Late ex-President Zail Singh's grandson rejoins Congress; 2 academics inducted
Inderjeet Singh said he rejoined the Congress after quitting the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as it had become 'neat and clean' after 'a few corrupt leaders from Congress moved to the BJP.' 'The BJP uses the backward classes and does nothing for them... Now, I am happy that I am home.'
Ratan Lal, who teaches at Delhi University, said he joined the BJP to defend democratic institutions. 'Prime Minister Narendra Modi claims nothing significant has taken place in the last 70 years. But what happened in the first 40 years after independence is reaping benefits for you… When the constitutional bodies are being misused, votes are being stolen, and public sector units are being destroyed, it is the responsibility of every concerned individual to join the Congress and strengthen the INDIA [Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance] bloc,' he said.
Ravikant, a Lucknow University professor, emphasised the centrality of the Nehru-Gandhis to the country's democratic fabric. 'Those who disregard the Nehru-Gandhi family are either naive or wicked. The Prime Minister's politics does not function without disrespecting [Jawaharlal] Nehru. When attempts are being made to end the Constitution and the voting rights, and social hatred is being spread, an individual has begun to fight for realising the dreams of Jawaharlal Nehru, Mahatma Gandhi, and BR Ambedkar.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hans India
21 minutes ago
- Hans India
PM Modi, Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh extend greetings to countrymen on 79th Independence Day
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Friday, extended greetings to the people on the country's 79th Independence Day and said this day must inspire all the citizens of the country to keep working hard to realise the dreams of our freedom fighters and build a "Viksit Bharat". Taking to social media platform X, PM Modi said: "Wishing everyone a very happy Independence Day. May this day inspire us to keep working even harder to realise the dreams of our freedom fighters and build a Viksit Bharat. Jai Hind!" Union Home Minister Amit Shah also extended heartfelt congratulations to all the countrymen on the 79th Independence Day and urged all the citizens of the country to contribute towards building a developed, self-reliant India. Taking to X, Union Minister Shah wrote: "Heartfelt congratulations to all countrymen on Independence Day. I pay homage to the freedom fighters who sacrificed everything in the Independence movement. I also salute the brave soldiers who work tirelessly for the unity, integrity, and pride of the nation. Let us all come together to fulfill the dreams of the immortal martyrs of the freedom struggle and resolve to contribute our utmost to building a developed, self-reliant, and exemplary India in every field." External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar also extended greetings to all the countrymen on this year's Independence Day. Taking to X, EAM Jaishankar said: "Heartfelt greetings to all countrymen on Independence Day. Jai Hind! Jai Bharat!" Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also extended warm greetings to the people of the country on 79th Independence Day, adding that "this day is not just a celebration of our freedom but a sacred remembrance of the courage, sacrifice and supreme selflessness of countless heroes who gave us the honour of a free India". Taking to X, Union Minister Singh wrote: "Greetings to all fellow Indians on our Independence Day. This day is not just a celebration of our freedom but a sacred remembrance of the courage, sacrifice and supreme selflessness of countless heroes who gave us the honour of a free India. Let us take inspiration from their ideals and work together to build a secure, strong and prosperous 'Viksit Bharat'." Taking to X, BJP President and Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda wrote: "I extend heartfelt congratulations and best wishes to all countrymen on the 79th Independence Day. On this auspicious day, I pay my respects millions of times to the great revolutionaries, freedom fighters, and immortal martyrs who sacrificed everything for the freedom of Mother India. Under the leadership of the respected Prime Minister Shri @narendramodiji, New India is progressing rapidly on the path of advancement with new energy, new confidence, and pride. On this occasion, let us all resolve to build a 'Self-reliant and Developed India'." Congress General Secretary and Wayanad MP, Priyanka Gandhi, on Friday took to her official X account and wrote: "Heartfelt Independence Day greetings to all countrymen. Our millions of heroes made countless sacrifices to grant us freedom. They entrusted us with the national resolve of democracy, justice, equality, and mutual unity. Through the principle of one person - one vote, they gave us a prosperous democracy. Our resolve to protect our freedom, constitution, and its principles remains unwavering. Victory to India! Glory to Bharat!"
Hindustan Times
21 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
PM Narendra Modi praises RSS, calls it ‘biggest NGO in the world'
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday described the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh as the biggest NGO in the world and praised the organisation for its selfless devotion to 'man making and contributing to the nation.' The RSS is the ideological fount of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). (PTI photo) The RSS is the ideological fount of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In his Independence Day address from the ramparts of Red Fort, the prime minister paid tribute to the volunteers who contributed to the nation over the years. Also Read: RSS chief cites cow example on 'balance', says shelters won't solve dog issue PM Modi, who was a full time volunteer of the RSS, hailed the organisation, which is celebrating its centenary, and said that its 100 year old history is replete with the ideas of 'Seva, Samarpan, Sangathan and Anushasan' translating to English as Service, Sacrifice, Organisation First and Discipline. He also lauded the work done by the organisation through a vast network of offshoots in different sectors. The prime minister said in the last hundred years, the organisation has worked with dedication and will continue to inspire us.
The Wire
21 minutes ago
- The Wire
India Gained Independence on This Day in 1947. Today We Are in Danger of Losing Our Secular Culture
Many Indian thinkers believe that India's secularism can survive if governments keep a principled distance from all religions, or promote them equally. But they many be expecting too much from politicians. Illustration: Pariplab Chakraborty The most celebrated moment in modern Indian history – Independence, which came 78 years ago this week – was also one of its most traumatic. For the first time in history, India, a land where pluralism flourished for millennia, was divided on religious grounds. Partition cast a malevolent shadow over our pluralistic, multicultural society. Today, sadly, many Indians think secularism is a bad word, and the country seems bent on creating a Hindu Rashtra. Before it's too late, let's reconsider this position and reclaim our world-renowned heritage of religious tolerance, equality and respect for diverse beliefs. Imagine what India will lose if secularism here dies. About 4000 years ago, our Vedic rishis invented the idea that 'truth is one, the wise call it by different names.' This simple thought brought our ancestors unparalleled progress and prosperity for thousands of years. It allowed people with all kinds of beliefs – pantheists (Hindus), atheists (Charvakas), materialists (Ajivikas), non-atheists (Buddhists), and spiritualists (Jains) – to live and grow together. At the peak of our prosperity in the 3rd century BC, Emperor Ashoka adopted Buddhism, but pronounced an edict: 'One should honour another's religion…By doing so, one helps one's own religion to grow and also renders service to the other's religion.' Buddhism carried this Indian philosophy to nearly all of Asia and eventually every continent on earth. In 1937, Hu Shi, a Chinese politician, lamented, 'Rather than sending soldiers, India sent a few missionaries to conquer China culturally.' Despite the arrival of Muslim rulers through conquest beginning around the 8th century, these pluralistic traditions survived. Some Muslim emperors, like Aurangzeb, were brutally oppressive to other religions, but others, like Akbar, were respectful. Akbar appointed members of different faiths to his cabinet and promoted a syncretic religion (Din-E-Ilahi). When the British arrived in the 18th century, India still enjoyed strong feelings of camaraderie between Hindus and Muslims. In 1857 they mutinied against the British together, and united symbolically under the leadership of Bahadur Shah Zafar, India's last Mughal Emperor. Both Hindu and Muslim rulers, like Rani Lakshmibai and Begum Hazrat Mahal, fought against the British. India's secular culture endured during its Freedom Movement. The 1916 pact between Motilal Nehru and Mohammed Ali Jinnah, representing the Congress and the Muslim League respectively, was hailed as a symbol of Hindu-Muslim collaboration. Gopal Krishna Gokhale, a Brahmin and Congress leader, called Jinnah 'the best ambassador of Hindu-Muslim unity.' When Mahatma Gandhi led the freedom movement, he raised religious solidarity to new heights. 'My Hinduism is not sectarian,' he said. 'It includes all that I know to be best in Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, and Zoroastrianism.' This ancient kinship came under great strain when India gained independence. The turning point had actually come a decade earlier, when Jawaharlal Nehru refused to give any Muslim League leader a place in the provincial governments formed in 1937 by the Congress party. It wasn't that Nehru was against Muslims; he just didn't want communal party representatives in government. But this harsh, unilateral decision made Jinnah angry and vengeful, and every effort after that to bring him back to the nationalist cause failed. Jinnah raised the call that 'Islam is in danger,' and rallied Muslims for a separate nation called Pakistan. Partition dealt a blow to the goodwill between the two largest communities in independent India. Hindutva became mainstream in the 1990s and is now India's dominant political movement. Today, many Hindus are rallying to the cause of Hindutva, which seeks to establish a Hindu hegemony in the form of a Hindu Rashtra. The followers of Hindutva feel that the Muslim minority is not committed to India's welfare. This sentiment is hardening by the day and turning into hatred. And as is natural with feelings of animosity, it is being reciprocated. Today, it is hard not to accept than many of India's Muslims and Hindus fear and even hate each other. If India wants to retain its age-old values of multiculturalism, this downward spiral of hatred based on religion must end. Since Hindutva is now politically dominant, this requires that any form of religious discrimination or oppression be constitutionally banned. I have long argued that India must adopt the strict separation of church and state. Many Indian thinkers believe that India's secularism can survive if governments keep a principled distance from all religions, or promote them equally. But they many be expecting too much from politicians. Recently, the chief minister of Assam (and Hindutva devotee) asked, "How can Himanta Biswa Sarma be secular? I am a hardcore Hindu. Similarly, how can a Muslim person be secular. He is a hardcore Muslim.' On the other hand, as Farooq Abdullah, Kashmir's Muslim leader and ex-chief minister, said earlier this week, 'India is going through a difficult phase, but no one can finish its secularism.' Today, on Independence Day let us hope Abdullah is right in his optimism. Bhanu Dhamija is the founder and CMD of Divya Himachal media group and author of Why India Needs the Presidential System. X: @BhanuDhamija The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments. Advertisement
