Editor,
Sabir Mallick, a migrant worker from West Bengal, was lynched by cow vigilantes in Haryana two months ago on the suspicion that he had consumed beef. Now, a lab report on a meat sample taken from his shanty has confirmed that it was not beef. The Deputy Superintendent of Police, Badhra, Bharat Bhushan said, “The meat sample from the shanty had been taken and sent for testing to a laboratory in Faridabad. We have received the report, which has confirmed that it was not beef.”
After Sabir was killed, his uncle said the reason behind his killing was the suspicion revolving around his origins, stemming from his mother tongue, and had nothing to do with beef eating. His uncle, Babar Ali Mallick, clearly said to a reporter at that time, “As my nephew was speaking Bengali, he was falsely suspected to be a Bangladeshi.”
The lab report on the meat sample corroborated what his uncle had said. A dangerous design has been orchestrated in many parts of India to label Bengalis from West Bengal as Bangladeshis, especially if they are Muslims. From Haryana to Odisha, Bengali speaking migrant workers were attacked after being labelled as Bangladeshis.
The Chief Minister of Assam said that he would take sides against “Miya Muslims,” a discriminatory euphemism for the minority Bengali Muslim community, and would not let them “go to Upper Assam.” Such comments can destroy trust between communities, as happened between Meiteis and Kuki-Zos in Manipur.
Samirul Islam, the chairman of the West Bengal Migrant Workers’ Development Board, pointed out the heinous plot to target Bengali speaking workers. He said, “It has become a threat for migrant workers from Bengal to work in BJP-ruled states. Speaking Bengali in states like BJP-run Haryana or Odisha is dangerous as aggressive groups like cow vigilantes consider them Bangladeshis.”
Those who are instigating people to hate Bengalis are totally opposed to the spirit of India’s renaissance. They want to go back to the days of sati and untouchability. Therefore, they hate Bengalis, as Bengalis gave the light of renaissance to the rest of India. This design needs to be rooted out to safeguard India’s unity and progress.
Raja Ram Mohan Roy is the maker of modern India. His was a life-long crusade for women’s right to inheritance and property and against sati, casteism, and superstitions. The orthodox condemned him and organised a social boycott against him. As it was then, so it is now. Dabholkar, Pansare, Kalburgi, and Gauri Lankesh were killed in the twenty-first century for running with the torch of Raja Ram Mohan Roy. The same force is now on the prowl to attack Bengali speaking workers.
Interestingly, like them, even some Bengalis describe Raja Ram Mohan Roy as a stooge of the British. But they themselves are self-haters and take great pleasure in fault-finding about anything Bengali. They, like some orthodox, regressive groups, are completely averse to Bengal’s syncretic culture.
This culture has been crafted by the likes of Sri Chaitanya, Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Lalon Fakir, Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar, Sri Ramakrishna, Tagore, Kazi Najrul Islam, and many more stalwarts.
We need to peacefully fight an ideological battle, not only to safeguard the minorities but also to reclaim the progress that we have so far achieved. We need to reclaim the spirit of India’s renaissance, the essence of our freedom struggle, and the ideals of our Constitution. Stringent action must be taken against the criminals and their supporters who want to divide the country.
Yours etc.,
Sujit De,
Kolkata
Maintain Sanctity of Parliamentary Committees
Editor,
Parliamentary Committees are a component of Parliament hence their sanctity should be maintained by all Parliamentarians. However, the Parliamentary Committee constituted for the Waqf Board is reportedly not maintaining decorum. The objective of setting up Parliamentary Committees is laudable because they are out of the ruckus of Parliament and beyond the limelight. Parliamentary Committees are expected to examine issues threadbare in a dispassionate manner without partisan considerations. It is in this spirit that key legislations were remitted to Joint Parliamentary Committees attached to various ministries for granular examination and for recommending changes, if any.
It is a fact that the sittings of both Houses of Parliament over the years have been drastically reduced. Hence the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) members drawn from various parties as per their numbers in each House are expected to scrutinise legislation in greater detail. Naturally the ruling party would have more members. These Committees met when Parliament was in session and also during the inter-session periods. In short, time was not a constraint for the functioning of the JPC. After the Parliamentary elections the BJP did not get absolute majority and is now dependent on its allies. The Congress got 100 seats and presently there is bitterness among political parties. This acrimony is reflected in the JPC nominated for the Waqf Board.
In a particularly ugly incident a Trinamool Congress member of the JPC looking into the Waqf law hurled a plastic water bottle at the Chairperson Jagadamibika Pal in a fit of anger. The meeting ended abruptly but not before the errant member, Kalyan Banerjee was suspended for a day. In subsequent meetings Banerjee did not express regret. He instead sought to justify it by arguing that a BJP member from West Bengal, Abhijit Gangopadhya, had provoked him. However, the position of the Chairperson who intervened is also controversial. The eagerness to pass the Waqf Amendment Bill and the lack of interest in democratic practices is only indicative of the Centre’s ulterior motives. This is the reason for the conflicts in the JPC from the very beginning.
Waqfs are assets set aside by Muslims for religious and philanthropic purposes. Islam believes that good deeds of setting aside wealth to continue beyond one’s lifetime is a pious act. The matter was referred to a 31-member JPC after the entire Opposition objected to the Centre’s stand for not giving enough time to study the new Bill, which would amend the Waqf Act of 1995, which governs Waqf properties
The above incident reflects the increasing degeneration of JPCs into shouting brigades. Disagreement on this issue continues on the Waqf (Amendment)Bill 2024 over the deposition of the Delhi Waqf Board administrator despite the objection from Delhi Chief Minister Atishi. She had written to the panel saying that the presentation made by the administrator should be treated as null and void since it was not vetted by the Delhi government. In response, the panel Chairperson had sought Lok Sabha Secretary-General’s opinion on the issue before allowing the Administrator to continue with his presentation. Meanwhile the administrator who wholeheartedly supported the Bill was asked some sharp questions by the Opposition members. It is learnt that the administrator in his presentation appreciated the provision for separate boards for Agakhani and Bohra communities, saying that it is “forward looking” and “promotes the eclectic nature of the society.”
Chaos erupted again during the JPC meeting on the Waqf (Amendment) bill after the Delhi Waqf Board supported the proposed changes to the legislation. Delhi Waqf Board administrator, IAS officer Ashwini Kumar backed the bill even as Opposition MPs called his stand “illegal.” The Opposition said the Delhi Waqf Board administrator was not a Muslim and argued that the law stated that non-Muslims could not be on the Waqf board. A BJP MP pointed out that when Arvind Kejriwal was the Chief Minister, he had appointed a Hindu administrator to the Delhi Waqf Board.
Due to differences of opinions between the Ruling and Opposition parties such ruckus is likely to continue in the coming days too. Even if the Bill is passed in both Houses of Parliament, resentment will continue among Muslims. Hence keeping in view the need for national integration the Government should take into confidence those who are against this Bill.
Yours etc.,
Yash Pal Ralhan,
Via email