"Decision to name RGCB's second campus after Golwalkar irrational, done for political gains"
Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan hits out at Centre
Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 12: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday slammed the Centre's decision to name the second campus of the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Bio Technology here after RSS ideologue M S Golwalkar, saying the move was "irrational" and for political gains.
Vijayan had recently written to Union Health and Science and Technology minister Dr Harsh Vardhan, urging him to instead name the institute after some eminent Indian scientist of international repute.
In a Facebook post on Saturday, the Chief Minister lashed out at the Union government, alleging that by proposing the name of Golwalkar, the aim was to use the central research institution for political gains.
This was an attempt to divert the people's attention from the Left Democratic Front government's development and welfare activities during the crucial local body polls, he said and demanded to know what had been Golwalkar's contribution towards the growth and development of science.
During the freedom struggle, the stand the RSS leader took was not to confront the British, but that it was the duty of the RSS to fight for religion, the Chief Minister alleged.
"Till 1973, he was RSS sarsanga chalak. But never even once did he unfurl the national flag at the RSS headquarters during Independence Day," Vijayan said.
Pointing out that Golwalkar was critical of democracy as it gave powers to people more than that whatwas necessary, he said the RSS leader was also a proponent of Manu Smriti, which he felt should have been India's Constitution.
"He also tried to strengthen the caste system and opposed reservation."
The minorities and Communists were considered the "internal enemies" of the nation and Golwalkar felt they should be destroyed, Vijayan said in the post.
The Union Government should at least think how it would affect the country's reputation if a scientific institution for human goodness is named after a person who had stood "as an advocate of unscientific, inhumanand uncivilised principles", he said and urged that the move be dropped in the interest of the nation
As RGCB is "Kerala's child", any decision with regard to its name should be finalised, taking into account the state's views, Vijayan said.
"That's democratic norms.
Those in positions of power,mandated by the Constitution, must act in accordance with the essence of the Constitution.
That is essential for the progress of the country," the chief minister said.
The ruling Left and the opposition Congress had attacked the BJP, alleging it was communalising everything and questioned the contribution of the RSS leader to the field of science.
Vardhan, who is also the minister of science and technology, had announced on December 4 that the second campus of RGCB would be named Shri Guruji Madhav Sadashiv Golwalkar National Centre for Complex Disease in Cancer and Viral Infection.
He stated this at a curtain raiser session of the sixth edition of India International Science Festival (IISF) scheduled for December 22-25, held online and organised by RGCB.
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Austrian police detain suspect in case of rat poison found in baby food jars on supermarket shelves
Vienna (AP): Police in eastern Austria say a 39-year-old suspect has been arrested after rat poison turned up in some HiPP baby food jars on supermarket shelves in central Europe.
HiPP, which recalled some of its baby food jars in Austria, Slovakia and the Czech Republic after the case came to light last month, said in a statement Saturday it was “greatly relieved” by the arrest, and would provide further updates as verified details come in.
The Burgenland State Criminal Police Office, under the direction of prosecutors, said a probe was launched after poison turned up in a baby food jar purchased at a supermarket in the city of Eisenstadt on April 18.
It said the suspect was being questioned, and that no further details would be immediately provided. The Burgenland public prosecutor's office has announced an investigation into suspected “intentional endangerment of the public.”
The Austrian Press Agency reported that an expert report on the toxicity of the poison was pending. A total of five tampered baby food jars were seized before they could be consumed, APA reported.
Authorities said previously they believe the tampering occurred in 190-gram (6.7-ounce) jars of baby food made with carrots and potatoes for 5-month-olds that were sold from SPAR supermarkets in Austria.
HiPP responded by recalling all of its baby food jars sold at SPAR supermarkets — which include SPAR, EUROSPAR, INTERSPAR and Maximarkt stores — in Austria as a precaution. Vendors in Slovakia and the Czech Republic also removed all of the brand's baby jars from sale.
The company said the recall was not due to any product or quality defect on its part, and said the jars left its facility in “perfect condition.”
Police said a customer at the time of the discovery had reported that a jar appeared to have been tampered with, but no one had consumed the baby food.
