
DMK govt persecuting Hindu leaders: Raja
2
Madurai: Calling the DMK govt 'strongly anti-Hindu,' senior BJP leader H Raja alleged on Monday that it was targeting Hindu religious leaders and supporters using police, as seen in the recent case of Madurai Adheenam.
Raja led a demonstration by BJP cadres in Madurai on Monday evening near Jhansi Rani Park, in support of the 293rd pontiff of Madurai Adheenam, Sri La Sri Harihara Sri Gnana Sambandha Desika Swamigal. The seer was recently subjected to inquiry by Chennai cyber crime police for his alleged communal remarks following a road accident at Ulundurpet on May 2. Raja said the DMK govt was reacting to anything and everything out of fear.
"They will be out of power in 2026 for sure. So, they are needlessly waging a war against Hindu society and religion, and showing their anti-Hindu stance by actions such as this and persecuting Hindu religious leaders who do not favour them. They are using police as a tool for it," he said.
Saying that the Adheenam was subjected to inquiry even as he was recovering from a surgery, Raja said the Stalin govt was acting like a 'Taliban' govt.

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Economic Times
7 minutes ago
- Economic Times
'Trump is speaking nonsense against India & Modi is silently listening': Congress slams govt over US' latest tariff threat
The Congress on Monday criticised the Modi government following U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff announcement against India. Calling out Modi's silence, the party questioned why he was 'afraid of Trump.' Jairam Ramesh mocked past BJP slogans and diplomacy, saying the U.S. actions expose the failure of an image-driven foreign policy. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Trump's latest threat Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads India-US Trade ties Congress on Monday criticised the central government over U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement of slapping more tariffs on India. "Trump is speaking nonsense against India every day, and Narendra Modi is silently listening to everything," said the grand old party in a post on social media platform X."Why is Modi so afraid of Trump?," the party asked in its Secretary in-charge of Communications, Jairam Ramesh echoing a similar sentiment, said, "So much for Howdy Modi. So much for Namaste Trump. So much for Ab ki Baar Trump Sarkar. So much for BJP MPs hailing Narendra Modi as India's trumpcard.""Despite all the hugs, all the handshakes, all the high-decibel bromance — 'My friend Dolaand' has delivered yet another jolt. What has come of the much-vaunted front-row seat for our EAM at his inauguration? Or for the PM being one of the first to land at the White House?""Tariffs are being slapped. Negotiations are going nowhere. But Asim Munir, the man whose invective was the backdrop for the Pahalgam terror attacks, gets lunch at the White House."This is what happens when foreign policy becomes about image-building, not national interest, he a fresh trade threat against India, Trump on Monday said he will "substantially" raise US tariffs on New Delhi, accusing it of buying massive amounts of Russian oil and selling it for big week, the Trump administration slapped a 25 per cent duty on all Indian goods. The US president also announced a penalty for buying "vast majority" of Russian military equipment and crude oil, but no mention was made in the notification."India is not only buying massive amounts of Russian Oil, they are then, for much of the Oil purchased, selling it on the Open Market for big profits," Trump said in a social media post on Monday."They don't care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian War Machine. Because of this, I will be substantially raising the Tariff paid by India to the USA," he its reaction, India said it will take all necessary steps to safeguard and promote national interest and that the implications of the tariffs are being import of crude oil from Russia has risen from 0.2 per cent of total purchases before the Russia-Ukraine war to 35-40 per cent. New Delhi is the largest buyer of Russian oil after August 1, Trump signed an Executive Order titled 'Further Modifying The Reciprocal Tariff Rates', raising tariffs for over five dozen countries, including a steep 25 per cent for executive order, however, did not mention the 'penalty' that Trump had said India will have to pay because of its purchases of Russian military equipment and House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, in an interview to Fox News Sunday, stated that President Trump has said very clearly that 'it is not acceptable for India to continue financing" the Ukraine war by purchasing oil from week, Trump mounted a sharp attack on India and Russia for their close ties and said the two countries can take their "dead economies down together", a remark which prompted New Delhi to say that India is the world's fastest-growing major that the US has a massive trade deficit with India, Trump had said that while 'India is our friend, we have, over the years, done relatively little business with them because their tariffs are far too high, among the highest in the world, and they have the most strenuous and obnoxious non-monetary Trade Barriers of any country."Also, they have always bought a vast majority of their military equipment from Russia, and are Russia's largest buyer of energy, along with China, at a time when everyone wants Russia to stop the killing in Ukraine — All things not good!' Trump had announcements are being seen as a pressure tactic to get New Delhi to agree to demands made by the US in the proposed trade agreement with India. The US is seeking duty concessions for its agriculture, dairy and genetically modified (GM) foods. India is against giving any concessions in these sectors as they involve the livelihood of millions of small and marginalised Delhi has said that it is studying the implications of these tariffs and is still hopeful of concluding a fair, balanced and mutually beneficial trade far five rounds of negotiations have been held between the two countries. For the next round of talks, the US team is coming to India on August 25. The talks will go on till August historically bought most of its oil from the Middle East, including Iraq and Saudi Arabia. However, things changed when Russia invaded Ukraine in February the world's third-largest crude importer after China and the US, began snapping up Russian oil that was available at a discount after some in the West shunned it as a means to punish Moscow for its invasion of a market share of just 0.2 per cent in India's import basket before the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Russia overtook Iraq and Saudi Arabia to become India's No.1 supplier, with a share as high as 40 per cent at one point of July, Russia supplied 36 per cent of all crude oil, which is converted into fuels like petrol and diesel, that India 2021-25, the US was India's largest trading partner. The US accounts for about 18 per cent of India's total goods exports, 6.22 per cent in imports, and 10.73 per cent in bilateral America, India had a trade surplus (the difference between imports and exports) of USD 35.32 billion in goods in 2023-24. It was USD 41 billion in 2024-25 and USD 27.7 billion in 2024-25, bilateral trade between India and the US reached USD 186 billion. India exported USD 86.5 billion in goods while importing USD 45.3 services, India exported an estimated USD 28.7 billion and imported USD 25.5 billion, adding a USD 3.2 billion surplus. Altogether, India ran a total trade surplus of about USD 44.4 billion with the 2024, India's main exports to the US included drug formulations and biologicals (USD 8.1 billion), telecom instruments (USD 6.5 billion), precious and semi-precious stones (USD 5.3 billion), petroleum products (USD 4.1 billion), vehicle and auto components (USD 2.8 billion), gold and other precious metal jewellery (USD 3.2 billion), ready-made garments of cotton, including accessories (USD 2.8 billion), and products of iron and steel (USD 2.7 billion).Imports included crude oil (USD 4.5 billion), petroleum products (USD 3.6 billion), coal, coke (USD 3.4 billion), cut and polished diamonds (USD 2.6 billion), electric machinery (USD 1.4 billion), aircraft, spacecraft and parts (USD 1.3 billion), and gold (USD 1.3 billion).


Hindustan Times
9 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Rahul Gandhi ‘certified anti-national', says BJP after Supreme Court pulls up Congress MP
The Bharatiya Janata Party launched a scathing attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, describing him as a "certified anti-national" after the Supreme Court reprimanded him over his remarks about the Indian Army. BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said with the top court's observations, Rahul Gandhi's credibility has gone down to "zero".(PTI) The BJP alleged that Gandhi has vowed to "weaken India and strengthen China", claiming that the "China Guru" and his party "hate" the Indian armed forces. They demanded an apology from him and the Congress for his remarks. The Supreme Court on Monday stayed the proceedings against the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha before a Lucknow court for his remarks about the Army during his December 2022 Bharat Jodo Yatra. However, the top court bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Augustine George Masih slammed Gandhi, saying that he would not say such a thing if he were a true Indian. Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan said in a post on X that for the first time in India's parliamentary history, a Supreme Court had to make a "stern remark" against a Leader of the Opposition. "Rahul Gandhi and the Congress have a history of insulting the army, whether it is the surgical strike or Operation Sindoor. They have questioned the sacrifices of our brave soldiers at every opportunity," Pradhan said in a post on X. He said that the Congress' loyalty is not to the nation but only to one family, which is why respect for the nation is not even a part of their "fundamental thinking". "Today, the entire country is hurt by this anti-national mentality and expects an apology from Rahul Gandhi and the Congress," Pradhan added. BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia also cited the apex court's observations and alleged that Rahul Gandhi keeps making "immature, irresponsible and anti-India comments" even though various courts have rapped the Congress leader for such remarks in the past. "Today when the Supreme Court's comment has come, it won't be wrong to say that Rahul Gandhi has certainly vowed to weaken India and strengthen China," Bhatia said during a press conference. Rahul has 'Pakistan, China in his veins BJP IT head department Amit Malviya took to X to slam 'China Guru' Rahul Gandhi. He said, "The Supreme Court has once again reprimanded 'China Guru' Rahul Gandhi for making irresponsible statements concerning India's national security and territorial integrity." "Imagine, a leader of the opposition being repeatedly rebuked for speaking such recklessly," he added. "Rahul Gandhi is now a certified anti-national," Malviya charged in another post. During the press conference at the BJP headquarters in Delhi, Bhatia also showed a purported picture of Rahul Gandhi signing some document in the presence of Sonia Gandhi and Chinese President Xi Jinping. The BJP spokesperson claimed that the LoP signed a party-to-party memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Communist Party of China. "That's why Rahul Gandhi was saying that our soldiers were thrashed by Chinese soldiers, be it (in) Doklam or Galwan, while every Indian was standing by India and brave soldiers of India," he said. Bhatia added that they never tell the people of India what was in that MoU with the Communist Party of China. "It seems Rahul Gandhi has love for China and Pakistan in his veins, but no love for India," Bhatia added. The BJP spokesperson termed the Supreme Court's observations as "very serious" and said that with this, Gandhi's credibility has gone down to "zero". "Does India deserve a more responsible and a better Leader of Opposition (LoP)? As the LoP who has taken oath under the Constitution to protect the sovereignty of our country, is he destroying the sovereignty of our country? Is he helping nations that are inimical to our country? Is he demoralising the brave Indian armed forces?" he asked. Additionally, BJP leader Amit Malviya took on the Congress leader for his "dead" economy remark, calling it a "diplomatic disaster on multiple fronts". "His recent 'dead economy' jibe is just the latest in a long series. In doing so, he implicitly admitted that Russia, a long-standing ally, is struggling, while bizarrely endorsing a hostile state like Pakistan as having a robust economy," he said. BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla referred to Gandhi's remarks on the surgical strike and Operation Sindoor, alleging that the Congress leader and his party "hate" Indian armed forces. In a post on X, he said, "Sena ka Apman Congress ki pehchan (Insulting the Army is the hallmark of the Congress). Rahul and Congress hate Indian Armed Forces. Today SC has slammed him." BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari also said that the Supreme Court's condemnation of Gandhi exposed him. "Supreme Court asks Rahul Gandhi - 'How did you know that China had occupied land?'" he said. Bhandari said that this question did not "expose" Gandhi, but further got the attention back on the "secret MoU that Gandhi-Vadra family had with China". "Rahul is working under the remote control of foreign forces," he charged.
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Business Standard
9 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Obituary: The legendary architect of Jharkhand Shibu Soren dies at 81
'I pray for his long and healthy life,' the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president of the Jharkhand unit, Babulal Marandi, told Business Standard fervently a few weeks ago, learning that Shibu Soren was grievously ill. 'He has given a lot to public life and I pray he can contribute more'. Marandi can be counted as one of Soren's bitterest critics and the only one who ever defeated him in a Lok Sabha election. It was not to be. Shibu Soren (81) died on Monday and leaves a legacy of tribal assertion through democratic politics, in a long line of leaders that include Birsa Munda and Jaipal Singh Munda. If there had been no Shibu Soren, Jharkhand would probably never have been born. Jharkhand has a strong sense of identity. Earlier, the great unifying factor was the 'foreigner' (diku), the non-tribal. Initially, Jharkhand tribals resisted efforts by the Mughals and the British to overcome their rich land and luxuriant forests. But when the Hindu traders and Muslim farmers moved in and modern law and administration was established, tribals found themselves becoming marginalised. British authority and its accompanying array of devices facilitated the process of pauperising them. The administration was manned by dikus and the introduction of paper currency was alien to the tribals. Their villages went to — principally Muslim — landlords who wanted access to the forests and the communities that lived there as cheap labour. Independent India offered little that was better. Missionaries stayed behind and the tribals continued to resist efforts to subvert their own variant of Hinduism and gods, which were modelled on living tribal leaders. This led to the realisation that their lot would not improve until their identity was recognised as unique: For this they needed self-governance and their own province. The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) was started in 1973 by a group of Maoist leaders in Dhanbad. The general secretary was a young man just out of his teens — Shibu Soren, a Santhal. Soren was very much left of centre when he started out. He was just 13 when his father was murdered by loan sharks. Activists recall the rousing speech he made against injustice to tribals: The massive displacement of tribals in the garb of development, and the oppressive economic conditions that forced Jharkhandis to migrate. In that speech 'he said that the resources stolen from Jharkhand were used to create brightly lit colonies for outsiders as Jharkhand was pushed further into the darkness of poverty and starvation,' recalls a journalist who reported on the event. But Soren drifted away from Left politics as his popularity soared. In 1983, the JMM established itself as a political organisation instead of being a mere morcha (front). In its first programme, it committed itself to establishing an equitable society but later Soren explained that he drifted away from the communists because the Left did not support 'indigenous' leadership. In 2000, after a long and bitter battle that he led along with (initial) admirers like Babulal Marandi, Jharkhand was born. Soren had to wait five years to become chief minister — getting the office for just nine days in 2005 and then his minority government fell. He got another chance in 2008 and 2009. But the BJP pulled the plug. In all, he was chief minister of the state he helped to birth for just over 300 days (spread over various terms). Tribal Jharkhandis who had begun their career in the post-Jharkhand era and did not fully grasp the meaning of agitation were now emerging in politics. Some realised that it was more profitable to side with the diku than to oppose him. One fallout of this collaboration was Madhu Koda and the scandal around mining leases. More, including those involving his son Hemant, would follow. Soren dedicated himself to national politics, leaving his sons and colleagues to man the Jharkhand front. He served as a Lok Sabha member eight times. He was also a Rajya Sabha member and a Union minister. But as Marandi observed, Soren's strength lay in regional politics and the JMM continues, till today, to be just that — a regional party. Marandi also says that Soren was more than just a politician: He was a social reformer for the movements he helmed against loan sharks and for total and complete prohibition in Jharkhand. Even when his health was failing and he had largely retired from public life, he inspired loyalty and respect. His lieutenant Champai Soren, who crossed over to the BJP before the last Assembly election, went to see him to explain his position before he made the move. His followers elevated him to the status of demi-god. He didn't protest too much, his communist friends noted. But his persona — simplicity, accessibility and emotional connect with his people — will ensure his legacy lives on.