Narmada oustees to protest in Badwani, as Modi prepares to 'celebrate' submergence

By A Representative
As the water level in the Narmada dam has reached 138.68 metres mark, which is the full reservoir level (FRL), ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's birthday, September 17, the Narmada Bahcao Andolan (NBA) has called for a major protest rally in Badwani, the town in Madhya Pradesh bordering Gujarat.
NBA said, the protest, which would be held on September 17 afternoon, near about the time when Modi will be celebrating waters overflowing the Narmada dam, has been organised "there is an outcry in the Narmada valley, which is surrounded in a thick veil of sadness, as millions of people do not even remember how many days it has been since they have either slept or eaten properly."
Criticising the Government of India for "cruelty and arrogance", NBA said, "The people of the valley are unable to understand that why the representatives they choose to uplift our country and society are instead drowning them today", regretting, "So far no orders have been issued by the Madhya Pradesh government, too, on the decisions taken in the full-day meeting between NBA and the state administration on September 9."

Pointing out that the Madhya Pradesh administration is failing to take action with regard to relief and rescue work for dam oustees, NBA said, "There are many villages where not even a single officer has reached yet. You will see more people from the villages than from the administration coming out to help the people trapped in this devastating situation."
"People, regardless of the condition of their house, without even thinking of the water which has reached the door of their houses, have come out in large numbers to help out others", NBA said, underlining, "On one hand, Modi will be celebrating the submergence of millions of people, on the other, we will take out a huge rally in Barwani and spread our voice to the whole nation."
Meanwhile, a senior Gujarat activist, DN Rath, said, "About 117 villages are marooned due to the flood water of Narmada. NBA leader Medha Patkar sat for 9 days' hunger strike to save the marooned people of Madhya Pradesh. Not only the villages of Madhya Pradesh , many villages of Gujarat also marooned . The city of Bharuch on the bank of Narmada is flooded and people are moving in boats. Bharuch district's 23 villages have been alerted."
Wondering why is the Gujarat government not releasing the stored Narmada water in the canals, Rath, who heads Movement for Secular Democracy (MSD), said, had this been done, "the flooding of the villages of Madhya Pradesh could have been saved. And the dry Narmada canals could have been used to help Gujarat farmers."
Regrets Rath, instead, the Gujarat government decided to store water to make it overflow and invite tourists to the spot. Chief Minister Vijay Rupani invited Modi to come to the Sardar Sarovar dam to celebrate his birthday. "What a vulgar way of celebration of birthday, it is shame! There is no iota of human feeling for the affected people of Madhya Pradesh."

Comments

When democracy becomes a performance: The Tibetan exile experience

By Tseten Lhundup* I was born in Bylakuppe, one of the largest Tibetan settlements in southern India. From childhood, I grew up in simple barracks, along muddy roads, and in fields with limited resources. Over the years, I have watched our democratic system slowly erode. Observing the recent budget session of the 17th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, these “democratic procedures” appear grand and orderly on the surface, yet in reality they amount to little more than empty formalities. The parliamentarians seem largely disconnected from the everyday struggles faced by ordinary exiled Tibetans like us.

Study links sanctions to 500,000 deaths annually leading to rise in global backlash

By Bharat Dogra International opinion is increasingly turning against the expanding burden of sanctions imposed on a growing number of countries. These measures are contributing to humanitarian crises, intensifying domestic discord, and heightening international tensions, thereby increasing the risks of conflicts and wars.

Dhurandhar: The Revenge — Blurring the line between fiction and political narrative

By Mohd. Ziyaullah Khan* "Dhurandhar: The Revenge" does not wait to be remembered; it arrives almost on the heels of its predecessor, released on March 19, 2026, just months after the first film’s December 2025 debut. The speed of its arrival feels less like creative urgency and more like calculated timing—cinema responding not to storytelling rhythm but to the emotional climate of its audience. Director Aditya Dhar, along with actor Yami Gautam, appears acutely aware of this moment and how to harness it.

Beyond the island: Top mythologist reorients the geography of the Ramayana

By Jag Jivan In a compelling new analysis that challenges conventional geographical assumptions about the ancient epic, writer and mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik has traced the roots of the Ramayana to the forests and river systems of Central and Eastern India, rather than the peninsular south or the modern island nation of Sri Lanka.

BJP accounts for 99% of political donations in Gujarat: Corporate giants dominate

By Jag Jivan An analysis of the official data on donations received by national parties from Gujarat during the Financial Year 2024-25 reveals a staggering concentration of funding, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accounting for nearly the entirety of the contributions. The data, compiled in a document titled "National Parties donations received from Gujarat during FY-2024-25," lists thousands of transactions, painting a detailed picture of the financial backing for political parties from one of India’s most industrially significant states.

Alarming decline in India's repair culture threatens circular economy goals: Study

By Jag Jivan A comprehensive new study by environmental research and advocacy organisation Toxics Link has painted a worrying picture of India's fading repair culture, warning that the trend towards replacement over repair is accelerating the country's already critical e-waste crisis.

Captains extraordinaire: Ranking cricket’s most influential skippers

By Harsh Thakor* Ranking the greatest cricket captains is a subjective exercise, often sparking passionate debate among fans. The following list is not merely a tally of wins and losses; it is an assessment of leadership’s deeper impact. My criteria fuse a captain’s playing record with their tactical skill, placing the highest consideration on their ability to reshape a team’s fortunes and inspire those around them. A captain who inherited a dominant empire is judged differently from one who resurrected a nation’s cricket from the doldrums. With that in mind, here is my perspective on the finest leaders the game has ever seen.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

‘No merit’ in Chakraborty’s claims: Personal ethics talk sans details raises questions

By Jag Jivan A recent opinion piece published in The Quint by Subhash Chandra Garg has raised questions over the circumstances surrounding the resignation of Atanu Chakraborty from HDFC Bank , with Garg stating that the exit “raises doubts about his own ‘ethics’.” Garg, currently Chief Policy Advisor at Subhanjali and former Secretary of the Department of Economic Affairs, Government of India, writes that the Reserve Bank of India ( RBI ) appears to find no substance in Chakraborty’s claims, noting, “It is clear the RBI sees no merit in Atanu Chakraborty’s wild and vague assertions.”

Search This Blog