Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Apr 26: Even as the protesting wrestlers holding a dharna at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar questioned the prime minister Narendra Modi “why are you not listening to our ‘Mann ki Baat,’ a couple of kilometres away the government held a mega celebration at Vigyan Bhavan marking the completion of 100 episodes of Modi’s monthly radio talk “Mann ki Baat” and released commemorative stamp and Rs 100 coin with the logo “Mann ki Baat.”
Besides senior union government ministers and officials, the official celebration was also attended by top dignitaries and a number of celebrities including the persons whose names were taken by Modi in his “Mann ki Baat” which will have its 100th episode broadcast on April 30. The national conclave was organised by the Prasar Bharati and inaugurated by the Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar.
Sitting on dharna against the Wrestlers Federation of India president and BJP Member of Parliament Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the wrestlers kept asking Modi, “Why are you not listening to our ‘Mann Ki Baat’,” and demanded the prime minister time to discuss the issue. The country’s top wrestlers resumed their agitation on Sunday, three months after they ended their sit-in protest following the formation of an oversight committee to probe into the serious allegations. The Sports Ministry has not yet made public the findings of a six-member oversight panel that submitted its report on April 5.
The wrestlers on Wednesday said they are surprised that PM Modi felicitates them and clicks pictures with them when they win medals but now he has turned a blind eye to their plight when they are on road, seeking justice. “PM Modi sir talks about ‘Beti Bachao’ and ‘Beti Padhao’, and listens to everyone’s ‘Mann Ki Baat’. Can’t he listen to our ‘mann ki baat’? He invites us to his home when we win medals and gives us a lot of respect and calls us his daughters. “Today, we appeal to him that he listens to our ‘Mann Ki Baat’,” a wrestler said during a media interaction.
“I want to ask Smriti Irani [Union Minister] why is she silent now. It’s been four days that we are sleeping on road, enduring mosquito bites. We are not being allowed [by Delhi Police] to prepare food and train, why are you silent? I just want to say that you come here, listen to us and support us,” added the wrestler.
The athlete felt that that their point may not be reaching the Prime Minister. “Maybe our truth is not reaching him, so we want to meet him and let him know our issues.” An emotional World championship medallist Vinesh Phogat said, “We don’t have the [telephone] numbers [of relevant people] by which we can reach out to him so we are appealing to PM Modi through media to raise issues. Maybe he can then listen to your cries. Our souls are almost dead, maybe he will see.”
“He does his program ‘Mann ki Baat’ but has he, even for a minute given a thought to our ‘Mann ki Baat’, how much dilemma, does he think we face that daughters of the nation are sitting on the roads and are on the cusp of quitting wrestling by standing against a big criminal?” Vinesh also said that they will take out a candle light march later in the evening.
“Maybe the authorities can’t see, so we will take out a candlelight march to offer some light. Maybe they can see that daughters of India, who are not just wrestlers but represent the feelings of many women, are out on the roads. Tokyo Games bronze medallist Bajrang also appealed to the PM. “These are daughters of India appealing to you, please do justice with them,” he said.
“We had brought wrestling mats for practice but we were not allowed, even we can’t prepare our food here because there is no permission. Now, will we have to take permission even for breathing,” asked Bajrang. He also added that efforts are being made by WFI chief’s men to scare them. “A few people are trying to discourage us and scare us by narrating stories about how Brij Bhushan got an adversary killed. But let me tell you that we are not going to get scared.”
Vinesh also appealed to all athletes, across disciplines, to stand united with them. “Can’t we put greed, fear and self-interest behind us? I appeal to all sportspersons of the nation, Olympic medallists, national medallists and world championship medallists to come together and stay united. “If we come together, there is no reason why we can’t be number one nation in Olympics one day.
Meanwhile, the union home minister Amit Shah rolled out a commemorative postage stamp to mark the 100th edition of ‘Mann Ki Baat’. A commemorative ₹ 100 coin was also unveiled to mark the momentous event in the valedictory session. According to a statement from the Finance Ministry, the coin will be different from other coins in circulation. It has been made from four metals and has a 44 mm diameter and 200 serrations. The other face of the coin bears the logo for the 100th Episode of Mann Ki Baat.
Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Information and Broadcasting and Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Anurag Singh Thakur, and Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary also attended the valedictory session.
As per India Post, the commemorative stamps are issued commemorating important events, prominent personalities in various fields, aspects of nature, environmental issues, agricultural activities, national/international issues, games, etc. These stamps, printed in limited quantities, are only available at Philatelic Bureaux and counters or under the Philatelic Deposit Account Scheme.
The ruling BJP will also be organising a national conclave named ‘Mann Ki Baat @100’ to celebrate the milestone, which will be graced by around 100 esteemed citizens from various parts of the country. The 100th episode of this coveted programme will be broadcast on over 1000 radio stations, including private FM stations, community radios, and various TV channels.
Speaking at the conclave, Amit Shah said “Mann ki Baat” has given Akashvani a new lease of life by taking it to the younger generation, who are tuning in to newer modes of entertainment. “The beauty of ‘Mann ki Baat’ is that a political person like Narendra Modi did not mention a single political issue in its 99 episodes,” Shah said. Underscoring that “Mann ki Baat” stands on the foundation of democracy, Shah said strong communication between a leader and the people makes democracy stronger.
Actor Aamir Khan, who attended the event, said the Prime Minister’s radio programme was an important piece of communication through which he has built a trusted relationship with citizens. “People want to believe in him (PM Modi) and follow him. They trust him and he has built this relationship with the public. Trust does not come automatically, it has to be earned. And clearly he has earned it,” Khan said at a panel discussion “Awahan Se Jan Andolan.”
“Since its inception on October 3, 2014, ‘Mann ki Baat’ has become a national tradition, with the Prime Minister addressing the nation every month, inspiring millions to participate in India’s developmental journey. Since then, it has struck a chord with citizens of India who have reached out to their Pradhan Sevak every month, sharing their achievements, anxieties, happiness and proud moments as well as suggestions for a New India,” the Information and Broadcasting Ministry said in a statement.