.
In a Facebook post on Monday, Tez described the proposed legislation as "undermining" the "documented position" of his father, who was awarded the country's highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna, posthumously by the Narendra Modi government last month.
He said he had so far not received any invitation to accept the Bharat Ratna conferred on his father, so there was nothing to reject.
"I believe that my father's name and words are being invoked and celebrated publicly while plans are afoot to pass a painfully unpopular bill regarding citizenship that is actually undermining his documented position. It would in reality be in direct opposition to what Bhupenda believed in his heart of hearts," he said, without naming any political party.
How the Centre moves on the matter, "far outweighs" in importance the awarding and receiving of such national recognition, he said.
"For his fans a vast majority of people of the Northeast and India's great diversity including all indigenous populations of India, he would never have endorsed what appears, quite transparently, to be an underhanded way of pushing a law against the will and benefit of the majority in a manner that also seems to be grossly unconstitutional, undemocratic and un-Indian," said Tez, who resides in the US.
The BJP government at the Centre has been pitching for the early passage of the legislation, which promises Indian citizenship to religious minorities from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.
The legislation was passed by Lok Sabha during the Winter Session on January 8 and has been awaiting the Rajya Sabha nod.
It has triggered massive protests across the Northeast with many organisations and parties claiming that it would have a negative impact on the demography of the region.
"Adopting any form of this bill at this point in the manner in which it is being proffered, now or in the future, will ultimately have the sad and undesirable effect of not only disrupting the quality of life, language, identity and power balance of the region, but that of undermining my father's position by delivering a wreaking blow to the harmony, inner integrity and unity of the secular and democratic Republic of India," he said.
"Numerous media journalists are now asking me whether or not I will accept the Bharat Ratna for my father. I go on record here to answer that A), I have not received any invitation so far there is nothing to reject. And B), how the Centre moves on this matter far outweighs in importance the awarding and receiving of such national recognition - a display of short lived cheap thrills," he wrote.
"Bharat Ratna and longest bridges, while necessary, will not promote the peace and prosperity of the citizens of India. Only just popular laws and foresight on the part of the leadership will," Tez added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently inaugurated Bogibeel Bridge the country's longest railroad bridge in Assam.
PTI's efforts to reach Tez did not yield results.
Meanwhile, Bhupen Hazarika's brother and prominent singer Saumer Hazarika as well as his sister-in-law and popular singer Manisha Hazarika told the media that the family has neither rejected Bharat Ratna nor criticised the Centre for conferring the award posthumously.
Saumar Hazarika said, "Tez has not contacted me on the issue of his Facebook post today. We as Bhupenda's family have welcomed the Bharat Ratna award to him. We had attended the Assam government's programme celebrating the conferring of the honour to my brother who always stood for unity of the people of the Northeast and the country."
Manisha Hazarika, wife of Bhupen Hazarika's late brother and well-known singer Jayanta Hazarika, said, "Bhupen Hazarika was an institution. He is above politics and because he took Assam to the world that he has been honoured with the highest civilian award. If this award is made family centric, than it will be a dishonour to the award, the entire northeast region and the country.
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.
'He is in a happy place now': Harish Rana's last rites conducted, family to donate his organs
Ghaziabad (UP) (PTI): Don't cry, he is in a happy place now, the parents of Harish Rana, the first person in India to be permitted passive euthanasia, said on Wednesday as they bid farewell to their son one last time.
Harish's last rites were conducted at the Green Park cremation ground in South Delhi on Wednesday morning, marking a quiet end to his 13-year ordeal.
In a final act of generosity, Harish's family consented to donate five of his organs.
The 31-year-old man passed away on Tuesday after slipping into a coma in 2013, following a fall from a fourth-floor balcony while he was a B.Tech student at Panjab University.
During the last rites, Harish's mother bid an emotional farewell to her son with folded hands and met those present, while his father Ashok Rana urged mourners not to cry, a neighbour told PTI over the phone.
Residents who attended the cremation described the atmosphere as deeply emotional. Tejas Chaturvedi, a resident of the Raj Empire Society, noted that many attendees were moved to tears during the ceremony. However, Ashok Rana continued to console others and encouraged them to remain strong in their moment of grief.
"Let no one weep. I am praying that my son may depart in peace. Wherever he is born next, may he receive God's blessings," he said.
Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajai Rai, who visited the cremation ground to pay his respects, told PTI that the family had confirmed donation of five of Harish's organs. "Harish might be gone, but he will continue to live on through the beneficiaries of his organ donation. The family has set an example before the entire nation," Rai told PTI over the phone.
Family members, along with representatives of the Brahma Kumaris, a spiritual movement led by women, attended the cremation to offer their prayers for Harish. Residents from the Raj Empire Society in Ghaziabad, where the Rana family lives, also came to show their support, joining a diverse group of NGOs, AIIMS staff, relatives, and friends.
Harish's body was transported to the cremation ground in an ambulance, and the platform was covered in rose petals. Many mourners paid their last respects with folded hands, and some placed saffron garlands on the body before it was laid upon the pyre. Ashish Rana, Harish's younger brother, lit the pyre, accompanied by his sister, Bhavna.
Sister Lovely of the Brahma Kumaris, who has been associated with the family and travelled to the cremation ground, said that meditative chants were performed during the last rites. "The body is leaving the mortal world, but the soul is immortal and has begun a new journey," she said.
"The family decided to donate Harish's eyes," Sister Lovely told PTI.
Additionally, Sister Lovely shared that a 'bhog' (offering) and prayer ritual will be held by the Brahma Kumaris in the coming days, where food items that Harish enjoyed will be prepared. "Harish could not eat for over a decade. Now the soul is free. In a symbolic gesture, we will offer the food that his body loved," she said.
Earlier, neighbours and well-wishers spoke of the family's unwavering commitment to caring for Harish despite the emotional and financial challenges they faced over the years. His parents, Ashok Rana and Nirmala Devi, described the decision to allow passive euthanasia as "extremely painful but necessary."
According to sources, the family is scheduled to return to their Ghaziabad residence after completing the last rites and related rituals.
Harish was shifted to the palliative care unit at AIIMS Delhi earlier this month from his Ghaziabad home following a landmark Supreme Court order permitting the withdrawal of life support for him. He passed away on Tuesday.
The apex court had clarified that passive euthanasia in his case would involve withdrawal of artificial nutrition, such as the feeding tube, while continuing palliative care to allow a natural death with dignity. Medical boards had concluded that his condition was irreversible.
