Beyond Faith --- Beyond Politics --- India/Pakistan ... Hindu - Muslim narratives :::: Political journey of Narendra Modi ::: Why Namo and Hindutva-infected India became Unholy trinity ??

And the Journey beyond all these ...

Ahmedabad to Delhi and now the unstoppable mission ....

There is scarcely a country today whose secrets are not revealed through the global and social media. India and its people Hindus and Muslims and the new-Bharat, that is the Hindutva-infected-Nation are no exception. India politics had entered a new phase in circa 2002. Many intellectuals and Sickularists guided by 'hatred' towards Hindus and Namo did not appreciate that. 

But in 2026 - people can see reason on why Hindu unity is a reality; and strongly so while the so-called Muslim fraternity has split at least electorally. In 2002 and period around 2005; Narendra Modi and the Hindutva-infected-Bharat became an unholy trinity - with or without good reasons. 

These were to be excoriated in every possible manner. We will look into these at a later stage. 

 

Take the focus to another era - and ask Muslims about their life and politics in India.  

This aspect was covered well in an article in 'Time' magazine in 2007. 

"We Muslims were the rulers of India. The British took that from us. In 1947, they should have given that back," - one scholar from the Institute of Policy Studies, Islamabad - Tariq Jan was quoted as saying. 

Well, it ought to be agreed that Religion does possess the power to Divide people and may also at times 'unite a nation'. Or does it 'divide' a nation and unite people in contrast ? 

  

Blogger and a book on Modi - Sept 13, 2013 when Namo was named as BJP's PM-candidate 

Looking back and somewhat even into the future -- one can say the impressive victories of the BJP under Modi (making a difference in approach and style earlier known to the Vajpayee-Advani era); actually raises numerous fundamental questions about leadership and the making of a popular will. 

Long back,  the established definitions of politics and governance did not impress the voters in Gujarat. That was 2002 and 2007. In 2012 - Modi was already embarking on a greater ambitious journey. 

And in 2026 - the voters in Assam and West Bengal have voted like the Gujaratis of 2002 ! 

And there is yet another important take away. The Congress party won 19 seats in Assam and 18 of them are Muslims. In Bengal, two of its legislators are Muslims. d in Kerala, it is suspected Rahul Gandhi's unofficial diktats were overruled and V D Sathesan has become chief minister because the Indian Union of Muslim League (IUML) wanted so. 

On Dec 3, 2012 on the eve of Gujarat polls, some of us met the then chief minister in Ahmedabad. Modi had publicly played down a possible bid to become Prime Minister.   

"All state elections before Lok Sabha polls are described as semi-final. I am not joining the issue," he had said.  

A lot has changed since then. 

Winning West Bengal with a substantial religious minority population — Muslims, for instance, account for over a quarter of state's 100-million-plus population — points to a consolidation of Hindu voters across caste and class lines. 

It is also true that the Bengali mindset was politically pro-Left liberal and even irreligious at times. Hence, for decades, the state resisted the kind of majoritarian politics that powered the BJP's rise across much of India.

The state had a strong linguistic pride and a sub-regional identity. All these have been captured.  

A reference to the past : 1857  

Mangal Pandey, the mustachioed soldier in the East India company, attacked his British lieutenant with a musket. His hanging a week later sparked a sub-continental revolt. Retribution too was swift. It is argued that though Mangal was a Hindu; it was the Muslims who bore the brunt of British rage. 

The world has come a full circle.

ends    

March 2, 1985 report in 'The Telegraph' :::::: Kolkata Congress party's MP has "bogus PhD" ::::: It was claimed Mamata Banerjee had received her PhD for research work 'The impact of Mughal Harem on state and policies' ::: Note the subject; "appeasement" had a beginning

Note the research subject; "appeasement" had a beginning .....

It was claimed Mamata Banerjee had received her PhD for research work 'The impact of Mughal Harem on state and policies' 

The headline was "City Congress (I) MP has bogus PhD" and the report was filed by Sattam Ghose.

"Calcutta, March 1, The University of East Georgia" which conferred doctorate degree on Miss Mamata Banerjee, the newly elected Congress (I) MP from Jadavpur, does not exist, according to the United States Educational Foundation in lndia. 

Miss Banerjee, an MA in Islamic history from Calcutta University, claims to have received the "doctdoctorate in 1982 for her research work entitled "The Impact of Mughal Harem on state and policies" prepared under the guidance of Dr Karuna Pada Datta, a former lecturer of  Calcutta University. 

The "Dr" attached to Mr Datta's name is also thanks to a PhD from the non-existent University of East Goergia.

Both teacher and student have bogus doctorates 

According to Miss Banerjee, she had submitted her thesis to Dr Datta along with the prescribed fees. 

The latter sent the thesis to Prof P.K. Mahesh, admission counsellor University of East Georgia, USA and faculty member, America International University, USA posted in New Delhi.

...... Happy reading .... from the newspaper clipping !!

ends 

Yogi Model at work in Bengal ::: 'Bulldozer action' as Major anti-encroachment drive conducted to clear out Howrah station area :::: “Respected Bhaipo Babu, yesterday I obtained the property list from the Kolkata Municipal Corporation," says CM

A massive anti-encroachment drive was carried out outside Howrah railway station past midnight, with bulldozers demolishing rows of makeshift shops and illegal structures along the stretch from the Ganga ghat to the station premises, officials said on Sunday.

The operation, conducted jointly by the Railway Protection Force (RPF), Government Railway Police (GRP), railway authorities and Howrah City Police, saw heavy deployment of security personnel across the area to prevent any untoward incident during the eviction drive.

Many temporary stalls and structures occupying footpaths and public spaces near the bus stand and Ganga ghat area were removed using bulldozers and earthmovers as part of a railway land clearance initiative for passengers' convenience.

The Railways, however, has not issued any official statement, but when asked, officials said it was a part of a regular cleanup operation.

The encroachments had for years caused severe congestion and inconvenience to passengers entering and exiting the station, one of the busiest railway terminals in the country. Visuals from the spot showed police barricading large sections of the area while bulldozers razed roadside shops selling food items, plastic goods and other daily-use articles.

Some hawkers alleged they were not given adequate prior notice before the demolition drive was conducted and claimed their livelihoods had been severely affected. Several traders said many of the stalls had existed for decades and demanded rehabilitation or alternative vending arrangements from the authorities.

"There should be beautification and proper management, but poor vendors should also be rehabilitated," one hawker said.

Eyewitnesses said tension briefly flared up when some vendors attempted to resist the eviction, leading to heated exchanges and pushing between police personnel and protesters. However, the situation was later brought under control.

Authorities maintained that the operation was necessary to clear illegal occupation of railway land and improve pedestrian movement and security around the station area. Police deployment in the locality continued on Sunday morning.  

Suvendu Adhikari's target: Bhaipo’s ‘corruption’, voter suppression network  

Chief minister Suvendu Adhikari has signalled an intent to expose the alleged model of corruption, violence, lawlessness and voter suppression run by Mamata Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee and his associates.

“Respected Bhaipo Babu, yesterday I obtained the property list from the Kolkata Municipal Corporation. The growth of your Leaps and Bounds (company) includes 24 properties in Calcutta,” he said, having chosen Abhishek’s political turf to address his first political rally as chief minister.  

“You have a palace-like office in Amtala. What have you done? Do we not know what these goons (Jahangir Khan and others) did using the police?” the CM told the party workers’ meeting in Falta — an Assembly segment in Abhishek’s parliamentary constituency of Diamond Harbour — where a re-election is scheduled on May 21.  

Suvendu’s comments were a clear message that his government had begun investigating the alleged wrongdoings and corruption of the previous government, led by Mamata and Abhishek.  

Three Trinamool Congress leaders arrested over financial corruption, extortion cases  

Three persons associated with the Trinamool Congress, including a gram panchayat chief and an INTTUC leader, have been arrested in separate cases of financial corruption and extortion.

In the first case, police arrested Smritikana Mondal, the head of the Trinamool-run Bilaimari panchayat and her husband, Anil, for defalcation of nearly ₹13 crore at the Sahanagar Krishi Unnayan Samiti Limited mini bank in Ratua 1 block.  

Based on a complaint lodged on May 14 by Hriday Mondal, the police initiated a probe and arrested Smritikana and Anil on Thursday night.

Somnath Saha, the subdivisional police officer of Chanchal, said the investigation was in progress. In another incident, the police arrested a leader of the INTTUC — Trinamool’s trade union — on Friday night on charges of extorting money from e-rickshaw drivers.

Saddam Sheikh is the vice-president of the INTTUC’s Kaliachak 1 block unit.

The police said Sheikh, who is from Ghorialichak, has been forcibly collecting money from the drivers in Kaliachak for a long time.

The police in North Dinajpur arrested Rantu Das, the district president of the Trinamool Chhatra Parishad (TMCP), on Friday from Calcutta for allegedly being involved in an illegal lottery racket. Nawab Ali, another accused, was arrested from Mirik in connection with the same case.

ends 

Bigger Trouble for Mamata !! ::: 1.69 crore SC, ST and OBC certificates issued since 2011 under scanner in West Bengal

Govt lens on 1.69 crore SC, ST and OBC certificates issued since 2011 in West Bengal

As many as 47.8 lakh certificates — 32.51 lakh SC certificates, 6.65 lakh ST certificates and 8.64 lakh OBC certificates — were issued based on applications received at the Duare Sarkar camps.

'Authenticity and genuineness of some Caste Certificates issued since 2011 have been challenged by different quarters,' reads an order by backward classes welfare department secretary

“You are aware that around 1.69 crore caste certificates have been issued since 2011... Now, it has been observed that the authenticity and genuineness of some Caste Certificates issued since 2011 have been challenged by different quarters,” reads an order issued by the Secretary of the backward classes welfare (BCW) department on Thursday.  

The Suvendu government in West Bengal has in the process asked district magistrates to re-verify all 1.69 crore SC, ST and OBC certificates issued since 2011 after the genuineness of some of the documents was “challenged by different quarters” over the past few years.  

“You are, therefore, requested to kindly advise all the Sub-Divisional Officers, who are the certificate issuing authorities, to re-verify all the Caste certificates issued since 2011,” the order reads further.

A series of complaints had come up in the past few years that the erstwhile Trinamool Congress government had issued Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Other Backward Classes (OBC) certificates to ineligible people without verifying their background.

“The practice of issuing caste certificates to ineligible people started just ahead of the 2021 Assembly polls by the previous government to get back a foothold in Jungle Mahal, where the BJP had won several seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. The practice started after the government had launched the Duare Sarkar programme in the last half of 2020,” said an official.

“Allegations of issuing certificates to ineligible people started cropping up as the top brass of the then government asked the SDOs — the issuing authority of caste certificates — to issue certificates based on the Duare Sarkar applications in a hurry. 

As detailed scrutiny and verification could not be carried out because of the push from Nabanna, several ineligible people received caste certificates,” said an official.  

The problem took a critical turn later on as the government started issuing second-generation caste certificates based on the certificates issued to ineligible people.

The SC, ST and OBC populace felt that they would be deprived of benefits like reservation in government jobs because of the inclusion of ineligible people in the category.

Although several complaints had been lodged in various SDO offices, the previous government did nothing and issuance of caste certificates continued unabated.

The situation in Jungle Mahal, where the majority of the SC and ST people reside, turned critical for the Trinamool Congress over the past few years. 

The BJP used the situation and strengthened its foothold in the area. The result was visible as the BJP won the majority of the seats in Jungle Mahal in the Assembly polls.

“Moreover, caste certificates issued to the persons and dependents whose names have been deleted from the electoral roll of the state in the recently concluded SIR exercise, shall be examined and may be cancelled following the due process as per the extant Act & Rules mentioned above. 

"Any laxity in this regard will be viewed accordingly and personal liability of the issuing authority shall be fixed.”

ends 

"If something in my neghbour's kitchen, it is not my business. And if it is in my own kitchen; it is not your business" :::: Naga CM Rio flags Manipur church burnt, "atrocities" against Christians; these are generally allegations ... And more importantly, no NDA leader spoke like that before !!

 This is typical about a politician-journalist relationship. 

Once a journo went to meet a Neta in his residence and when he got aroma of some good stuff coming out of kitchen; he//she told the Neta - "Sir, is it a special day ? There is something nice being cooked in your kitchen."  

Neta responds : Not that I know !  

Journo: Then it must be in your neighbour's kitchen !! 

The Politician says : 

"Let's focus on our work... If something is being cooked in my neghbour's kitchen, it is not my business. And if it is in my own kitchen; it is not your business". 

Now coming to fast approaching 2028 assembly elections in Nagaland; is there a problem brewing between NPF and the BJP ? 

I have used the phrase "problem brewing" consciously. The phrase usually means things are starting to go sideways. 

Ting Tong.  

The NPF lost power in 2018 because BJP or rather a gentleman called Ram Madhav dumped India's second oldest regional party and 'embraced' NDPP. In effect the embrace was between Ram Madhav and Neiphiu Rio.  

 In 2023, Rio's Assam counterpart Himanta Biswa Sarma came to the rescue and an one-sided deal was inked in favour of NDPP.  By circumstance or otherwise, the BJP contested only 20 and won 12 seats yet again - exactly the same number as 2018. 

The NDPP's numbers went up --- but in effect the NDPP got a lot many spare tyres. The sheer expenditure is so much that most non-NDPP and non-BJP legislators had to make a beeline and agree for 'deals' - whatever the terms and papers.   

At top : He may be alone, but battle ready !! 

Mr Rio is now the NPF chief and of course also the chief minister. But post-West Bengal elections, he gave a TV interview and agreed to speak about NPF-BJP allies of 2028. Normally, a 'safe customer', Rio would always avoid getting into any formal discussion on such delicate matters. 

Of course, post-2024 Lok Sabha polls; between us - me and my 'favourite chief minister' Rio -- we spoke on these lines. But all of it were off the record.  But now in the TV interview with a Guwahati-based channel, Nagaland's 'NDA chief  minister' almost blamed BJP for the mandate of 2024 in his state -- which the Congress candidate Supongmeren Jamir won.  

Supong may contest 2028 assembly election too but ticket may come from Kohima, the township which according to the Congress MP deserves a 'good airport' near northern Angami hills. 

Let us get to what Rio said in the interview: 

"NPF is BJP alliance in Manipur; NPF is also now alliance of BJP in Nagaland .... yes definitely (I have emotional attachment with NPF)". Answering questions on pre-poll alliance of 2028, he said: 

"When time comes those talks will start. But as far as party (NPF) is concerned, we will continue to be alliance with BJP. 

"It will be a pre-poll alliance. It can be seat sharing or it can be friendly contest."   

Importantly, this 'friendly contest' is a new concept. In 2023, a section of BJP leaders were more than keen about the same but neither BJP high command nor Rio himself were agreeable to that. As a result, many BJP leaders quit the saffron party and two Dr A Sukhato (from Pughoboto) and Kevechutso Doulo (Chizami) did so with a sense of hurt. 

 

  

Pfutsero 

Rio's utterances about 2024 Supongmeren (Congress) win in Lok Sabha polls are quite perplexing. 

He said : "We did not give any statement (earlier) on how it happened. That period Meitei-Kuki conflict ... very seriously happened. There were ethnic clashes...  

  

but how in the valley all the churches were destroyed and burned"?   

(This observation though came late in the day; the timing is making people raise eyebrows).

Churches were burnt down allegedly by Hindu mobs only.   

Notably, Rio mentioned Assam which under his (savior for a period Himanta) had opted for anti-healing laws etc. 

Rio was more specific. "These have frightened the churches ....Christians and there were atrocities also in other parts of the country. So, the (results of 2024 in Nagaland) might have surprised everybody including ourselves and as you mentioned, there was not even one Congress MLA.

"They had no proper party organisation .. they had no polling agent also".   

Post Card: Beauty - Jotsoma village near Science College 

About so-called atrocities against Christians in the rest of India; these are generally allegations only. And more importantly, no NDA leader has spoken about it in this manner and attributing it as the cause of NDA defeat in polls. 

Has the cat crawled out of the bag ???

ends 

Hail George Eliot --- well that's her 'pen name' ::::: 'Middlemarch' - the novel, ... 900-page portrait of 19th-century provincial life has been voted the BEST NOVEL OF ALL TIME in a 'Guardian' poll

“Souls have complexions too: what will suit one will not suit another.”

***

 My mother - Late Minati Deb (Dev surname is mine and my daughter's fiefdom) was a great lover of Bengali fiction. She would regularly insist that as a young boy I too develop the liking for novels. Of course, some Bengali novels --- I always enjoyed reading. Storyline would fascinate and excite me. 

But I also noted that most good Bengali stories (or any literary work) would deal with pathos.  

Maa - a diehard fan of Bengali fiction 

Everyone seems to be in pretty miserable condition, I would often complain. She would dismiss my argument but would often try to put up an argument that stories must be read with some basic understanding and appreciation about Morality,  hypocrisy, social influence, family obligations, religion or spirituality as one would understand. 

And also elements such disappointment, hope, ambition and jealousy. Many years later when I took up English literature - I could make better sense of what she wanted to say. Of course, I had grown up a little more ! 

I also started writing for local newspapers in Nagaland then. Hence, the distinction between fiction and non-fiction was also getting clearer.  

Mom had simple way of telling 'big things'. 

For example, she also used to say -- "you must note many characters ... would like to change the society and the world around .... but the world would change them in the end". 

 

Non-fiction would convey information. 

But it would be one theme or one set of information. This I thought was 'limitation' about journalism too. 

But Fictions will have a series and a wide range of experiences. It was for the readers to grasp and if it is films - the viewers have to gauge that. 

One English book had struck me. It was not part of any academic course. But I would spend hours reading and re-reading. 

It was Middlemarch -- penned by George Eliot.  -- 'Middlemarch, A Study of Provincial Life' 

Published in 1871–72, the novel had a complete bouquet. 

It portrayed the intersecting lives of residents of a Midlands town. 

The drama focused on Dorothea Brooke's ill-fated marriage, the professional struggles of Dr Tertius Lydgate, 

the romantic fortunes of Fred Vincy and Mary Garth, and even the disgrace of the banker Nicholas Bulstrode. 

I am sure I would like to read it again from a fresher's perspective. 

In circa 2026, the novel Middlemarch has made news yet again. 

To my surprise the 900-page portrait of 19th-century provincial life has been voted the best novel of all time in a Guardian poll of writers, academics and critics. There are interesting plots and sub-plots -- a character is drawn closer to Dorothea like a moth to a lamp. 

Though Dorothea is beyond reproach, her jealous husband isn’t so sure. He imagines the two of them getting up to .... !!  

George Eliot (the pen name of Mary Ann Evans) was already a highly successful novelist by the time Middlemarch was published in instalments in 1871 and 1872. 

Beginning with a marriage, and a deeply unhappy one, it upends the marriage plot. 

The novel is set 40 years before it was written, just before the Reform Act of 1832 and the arrival of railways. England is on the brink of change: the enfranchisement of the middle classes and the end of an old order. But reform in the novel is about more than politics. Eliot’s characters want to change the world.  

'The Guardian' has put up a lovely edit.  "Eliot herself is a wise and gracious voice in the novel, breaking the fourth wall to remind us to look or think more carefully", it says.

The article - also says - "In placing an intelligent, high-minded young woman at the centre of her novel, Eliot reshaped English-language fiction".   

Mom's Toolkit 

Now a few paras on Bengali novel writing. This may not be linked to Middlemarch. Nevertheless. 

The emergence of the Bengali novel in the 19th century was fueled by the Bengal Renaissance, colonial encounters, and booming print culture. It shifted literary focus from mythology to social realities. 

Pyarichand Mitra's Alaler Gharer Dulal (1857) and 

Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay’s Durgeshnandini (1865) mark the birth of modern Bengali fiction.  

Coming back to Middlemarch; George Eliot conveys a universal truth, life lesson ....  !! 

In other words, she is a great source of quotation. 

Aphoristic ---- describes a style of writing or speaking that is short, concise, and full of general truths !!  

A few references :    “Time, like money, is measured by our needs.”

Our vanities differ as our noses do, all conceit is not the same conceit.... 

“We are all of us born in moral stupidity ... 

We all of us, grave or light, get our thoughts entangled in metaphors 

“Destiny stands by sarcastic with our dramatis personae folded in her hand.” 

“Souls have complexions too: what will suit one will not suit another.”

Wrong reasoning sometimes lands poor mortals in right conclusions...

snap - The Guardian ::::

Juliet Aubrey as Dorothea Brooke in the 1994 BBC adaptation of George Eliot’s Middlemarch)

Henry James said that some of the scenes in 'Middlemarch' were the most intelligent in English fiction. Martin Amis, over 100 years later, called it “a novel without weaknesses”.  

The Guardian edit drives home a simple point, pretty straight.

"The magic of the 19th-century realist novel is succumbing to its world for hundreds of pages, and never more so than when reading Eliot’s masterpiece. 

It is a joy to live among the gossipy, imperfect inhabitants of Middlemarch. The backdrop of local elections and national uncertainty are particularly timely, as are its lessons on sympathy and tolerance. 

As Amis observed, “it renews itself for every generation”.

ends 

India, Netherlands back UN reform ::: Call for text-based negotiations within a fixed timeframe ::: Both sides called upon all countries to continue to work towards eliminating terrorist safe havens !!

India and the Netherlands underscored their commitment to strengthen and reform the multilateral system including expansion of both permanent and non-permanent categories of membership of the UN Security Council to reflect contemporary realities and called for text-based negotiations within a fixed timeframe. 

Prime Minister Modi thanked Prime Minister Jetten for the continued Dutch support to India’s permanent membership of a reformed and expanded UN Security Council. 

The two leaders further welcomed the simultaneous signing of the Security and Defence partnership that will strengthen EU and India’s dialogue and cooperation on security and defence, and deliver concrete results in areas such as maritime security, cyber, counterterrorism and defence industrial collaboration, a joint statement said. 

In a tweet, PM Modi wrote - 

"My conversations with Prime Minister Rob Jetten were extensive and covered a wide range of topics. One of them was defense and security. I spoke about the possibility of drawing up an action plan for the defense industry as quickly as possible. 

We can also collaborate in sectors such as space travel, maritime systems, and maritime security." 

The Joint Statement further said: 

Netherlands Prime Minister Jetten strongly condemned the heinous and abhorrent terrorist attack on civilians in Pahalgam, Jammu & Kashmir, India in April 2025 and expressed Netherlands’ solidarity and unwavering support to India in its fight against terrorism, including cross-border terrorism and the two leaders called for holding the perpetrators accountable. 

The two Prime Ministers unequivocally condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. They called for zero tolerance approach to terrorism and rejected double standards in countering terrorism.

"The two leaders reaffirmed the need to combat terrorism in a comprehensive and sustained manner through both bilateral and multilateral mechanisms, including in the UN and the FATF. They further called for concerted action against all terrorists and terrorist groups, including groups proscribed by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) 1267 Sanctions Committee and their proxies, affiliates, sponsors, backers and financiers," it said.

Both sides also called upon all countries to continue to work towards eliminating terrorist safe havens and infrastructure as well as to disrupt terrorist networks and their financing and bring perpetrators of terrorism to justice swiftly, in accordance with international law. 

Prime Minister Jetten expressed support for India’s endeavors to establish a UN Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT).

Both the leaders noted with concern the growing threats from the use of new and emerging technologies for terrorist purposes such as unmanned aircraft systems, use of virtual assets by terrorists, and terrorist entities and the misuse of information and communication technologies for radicalization.

"Recognizing a shared commitment to combat terrorism and strengthen the framework for global cooperation in this regard, both leaders emphasized the importance of upholding international standards on anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism by all countries," the joint statement said.

"The Indian diaspora is a living bridge of the India-Netherlands partnership. Our decision to extend OCI Card eligibility for the Surinamese Hindustani community from the fourth generation to the sixth generation has been enthusiastically received by the diaspora in the Netherlands," PM Modi tweeted.