Hyderabad: A video of Hamara Prasad, the founder of Rashtriya Dalita Sena, a Hindutva organization is doing rounds across social media platforms wherein he can be seen saying he would’ve shot Dr. BR Ambedkar if he was alive when Ambedkar authored the book ‘Riddles in Hinduism: An exposition to enlighten the masses’.
In the video, Hamara Prasad while expressing displeasure over the book, says “This man (Ambedkar) apparently is an intellectual with 12 Degrees (Masters). A national leader should treat all the people of the country equally. Even if he suffers, he should not show his hatred against others.” Hamara Prasad also stated that Ambedkar has hurt the sentiments of crores of Hindus by writing such “garbage”. “Had I been born when Ambedkar was alive, and if I had come across this book, like how Godse shot Gandhi I would have shot Ambedkar.”
RS Praveen Kumar, the Telangana Chief of the Bahujan Samaj Party, in a tweet sought action against Prasad and asked the government to file a case against Prasad under sections 153 A (Promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) and the Preventive Detention Act and imprison him.
Dalit activist, Karthik Narayan, has also filed an online complaint with the Hyderabad cyber crime police for “creating and forwarding videos abusing Dr. BR Ambedkar and hurting the sentiments of the Scheduled Caste citizens.”
But, according to a report published in The News Minute, the Hyderabad Cybercrime Police has said that they are yet to receive any complaint against Prasad. The report also added that some Dalit activists have urged the Telangana police to register a case suo-motu and immediately arrest Hamara Prasad.
The book Riddles in Hinduism critically examines the Hindu religion. Describing the purpose of the book, Ambedkar writes in its introduction, “This book is an exposition of the beliefs propounded by what might be called Brahmanic theology. It is intended for the common mass of Hindus who need to be awakened to know in what quagmire the Brahmins have placed them and to lead them onto the road of rational thinking. The Brahmins have propagated the view that the Hindu civilization is Sanatan, that is, unchanging.”
“This view has been reinforced by many of European Scholars who have said that the Hindu civilization is static. In this book, I have attempted to show that this view is not in accord with facts and that Hindu Society has changed from time to time, and that oftentimes the change is of the most radical kind. In this connection, compare the Riddles from Himsa to Ahimsa and from Ahimsa back to Himsa. I want to make the mass of people realize that the Hindu religion is not Sanatan.”
Ambedkar in the book states that the “second purpose of this book is to draw the attention of the Hindu masses to the devices of the Brahmins and to make them think for themselves how they have been deceived and misguided by the Brahmins.”
ఒక వైపు ఓట్ల కోసం రోజూ అంబేద్కర్ జపం చేస్తున్న @BRSparty ఈ హమారాప్రసాద్ లాంటి మూర్ఖులు ‘బాబాసాహెబ్ బతికుంటే కాల్చి చంపేవాడిని’ అని కోట్లాది మంది మనోభావాలు దెబ్బతీసినా మీరు ఎందుకు వీడిని IPC153A,PD Act కింద జైలులో పెట్టడం లేదు?రాష్ట్రం అగ్నిగుండం అయ్యే దాకా ఆగుతరా? pic.twitter.com/DfRZpEHi7O
— Dr.RS Praveen Kumar (@RSPraveenSwaero) February 9, 2023
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New Delhi: A bill to set up a 13-member body to regulate institutions of higher education was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Monday.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan introduced the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, which seeks to establish an overarching higher education commission along with three councils for regulation, accreditation, and ensuring academic standards for universities and higher education institutions in India.
Meanwhile, the move drew strong opposition, with members warning that it could weaken institutional autonomy and result in excessive centralisation of higher education in India.
The Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025, earlier known as the Higher Education Council of India (HECI) Bill, has been introduced in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
The proposed legislation seeks to merge three existing regulatory bodies, the University Grants Commission (UGC), the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), and the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE), into a single unified body called the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan.
At present, the UGC regulates non-technical higher education institutions, the AICTE oversees technical education, and the NCTE governs teacher education in India.
Under the proposed framework, the new commission will function through three separate councils responsible for regulation, accreditation, and the maintenance of academic standards across universities and higher education institutions in the country.
According to the Bill, the present challenges faced by higher educational institutions due to the multiplicity of regulators having non-harmonised regulatory approval protocols will be done away with.
The higher education commission, which will be headed by a chairperson appointed by the President of India, will cover all central universities and colleges under it, institutes of national importance functioning under the administrative purview of the Ministry of Education, including IITs, NITs, IISc, IISERs, IIMs, and IIITs.
At present, IITs and IIMs are not regulated by the University Grants Commission (UGC).
Government to refer bill to JPC; Oppn slams it
The government has expressed its willingness to refer it to a joint committee after several members of the Lok Sabha expressed strong opposition to the Bill, stating that they were not given time to study its provisions.
Responding to the opposition, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the government intends to refer the Bill to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for detailed examination.
Congress Lok Sabha MP Manish Tewari warned that the Bill could result in “excessive centralisation” of higher education. He argued that the proposed law violates the constitutional division of legislative powers between the Union and the states.
According to him, the Bill goes beyond setting academic standards and intrudes into areas such as administration, affiliation, and the establishment and closure of university campuses. These matters, he said, fall under Entry 25 of the Concurrent List and Entry 32 of the State List, which cover the incorporation and regulation of state universities.
Tewari further stated that the Bill suffers from “excessive delegation of legislative power” to the proposed commission. He pointed out that crucial aspects such as accreditation frameworks, degree-granting powers, penalties, institutional autonomy, and even the supersession of institutions are left to be decided through rules, regulations, and executive directions. He argued that this amounts to a violation of established constitutional principles governing delegated legislation.
Under the Bill, the regulatory council will have the power to impose heavy penalties on higher education institutions for violating provisions of the Act or related rules. Penalties range from ₹10 lakh to ₹75 lakh for repeated violations, while establishing an institution without approval from the commission or the state government could attract a fine of up to ₹2 crore.
Concerns were also raised by members from southern states over the Hindi nomenclature of the Bill. N.K. Premachandran, an MP from the Revolutionary Socialist Party representing Kollam in Kerala, said even the name of the Bill was difficult to pronounce.
He pointed out that under Article 348 of the Constitution, the text of any Bill introduced in Parliament must be in English unless Parliament decides otherwise.
DMK MP T.M. Selvaganapathy also criticised the government for naming laws and schemes only in Hindi. He said the Constitution clearly mandates that the nomenclature of a Bill should be in English so that citizens across the country can understand its intent.
Congress MP S. Jothimani from Tamil Nadu’s Karur constituency described the Bill as another attempt to impose Hindi and termed it “an attack on federalism.”
