BJP MLA's ‘derogatory’ remarks against 102-yr-old freedom fighter rocks K’taka Assembly

Controversy

Opposition parties thronged the well of the House, demanding that they be allowed to raise the matter and forcing repeated adjournments.

PTI

BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal

BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal's "derogatory" comments against 102-year-old freedom fighter H S Doreswamy rocked the Karnataka Assembly as it met for the budget session on Monday with the ruling BJP and opposition crossing swords. Opposition parties thronged the well of the House, demanding that they be allowed to raise the matter and forcing repeated adjournments. The ruling BJP opposed attempts by the Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah to raise the issue, without any prior notice. The House also witnessed Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa replying to the debate on motion of thanks to the Governor for his address to the joint sitting of the state legislature, and also the motion getting adopted with voice vote, amid sloganeering by opposition members from the well. Amid the din, eight bills were tabled, including The Karnataka State Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2020 on setting up Raichur University, the Sarvajna Kshetra Development Authority Bill and Karnataka Regulation of Pay and Pension of Teacher in Higher Educational Institutions Bill, 2020. Yatnal's recent comments against Doreswamy, calling him a "fake freedom fighter" and "Pakistani agent" sparked a row, with opposition parties up in arms against him in the last few days. The Congress has even been demanding revocation of his assembly membership. According to Congress leaders, Yatnal's comments are in violation of the Constitution as by disrespecting a freedom fighter like Doreswamy, he had disrespected the freedom movement, which is in "violation of our fundamental duties." Yatnal has made it clear that there was no question of withdrawing his statements against Doreswamy and even called him a "mouthpiece" in favour of the JD(S) and Congress. Several BJP legislators have come out in defence of the Vijayapura city MLA, questioning the Congress and the freedom fighter for their alleged comments against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Veer Savarkar. As the House met for the day, the first day of the budget session, soon after the obituary reference to departed personalities, Siddaramaiah tried to raise the issue by terming it as a matter of "urgent public importance." He said the Speaker can allow him to raise the matter under residual powers that the Chair has. However, the Speaker, Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri, disallowing him, said he would go by the agenda as per which the Chief Minister's reply to the Governor's address has been listed and would consider the issue Siddaramaiah was trying to raise only after it was completed. Siddaramaiah, however, continued to raise the issue and alleged that Yatnal has made derogatory remarks against Doreswamy and has even reiterated it. Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister J C Madhuswamy and Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai then asked the Chair as to under which rule Siddaramaiah was raising the issue. Siddaramaiah said Doreswamy is a freedom fighter, which is known to the country and Yatnal's "derogatory comments" against him were an "insult" to freedom fighters and the freedom movement of the country. Minister C T Ravi questioned Siddaramaiah and Congress MLAs supporting him, about comments made against the Prime Minister and freedom fighters like Veer Savarkar. Several members from the treasury benches too objected to Siddaramaiah trying to raise issues without giving prior notice. In response, Siddaramaiah said the Speaker has certain inherent and residual powers, exercising which he can permit him. He continued to refer to Yatnal's comments and the ruling side again objected to it, leading to heated exchanges. The Speaker intervened and allowed the Chief Minister to reply to the motion of thanks to the Governor for his address and said he would look into the matter raised by Siddaramaiah only after that. Protesting against this, Siddaramaiah led his party members to the well of the House. JD(S) members too followed. Slogans like "jai to freedom fighters", "save democracy and the Constitution", "down down British agents" reverberated in the House, as Yediyurappa read out his reply to the Governor's address. After Yediyurappa's reply, the motion of thanks was put to vote and adopted amid sloganeering by the opposition. The Speaker then adjourned the House for 30 minutes. With opposition members continuing to protest from the well when the House met again, the Speaker adjourned the House for lunch, saying he would speak to floor leaders to discuss how the stalemate could be resolved. The ruckus continued post lunch as Congress leaders trooped into the well of the House and raised slogans. Finally, the house was adjourned for the day.

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‘Made in Bangladesh’: Film on garment workers is relevant, timely and moving

Film festival

The film deftly handles sensitive issues and is being screened at the ongoing Bengaluru International Film Festival.

Alithea Stephanie Mounika

Warning: Spoilers ahead There is no dearth of choice at the Bengaluru Film Festival (BIFFES), with organisers calculating that one can only watch about 35 films out of the 220 being screened, if they planned their days well. While I was spoilt for choice, what attracted me to Made in Bangladesh is its short duration of 95 minutes, and the fact that it was directed by a woman, Rubaiyat Hossain. What I didn't expect was to find the film so evocative, especially with parallels to India. The film is about the exploitation of labour in the garment industry, perhaps a dry subject, but which Rubaiyat handles skilfully to entertain with sensitivity.  The film focuses on the fact that female labourers are chosen to do the work in the garment industry in Bangladesh as they deemed “easier to control” and “can be paid less”, as an NGO worker puts it in the film. The garment factory where the women work starts denying them their overtime pay, which is when the women realise they are being exploited, and decide to start a union. The story of how they work to start a union to demand their rights, and the struggles they face in their personal lives and friendships as well, are given equal importance, underlining the saying “the personal is political”. For instance, we see Shimu (played by Rikita Nandini Shimu) leading the charge to form the union. And while we see her stand up to her rude, exploitative bosses, we also see her struggle with a husband who starts pressurising her to quit her job.  When Shimu discloses to a more privileged NGO worker that her husband wants her to quit the job, she is told that she must stand up for herself. To this, Shimu says wisely, "Ma'am, we are women. We're screwed if we're married and screwed if we're not." Finally, her husband tells her she can continue working, but only if she is ‘modest’.  Shimu agrees to wear the hijab, and one gets the feeling and she is compromising on the battle at home, to win the war of empowerment outside. In portraying struggles like these, the film shows empowerment for women isn’t a linear ladder which they can keep climbing higher, but a path fraught with problems. I initially expected the film would be something of a more privileged women telling disadvantaged women how to lead their lives. But I was pleasantly surprised to see the role of privileged characters in the film was, for once, all about empowering the garment factory workers, and then taking a step back. For instance, they teach Shimu how to use a smartphone, give her a book her rights as per the labour laws, and tell her how to go about registering her union. After that, the NGO takes a step back and the story remains about Shimu and her colleagues. As I watched the Shimu’s story, it was easy to forget that it’s a film from another country. The parallels between what women in low-income communities in India so often face, and the visuals of what women in Bangladesh face, were striking. The misogyny and exploitation of women, their clothing, the marketplaces, the heat that emanates from everything: all these feel extremely evocative of India. The film Made in Bangladesh is especially pertinent at a time when there is a lot of suspicion and xenophobia against immigrants from the neighbouring country. India is currently seeing a spate of protests against the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act. The act seeks to give Indian citizenship on the basis of religion, and excludes Muslims from its ambit. In such a context, it is easy to forget that the Bangladesh has a shared history and culture with ours. Watch the trailer here. Made in Bangladesh is nominated for an award in the Asian films category at BIFFES. This is the director's third foray into making a film after Meherjaan (2011) and Under Construction (2015), both of which earned Rubaiyat Hossain global acclaim and awards.

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