Wither, scientific temperament?
gotra and village", Khattar had in 2020 claimed such prohibition had “scientific backing". The word “gotra" usually refers to lineage that, to many people, marriage must not violate, for that would amount to incest. I don’t want to argue about this, nor chase a precise definition of the word.
But to suggest that someone from the same or nearby village is automatically of the same “gotra", as these murderers did, is, by itself and at best, questionable. To murder a woman for such a relationship is a grotesque crime. That a chief minister waves away such atrocities is unconscionable.
But that he does so by invoking science is profoundly disheartening. He seeks a patina of respectability for an outlook that’s indefensible in anyone, least of all an elected official, and he thinks he will get it by tossing us the phrase “scientific backing". No, Shri Khattar, there’s nothing scientific here.
Just irrational hatred. Second, take a short clip that’s making the rounds. It features a young woman interviewing Nitin Gadkari, the Union minister for road transport and highways, in what looks like a tunnel (https://bitly.ws/VjW9).
In fact, it is indeed a tunnel, being built below the western reaches of New Delhi. Gadkari explains at some length why this tunnel is such a marvel of planning, engineering and cost savings. Judging by the comments the clip has attracted, this has become one more reason to applaud Gadkari’s vision and drive.
Which is all good, as far as it goes. But the interview features two statements that might furrow some brows. The first is that the tunnel is 28km long.
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