Former Bajrang Dal Karnataka President slams PM Modi for destroying Constitution
Mangaluru: Former Bajrang Dal Karnataka President Mahendra Kumar on Sunday slammed PM Narendra Modi for destroying constitution of the country while also destabilizing the constitutional institutions.
Mahendra Kumar was speaking at an event organised by DYFI at Mangaluru’s Townhall.
Kumar slammed Modi led BJP government for using condemnable events like Pulwama Attack to get political mileage during the Lok Sabha Election. He further added that the current economic slowdown is also conspired the NDA government to put the country in a position where nobody can question the government about their acts.
Kumar stressed upon creating awareness among the youths of the country against the government that is manipulating facts and history to gain political mileage and advantage.
Kumar also condemned the hatred that is being promoted and created in the hearts and minds of youngsters in the Dakshina Kannada District to divide Muslim and Hindus. He also called for awareness against RSS and its institutions that is doing such acts.
“If the situation doesn’t improve in Dakshina Kannada and mainly in Mangaluru there will come a time when people in the region will roam around with guns and weapons”, Kumar said.
Speaking at the event Muneer Kattipala also added that the struggle against the facist forces will not end. He said that they were fighting against economic slowdown, price hikes in transport and other issues in Dakshina Kannada for which they have conspired and are booked with several cases but inisited that his struggle will not take a hit by such vendetta politics.
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Maharashtra village goes ‘caste-free’, penalties for abuse, 2-hour student “no-phone” period
New Delhi: A village in Maharashtra's Ahilyanagar district made an effort to redefine social boundaries through a unanimous gram sabha resolution, with residents of Soundala publicly declaring the village "caste-free" earlier this month.
According to a report published by The Print, during a specially convened gram sabha, a resolution was passed on February 5, which calls for the removal of caste-based distinctions from public and social life. It urges residents to interact only on the basis of shared humanity. It also prohibits inquiries into caste identity and affirms equal access to public spaces, religious places, water sources, schools and government services.
Soundala is located about 350 km from Mumbai. It has a population of around 2,500 across nearly 450 families. Majority of the families belong to upper castes while a significant Dalit population, alongside a small number of Muslim and Christian families also live in the village. While overt discrimination had been declining over the years, residents say the resolution gives formal expression to changes that were gradually taking root.
The initiative was led by village sarpanch Sharad Argade. The Print quoted him as saying that the move was initiated because of rising caste and communal tensions in neighbouring areas of the state and he feared that social divisions seen elsewhere could harden in his own village if left unaddressed.
According to Argade, the idea of declaring Soundala caste-free was discussed over time, influenced by social worker Pramod Zinjade and shaped by his family’s long involvement in local politics. Argade’s wife Priyanka, a former sarpanch, is credited by villagers with playing a key role in challenging social norms through her outreach work, which included visiting homes across caste lines.
The resolution states that Soundala will not differentiate on the basis of caste, religion, creed or colour, and adopts the motto “My caste is humanity." The resolution also warns against social or economic boycotts, communal statements and the circulation of inflammatory content on social media, with provisions for penalties.
After the resolution villagers are sharing food in festivals, visiting each other's houses, and attending community events together. Older residents recall a time when Dalits were forced to sit separately at weddings, use different wells, and stay away from upper-caste houses. Members of the Muslim community also spoke of earlier experiences of exclusion that discouraged social interaction.
Soundala has also introduced penalties for verbal abuse, discouraged discriminatory practices against widows and extended financial support for widow remarriage. The gram panchayat also provides educational support to girls up to Class 12 and enforces a daily two-hour “no mobile phone” period for students to encourage study.
Two months before the caste-free resolution, the village had also adopted a practice of playing the national anthem each morning over a loudspeaker. Argade said it was intended to reinforce a shared civic identity.
Acknowledging that caste remains relevant in government policy, particularly in reservation for education and employment, the sarpanch was quoted by The Print as saying that the aim was to confine caste to official records and remove it from daily behaviour.
