Australian High Commissioner's visit to RSS HQ: Greens Senator seeks resignation

By Our Representative
Australian Greens Senator Janet Rice, speaking in Parliament, has demanded the resignation of the country’s High Commissioner in India, Barry O'Farrell, for visiting the RSS headquarters in Nagpur on November 15, alleging, the saffron organization is “fascist”, and has “openly” declared admiration for “Adolf Hitler and the genocide of Nazi regime.”
Calling O'Farrell’s visit to the RSS headquarters “disgraceful”, Rice, a Senator for Victoria, told Parliament that the “contemporary RSS rides roughshod on people’s human rights”, and time and again it has “attacked Indian people’s human rights of freedom of expression, freedom of expression, freedom of religion and safety.”
Especially referring to the RSS’ advocacy of Hindu Rashtra, Rice, a founder of the Greens, Australia's third largest political party, said, the organization “demonises” minorities and “encourages persecution of some of the non-Hindu citizens of India, particularly those of Muslim background”, adding, her concern is, this was the second senior-most diplomat from any country “to meet with the RSS in recent times.”
In a tweet, referring to her speech in Parliament, Rice said, “The Hindu nationalist, fascist RSS has shown its disregard for human rights. Australia's High Commissioners play an important role on the world stage as representatives of Australia and our values. Barry O'Farrell's visit to the RSS headquarters runs counter to Australia’s values.”
Meanwhile, Pieter Friedrich, who claims to be “a freelance journalist specializing in analysis of affairs in South Asia, with a focus on the RSS and its Hindu nationalist agenda”, has floated an online petition stating “O'Farrell's visit appeared to clearly condone the RSS and, by extension, its radical Hindu nationalist ideology”.

The petition states, “As Australia's representative in India, his visit is deeply concerning in context of RSS' heavily documented ideological and institutional inspiration by European fascist movements like those of Hitler's Germany and Mussolini's Italy”, noting, RSS has been “repeatedly accused of instigating violence”, has been “banned three times, “the first time following the assassination of MK Gandhi by a former RSS member.”
Recalling that one of RSS “subsidiaries” Bajrang Dal “is implicated in the 1999 murder of Australian missionary Graham Staines, who was burned alive along with his two sons aged ten and six-years-old”, the petition recalls how RSS and its many subsidiaries have been “implicated” several anti-Muslim pogroms, including Gujarat riots of 1969 and 2002 and the “Odisha pogrom” in 2008 in which 100 plus Christians were killed.
Stating that O'Farrell's “laudatory visit” to the RSS headquarters instills a spirit of dread within the persecuted minorities of India as well as those Australian citizens of Indian minority origin, the petition, demanding O'Farrell’s resignation, says, he “has demonstrated his utter lack of diplomatic acumen and total insensitivity to the concerns of persecuted people in India.”
Addressed to Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne, the petition says, if the High Commissioner does not resign, he should be immediately “recalled.”

Comments

Savarkar 'criminally betrayed' Netaji and his INA by siding with the British rulers

By Shamsul Islam* RSS-BJP rulers of India have been trying to show off as great fans of Netaji. But Indians must know what role ideological parents of today's RSS/BJP played against Netaji and Indian National Army (INA). The Hindu Mahasabha and RSS which always had prominent lawyers on their rolls made no attempt to defend the INA accused at Red Fort trials.

Delhi HC rules in favour of retired Air Force officer 'overcharged' for Covid treatment

By Rosamma Thomas* In a decision of May 22, 2023, the Delhi High Court ruled in favour of petitioner Group Captain Suresh Khanna who was under treatment at CK Birla Hospital, Gurugram, between April 28 and May 5, 2021, for a period of eight days, for Covid-19 pneumonia. The petitioner had to pay Rs 3,55,286 as treatment costs, but the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) only reimbursed him for Rs 1,83,748, on the basis of government-approved rates.

'Enough evidence' in Indian tradition to support legal basis for same-sex marriage

By Iyce Malhotra, Joseph Mathai, Sandeep Chachra* The ongoing hearing in the Supreme Court on same-sex marriage provides space for much-needed conversations on issues that have hitherto remained “invisible” or engaged with patriarchal locker room humour. We must recognize that people with diverse sexualities and complex gender identities have faced discrimination, stigma and decades of oppression. Their issues have mainly remained buried in dominant social discourse, and many view them with deep insecurities.

Religious divide 'kept alive' with low intensity communalism in Gujarat's cultural capital

By Rajiv Shah A fact-finding report, prepared by the Mumbai-based non-profit, Centre for Study of Society and Secularism (CSSS), has cited the Vadodara Ram Navami violence of March 30 as yet another example of how, after the BJP consolidating its hold on political power in Gujarat post-2002 riots and at the Centre in 2014, the nature of communal riots has changed, underlining, as opposed to high-intensity violence earlier, now riots have become “more sub-radar and at a smaller scale, more localized”.

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Our Representative Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

Caste, impact on Ayodhya area 'halting' BJP rulers to act against Brij Bhushan Singh

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* Finally, the #WrestlersProtest has got international attention. The United World Wrestling (UWW), condemning the treatment and detention of wrestlers and expressing its disappointment over the lack of results of the investigations against Brij Bhushan Singh, accused of sexually harassing women wrestlers, has urged the "relevant authorities to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation."

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.

Unlike other revolutionaries, Hindutva icon wrote 5 mercy petitions to British masters

By Shamsul Islam* The Hindutva icon VD Savarkar of the RSS-BJP rulers of India submitted not one, two,or three but five mercy petitions to the British masters! Savarkarites argue: “There are no evidences to prove that Savarkar collaborated with the British for his release from jail. In fact, his appeal for release was a ruse. He was well aware of the political developments outside and wanted to be part of it. So he kept requesting for his release. But the British authorities did not trust him a bit” (YD Phadke, ‘A complex Hero’, "The Indian Expres"s, August 31, 2004)

76% Odisha govt school infrastructure in dilapidated state, 'undermine' RTE norms

By Our Representative As many as 75.86% (5,421) elementary schools in Odisha do not possess a playground, depriving students of physical activity opportunities. Also, 75.68% (5,408) of schools require minor or major repairing, undermining the norms and standards stipulated in the Right to Education (RTE) Act.

Can India's water management infrastructure address gender vulnerability issues?

By Monami Bhattacharya, Megha Gupta, Mansee Bal Bhargava* The climatic pattern of the earth is evolving and changing for a very long time, but in the recent times spanning this century, the change has been drastic which has raised serious concerns to all. Climate criss is also clearly manifested as gender crisis where women are more vulnerable besides being more voiceless to raise the issue. India is marked as a highly climate-vulnerable nation. In addition, the gender disparity in the patriarchal society seems deeply and naturally ingrained among all.

Search This Blog