Mysuru, July 31: Progressive thinker Prof Mahesh Chandra Guru said that instead of becoming the chowkidar of farmers, labourers, dalits, tribals, minorities, backward classes and neglected communities, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has become the chowkidar of Hindutva, fundamentalists, market and exploiting forces which is the biggest betrayal to the nation.

Addressing the agitators who staged a protest against the statement of BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal on intellectuals who oppose Hindutva and central government, in front of the town hall here on Tuesday, he said that both speech and action of Prime Minister Narendra Modi have no relationship. In recent days, he has used two words -‘Bhagidar’ and ‘Chowkidar’- repeatedly and was misleading the people. He has not actively participated in the process of the welfare of exploited classes. Instead of this, he had become a part of industrialists, businessmen and upper castes and it was against the Constitution and the democracy, he alleged.

In 2014, Modi had come to power promising to make mature India and India for all. But everything is not fine in the NDA government. Dalits, tribals, minorities, backward classes, women and youth were deprived of their fundamental rights and facing problems, for which fundamentalists, who have been controlling the central government were responsible, he alleged.

In reality, progressive thinkers and activists were the real custodians and protectors of the constitution, democracy, civil society and human values. Because of such people, democracy was alive in the country, he claimed.

NDA government sponsored Hindutva and fundamentalists have thought that killing progressive people life Prof Bhagavan, Nidumamidi Swamiji, Nijagunananda Swamiji, Girish Karnad, Narendra Nayak, Prakash Raj, Mahesh Chandra Guru, Baraguru Ramachandrappa, Hulikal Nataraj and others was their real Dharma or religion and it was a great threat to the democracy. Recently, Basanagouda Patil Yatnal had said that if he was the home minister, he would have killed progressive thinkers and those who oppose the constitution by shooting them. But even after listening to his statements, Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister have maintained silence. People have been watching this adamant attitude of the BJP leader and the inaction of the custodians of the democracy in taking legal action against him, he said.

Basavaraj from CPIM, Dr N Lakshminarayan from PUCL, progressive thinker Dr Rathi Rao, Muddukrishna of CPI, Varadaiah, Shambhaiah, Choranahalli Shivanna, Edadore Mahadevaiah, Devendra, Mahesh, Javarappa of DSS, Raita Sangha leaders and others were present.



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Pune, Sep 21: Union minister Nitin Gadkari has said the biggest test of democracy is that the ruler tolerates even the strongest opinion against him, and it leads to introspection.

Writers and intellectuals should express themselves fearlessly, the senior BJP leader said at a book release function held at MIT World Peace University here on Friday.

"The biggest test of democracy is that the king tolerates the strongest opinion against him and introspects over it," he said.

In India, there is no problem of difference of opinion but "there is a problem of lack of opinion," the Road Transport and Highways Minister said.

"We are neither rightist, nor leftist. We are opportunists. It is expected from writers and intellectuals that they express their opinions without any fear," he added.

Gadkari also said that as long as untouchability and notions of social inferiority and superiority persist, the work of nation-building can not be said to be complete.