Pseudo-secularists disrespecting only Hindu Gods, culture: Pawan Kalyan
Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan on Sunday hit out at 'pseudo-secularists' who, he alleged, were 'disrespecting' only Hindu Gods and Hindu culture.
Participating in the Muruga Bhaktargal (devotees) conference organised by the Hindu Munnani in Madurai, he claimed Hindus are facing such disrespect for the last 75 years as they failed to nip in the bud such organisations.
The actor-politician said tolerance and patience of Hindus should not be mistaken for cowardice. Such [anti-Hindu] forces were taking shield under 'freedom of speech' guaranteed by the Constitution.
Quoting a Tamil proverb 'Sadhu mirandal kaadu kollathu' (even a forest cannot withstand the anger of a sage), he said the Hindus should get united and put up a courageous fight against such forces. 'We will unite with love and win with anger,' he said.
Contending that in the kaliyuga, Lord Murugan will not come to destory Soorapadman (demon)., he said, 'We should take on the destructive forces on our own. '
The conference drew a massive crowd of Lord Murugan devotees and cadres of Hindu Munnani and BJP and volunteers of RSS.
Hindu Munnani leaders, including its State president, Kadeswara Subramaniam, RSS leader, R. Vanniarajan, BJP leaders, Nainar Nagendran, Tamil Isai Soundarajan, K. Annamalai, AIADMK leaders, Sellur, K. Raju, R.B. Udhayakumar, K.T. Rajenthra Bhalaji, Kadambur Raju, and V.V. Rajan Chellappa, were present on the dais along with a large number of sanyasis.
Amidst dark clouds, the crowd remained seated occasionally chanting 'Bharat Mata Ki Jay' and 'Vetrivel Muruganakku Arogara'.
With the High Court directing the organisers not to mix politics with bhakthi at the event, most of the speakers did not take any names of political parties or political leaders even though they attacked those who were against the philosophy of Hinduism. However, they said certain politicians were wiping off 'tiruneeru (holy ash) from forehead' before posing for a selfie and said such forces were disrespecting only Hindu Gods, culture and way of life.
The conference passed a resolution demanding that Department of Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments should get out of the administration of temples and all the temples should be handed over to an independent board as the government was administering only the Hindu temples and not places of worship of other religions. The temples are deprived of any basic amenities including even one-time puja, it claimed. The hundial collection were used for buying cars for the officials, the resolution alleged.
Hindus should unite and prove it in the next election through its vote bank as political parties were trying to woo only minorities as Hindus have remained not united, another resolution said.
Karthigai Deepam atop the hillock of Subramaniaswamy Temple in Tirupparankundram should be lit on Karthigai festival. All the hillocks, which are abodes of Lord Murugan, should be protected from being overtaken by other religions.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who the organisers earlier said would be addressing the gathering, did not turn up for the event.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
14 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Congress's criticism of EC does disrespect to its layered processes
I have worked with the Election Commission. That's why I couldn't help but feel anguished by the Leader of the Opposition's article in this newspaper ('Match fixing in Maharashtra', IE, June 7). The charges levelled against the Commission in the article are inaccurate. Elections are a political fight. They are about getting the people's support. However, it seems to have become fashionable to blame the system when political parties are rejected by the people. It's another matter that the parties from the Opposition have been elected to office in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Bengal, Jharkhand and Karnataka. In Karnataka and Himachal, the BJP was ousted from office. If the LoP's accusations are correct, then Congress shouldn't have come to power in these two states. I have more than 36 years of experience with the civil services and have worked with Congress, BSP, SP and BJP governments at both the state level and the Centre. As a district election officer, I have officiated at least 10 elections. I have also been an election observer in at least five parliamentary constituencies. Nowhere was the role of the Commission doubted. Now to the charges against the Commission. One, the electoral rolls are updated in a routine manner at the district level. The process involves scrutiny at the booth level and by the tehsildar, sub-divisional officer, the supervisory officer at the district level and the district election office or the district magistrate. Every update is put up at the polling booth, the district office and the state office. Sufficient opportunity is given to all political parties to file objections. These objections are heard, and if necessary, corrections are made before the updated rolls are sent to a state's chief election officer. They are then finalised. The LoP's charge that the rolls were manipulated shows either a disconnect with his party workers at the district level or an absence of responsible cadres from his party at the grassroots level. Two, the chief election commissioner was earlier appointed by the Centre. One of them, in fact, became a minister after retirement in a government headed by the LoP's party. Now the same party is challenging the process of appointment of the CEC, when today, there is a process laid down for the appointment of this official. The charge is ridiculous. Three, the voting percentage given during the poll is an estimate. It takes time to arrive at the actual figure since queues at some of the polling stations, at the time of the polls closing, are long. The actual data comes in only when polling officials return to the collection points and submit the actual account with the total votes polled and the voter turnout. In several remote parts of the country, including in Maharashtra (especially the state's Naxal-prone regions), the polling parties return to the headquarters very late at night or even the next morning. Hence, the final voter turnout is put out only when every polling station gets its written and signed account. There will always be a divergence between the estimated and actual polling percentages. The entire process of accounting for votes involves so many layers of administration that it is impossible to manipulate the figures. Also, nothing stops the candidate from challenging the whole process. The Congress party and its advisors have lost touch with the system and with the public at large. They have lost the connection with their cadres at the grassroots level as well. They should not forget that the Election Commission of India is often asked by foreign governments to share its experiences in conducting free and fair elections. In fact, from my experience, I can say that irregularities used to take place when there was a system of paper ballots and when there were no EVMs. I remember a private company once telling me that it could manipulate the EVM. I asked them to give me a demonstration since that would have proved educational for me as well. But they couldn't manipulate the machine. I would urge the LoP to rethink. His criticism of Operation Sindoor indicates that he has lost touch with the country's reality. The LoP's criticism of the Election Commission is totally out of place. The writer is Chairman, Prasar Bharati
Hans India
16 minutes ago
- Hans India
Modi focuses on serving people
Hyderabad: Union Minister and State BJP chief G Kishan Reddy has emphasized that Prime Minister Narendra Modi believes public representatives should be accessible to people and work to address their issues. He was speaking at the 'Viksit Bharat Sankalpa Sabha,' which celebrated 11 years of the Modi government and the first year of Malkajgiri MP Etala Rajender's term. He highlighted the significant developments achieved under Modi's leadership. Reddy pointed out that the BJP had been in power for 11 years, delivering transparent governance. He contrasted this with the corruption scandals that plagued the previous Congress-led UPA regime, noting the absence of such scandals during Modi's tenure, which showcases the administration's integrity. The Union Minister recounted how Modi's leadership had strengthened India's response to terrorism, citing the surgical strikes as a significant shift in policy. "For Telangana, substantial funds have been allocated for infrastructure projects, including the construction of national highways and the modernization of railway stations," he said, highlighting the progress made under Modi compared to that in the previous Congress government. Kishan Reddy pointed out that Telangana had struggled with debt and corruption, particularly under the Bharat Rashtra Samithi party, which had failed to serve its citizens effectively. He expressed his confidence that BJP would win the next Legislative Assembly elections in the state. BJP MP and OBC Morcha National president Dr K. Laxman outlined how the Congress had consistently let down Backward Classes (BCs) from the time of the first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to Rajiv Gandhi, pointing out the flaws in the caste survey conducted by the Telangana government, which he argued deprived BCs of their due rights. Eatala Rajender said that the exhibition organized to mark the occasion showcased the achievements from Shyama Prasad Mukherjee to Modi. Recalling his interaction with the Prime Minister earlier in his role as the State Finance Minister regarding the rollout of the GST, he stated, "Modi focuses on serving the people rather than simply seeking power." He highlighted Modi's demonstration of the country's strength through 'Operation Sindoor'. In contrast, he pointed out that the Congress party was mired in scandals, with some of their own ministers facing jail time due to mismanagement. He noted that the state of Telangana was born out of sacrifices, but Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy had disrespected its people. Modi's leadership exemplified how a country could thrive, with India excelling in digital transactions. "While some create sensationalism with words, it is actions that matter, which reflects Modi's approach. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee sacrificed his life for our unity, and Modi has fulfilled his vision."
Indian Express
19 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Census must not only count women — it must count them properly
Numbers have always told stories: Of progress, pain, and power. But too often, they have also erased people at the margins. As the country prepares for its next Census, we must ask: Will we count women in a way that reflects their diversity and realities? Or will the most marginalised be once again statistically invisible and politically excluded? The passage of the Women's Reservation Bill — formally the Constitution (106th Amendment) Act — in September 2023 was a watershed moment. But its implementation has been delayed as it depends on the delimitation exercise, tied to the Census. This means that how we conduct the Census will shape not only who gets counted, but also who gets a seat at the table potentially for decades to come. Therefore, the upcoming Census is not just a statistical operation. It is a unique opportunity to shape the scaffolding for a more inclusive democracy. But for that to happen, it must be gender-responsive in design and execution. Over the past decade, I have witnessed firsthand how women in politics confront entrenched structural hurdles. Casual sexism within party ranks, lack of access to campaign finance, being ignored by the media, threats of violence — both online and physical — and being constantly overlooked by their respective political parties in ticket distribution for legislative seats. These challenges are magnified for women belonging to marginalised communities. Dalit, Adivasi, Muslim, queer, and disabled women, among others, face multiple and intersecting layers of discrimination. Simply reserving seats without addressing the ecosystem of exclusion will only reproduce inequalities in new forms. The Census will not only be about collecting sex-disaggregated data. It should recognise that women are not a monolith and ensure that questionnaires reflect that complexity. These are some steps that can be taken: Gender-data can be cross-tabulated with indicators for literacy, employment, land ownership, bodily abilities, religion, caste, etc; partnering with experts in gender and caste research, keeping in mind that caste and subcaste formations can also be regional in nature; building public data portals that allow civil society to filter, analyse, and visualise gender-aggregated data; most importantly, the enumerators should be trained in gender sensitivity. In 2011, the Census made a landmark move by including a separate 'other' gender category. But the enumeration process was poorly designed and inconsistently applied. This led to underreporting and misclassification of trans and non-binary persons. The next Census needs to correct this process of insensitivity and invisibilisation. Some may argue that implementing a robust, gender-responsive Census is too resource-intensive. Yet, without it, we risk implementing laws that are still rooted in the status quo. Applied to women's representation, it will replicate existing power structures, with privileged women at the helm. Once the Women's Reservation Act is enacted after a gender-responsive Census, we can monitor: If reserved seats across constituencies reflect the diversity of India's female population; if selection processes by political parties for reserved seats are evidence-backed, instead of being arbitrary; that there is a pipeline from panchayat to Parliament to prevent co-optation by elite women. These mechanisms would ensure that the policy is not tokenistic, and actually represents the women of India. Further, it will help us answer these critical questions: How do we ensure women from the Other Backward Classes are not overlooked in seat allocations? How will political parties be held accountable for fielding women candidates from SC and ST communities – not just in reserved constituencies, but also in general ones? Gender-disaggregated data would make visible those who are routinely ignored. And visibility matters because it seeds awareness, enables activism, and builds political pressure. A Census that fails to see women in all their lived realities is incomplete and unjust. The Census is a political mirror. But without gender-responsive tools, it offers only a distorted reflection. Every person counts in a representative democracy, and every woman must be counted where it matters most: In our legislatures, policies, and collective future. Because women are not just half the population — we are half the potential. And it's high time India sees us that way. The writer is the founder of Femme First Foundation and the lead author of The Fifteen: The Lives and Times of the Women in India's Constituent Assembly
