Editorial, 'Freedoms of Speech and Residence," in LAW ANIMATED WORLD, 31 July 2014 issue, Vol. 10, Part 2, No. 14

FREEDOMS OF SPEECH AND RESIDENCE

both protected, or even ensured, by the Constitution of India, particularly by Articles 15, 19 & 21, are in grave danger due to the ruling regional chauvinism in Telangana. One of those has already been sadly, and so easily, suppressed by a mere cable operators’ federation, allegedly acting at the instance of an eccentrically sectarian Chief Minister, by blocking two reputed TV channels. And the same chief is seeking to extinguish the right to residence of a section of people by mooting the queer proposal of fixing the residential eligibility of student candidates per their parents’ or grandparents’ residential status pre-1956. Till now one is used to hear about the nativity or residential status of a candidate only, but perhaps it is for the first time in free India that proposals for linking the candidates’ statutory entitlements to the origins of their ancestors are being heard. To worse confound the confusion, the ignorant daughter of this notorious chauvinist, she a first time MP too, has gone awry talking about the sovereign status of the State of Hyderabad [hence of Telangana] pre-1948 and decrying its forcible annexation by the Indian Union and linking it to the ever-raging dispute of Jammu and Kashmir – all the while not knowing, or deliberately overlooking, or maliciously suppressing the burning truth of a vast majority of the people in Telangana, as also Hyderabad State, having had militantly agitated for freedom from the despotic rule of the Nizam and for merger with the Indian Union in a popular ‘Join the Indian Union Movement’. And another minister-servile of the psychic chief has hurled a near-racist remark against ‘Andhras’, placing them on a level much below other migrants to Telangana, targeting them for denial of any entitlements on par with others – all the time forgetting that their own revered veteran leaders of Telangana like Survaram Pratap Reddy, author of the award winning ‘Social History of Andhras’, Burgula, Madapati, P.V., Dasarathi et al, all integrationists, had taken so much pride in that denomination. Regrettably, our constitutional courts have also not acted readily and effectively to rein in such unruly horses and remedy the injustices; it seems nowhere else does the maxim ‘justice delayed is justice denied’ apply so aptly as in our country.  §§§

Editorial: "Middle East Boiling Again" in LAW ANIMATED WORLD, 15 July 2014, Vol. 10, Part 2, No. 13 issue.

MIDDLE EAST BOILING AGAIN

Zionist extremism in the cause of the only Jewish State in the world and Islamic fundamentalism in Gaza as a part of Palestine liberation movement are once again seriously clashing in the Middle East in the recent background of more gory developments in Syria and Iraq where Sunni Islamic extremism, raising up as the Frankenstein monster created by the notorious American imperialism, has been with impunity engaging in the worst sorts of genocide and atrocities, and this is certainly a problem of profound concern to the entire world community. The wanton killings – especially the collateral damage – perpetrated by the Zionist aggressors as also the Hamas and other Islamic fundamentalist forces are no doubt to be condemned in no uncertain and vehement terms but this is not the time to go on picking faults and hurling condemnations alone. A novel and fruitful solution to this ever raging crisis and especially the now boiling conflict situation in the Middle East has to be devised and the world community should act with foresight and firmness through the United Nations here and now. A United Nations Peace Keeping Force should be specially set up and sent to the Syria-Iraq arena and the entire crisis there should be taken under its wings by the United Nations through its Security Council. As far as possible recalcitrant forces are to be disarmed and at least a cease fire and orderly administration to the extent possible should be enforced by the world community in that field. Coming to the Israeli-Palestinian crisis, the Security Council should direct an immediate and effective cease fire and the Camp David 2005 Accords be revived to make meaningful progress in the solution of this age-old crisis. The Arabs and Muslims should be told in no uncertain terms to overcome their psychopathic hatred and give up the disgusting demand of ‘wiping out Israel from the map of the world’; and Israel should be sternly directed not to transgress its limits and engage in wanton atrocities on Palestinians anymore. An intense effort be made to convince Egypt to cede Sinai or a good part of it also to Palestine to make room for a fairly large Palestinian State, the European Union take both Israel and Palestine under its wings as part of a comprehensive peace accord to be struck and strictly enforced under UN auspices. §§§