Political Line | In BRICS, Modi is more than a ST President

Modi’s balancing act at the BRICS summit

India has been doing a balancing act for some time now between the demands of the West led by the US and its long-standing friendship with Russia. Russia’s military operation in Ukraine has made this task even more difficult, but India is determined to stay on this path. Attending BRICS Summit with leaders of Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said BRICS countries have a “very similar approach” Governance of the global economy”, and commended “pragmatic” cooperation in several areas, including the New Development Bank, a satellite agreement, a COVID-19 research and development center set up in South Africa, and mutual recognition of COVID vaccines within BRICS countries. and pharmaceutical products, including drugs.

The Ukraine conflict has increased pressure from the West on India, but it also reinforces the wisdom of the strategic autonomy that the country has long embraced. On the one hand, the weaponization of trade and finance by the US against Russia has given new strength to the argument that India should not put all its eggs in one basket. BRICS countries are now discussing dollar-linked trading options and the US dollar as a reserve currency. It’s not easy to separate the dollar, and market forces will have the final word on its situation, but countries are talking about it. Shri Modi’s statement that India shares the vision of BRICS on global economic governance is noteworthy in this context.

English dreams and local realities

BJP wants to promote Hindi and replace English on the basis of public statements. But English remains the norm of upward mobility in the country, whether it likes it or not. The demand for English education is so high that it is difficult to find qualified teachers who can teach the language. In Rajasthan, the Congress government has started more than 700 English-medium schools under a new plan in three years, and plans to increase that number to 2,000 by next year. Most teachers themselves are not proficient in EnglishAnd this plan remains a challenge going forward.

In Gujarat, the BJP government – yes, the same party that wants to abolish English and promote Hindi – is starting class 1. English language teaching fromComing week. For the first time, English has been introduced in more than 32,000 government primary schools in Gujarat. The state government says that this is being done in view of the widespread demand of the parents.

Along with the promise of English education for the people, the BJP is also continuing its cultural politics. Elections are to be held in the state later this year. Inauguration of the revamped Mahakali Temple On the Pavagadh hill in central Gujarat, which was apparently destroyed by the 15th-century Gujarat ruler Mahmud Begada, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the country was now witnessing “cultural freedom, beginning with Sardar Patel’s restoration of the Somnath temple.” Did it from.” “For five centuries and 75 years of independence, there was no flag above” [the] Mahakali Temple. Today once again the flag flies over the temple. This flag is not only a symbol of our faith and spirituality but it shows that the centuries change, the ages pass, but our faith remains eternal and strong.

global Hinduism; a ST president

India has repeatedly intervened in the United Nations in recent times in favor of religions other than ‘non-Abrahamic religions’ i.e. Christianity, Judaism and Islam. India has implicitly claimed the right to speak on behalf of Hinduism, Sikhism and other religions originating in the country.

The cultural politics of the Narendra Modi government has achieved some success on the global stage, a significant one being the establishment of 21 June as International Yoga Day by the United Nations. In some contexts and places, even the most harmless cultural symbolism can take Controversial turn in Maldives,

Protecting Hinduism and protecting Hindus anywhere in the world is being considered a responsibility by the Modi government, which has also changed the citizenship laws. This week, India gave Emergency visa to 111 Hindus and Sikhs from AfghanistanHours after the terrorist attack on a Gurudwara in Kabul. All had applied for visas in September 2021, but the applications were cleared after the Islamic State in Khorasan Province (ISKP). A terrorist group attacked the gurdwara Two people, including a Sikh granthi, died on Saturday.

federalism path

Speaking of Hinduism, are India’s indigenous population – tribal communities – Hindus? This question will resonate now The country is set to get its first president from a tribal community, “For the longest time, there was confusion over who the tribals of India were, especially given the territorial expansion of the subcontinent and the diversity of its people. Can they be located within the caste system ( Caste, Were they groups that had been isolated geographically? were they society ( Jana) with specific social, economic and political organizations?

For example, Kuruba in Karnataka wants Scheduled Tribe status, and the Supreme Court recently decided that a larger bench would lay down full-proof parameters to determine whether a person belongs to a Scheduled Tribe and is entitled to benefits due to the community. A two-judge bench was no longer certain of an “affinity test”, which was used to link an individual to a tribe through anthropological and ethnic traits.

Draupadi Murmu sweeps the Purnadeshwar Shiva temple in Rairangpur, Odisha.

BJP’s presidential candidate Draupadi Murmu sweeps the floor at a local Shiva temple And also visited a Santhal holy site before going to Delhi, following the belief that the people of the tribe are Hindus anyway.

RSS-affiliated bodies argue that tribals who convert to Christian or Muslim forms of worship should be denied the benefits of ST reservation, as is already the case with members of the Scheduled Castes who convert to Christianity or Islam. are converted. Traditional tribal politics resisted the influence of all outsiders – Christian missionaries, British imperialists and Hindu migrants.

It is not easy to balance the conflicting demands of caste groups. Karnataka textbooks issue is stirring up sentiments, A Dalit BJP worker told a minister that if Dr. B.R. If Ambedkar is not respected, the community will walk away from the party. The textbooks were rewritten to account for the objections of the Brahmins, who argued that they were shown in a bad light in the context of caste oppression and ritual practices.

The Dravidian model of social justice, which seeks to ensure equal representation of all communities in government, may require additional measures in response to changed circumstances. The quota in the private sector can be such that, This piece argues.

After protests from local communities, Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh wrote a letter to the Center To stop the construction of fencing along the Indo-Myanmar border.