Tiranga Yatra held in Nandyal
A Tiranga Yatra was taken out from Tekme Market yard to Gandhi Chowk in Nandyal district headquarters to honour the armed forces on the success of Operation Sindoor in response to the terror attack on tourists in J&K's Pahalgam. Speaking on the occasion, Ms. Rajakumari said Tiranga Rally is a symbol of unity in diversity and urged people to express their solidarity with the defence forces.
Nandyal MP Byreddy Shabari said the armed forces have shown the might of our military power to Pakistan and all those countries, opposing us, through Operation Sindoor. She said the women soldiers of the nation have taught a lesson to the terror elements who have killed innocent men in front of their wives through Operation Sindoor.
Ms Rajakumari and Ms Shabari also felicitated personnel serving the armed forces and those who have retired from service. Tributes were paid to slain army jawan Murali Naik, and others who were killed in Pahalgam terror attack.
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Hans India
a few seconds ago
- Hans India
Rajasthan sarpanches express gratitude to PM Modi for their I-Day experience at Red Fort
Sarpanches from the border areas of Barmer, Jaisalmer, Bikaner and Ganganagar were invited to the Red Fort in the national capital on the occasion of Independence Day on August 15 (Friday). Those present at the Red Fort on Friday shared their experience on Sunday. The sarpanches said they never thought that they would be called to Delhi and felicitated. They also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BSF. The Border Security Force (BSF) carried out innovative initiatives on the occasion of Independence Day celebrations. Under this, along with BSF jawans at the border, the young public representatives who were always ready to serve the country were always invited as special guests. They got the opportunity to participate as special guests at the Red Fort. The aim of this initiative is to honour the public representatives. BSF IG Madanlal Garg said that the government had launched a vibrant village scheme, under which the village should be strengthened and the people of the village get employment in the village itself, and they should not go elsewhere. According to a statement, more than 220 schemes of Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government are being 100 per cent implemented in Vibrant Villages. Vibrant Village Programme is proving to be a milestone in addressing the problem of migration from border villages. Sarpanch Bhartharam of Navatla Bakhasar village in Barmer district, sarpanch of Kanwarpura in Sri Ganganagar district, Sanjana, sarpanch of 22 KYD in Bikaner district, and Geet Kanwar, Sarpanch of Myajlar in Jaisalmer district, had received special invitations. BSF IG Madanlal Garg told the media that during Operation Sindoor, it was our responsibility to protect the people living in the border area. These people were also associated with us during this time. Their ability to stay at the border is unique. He said that the village residents "supported us during Operation Sindoor... there was no need to evacuate the village". One sarpanch each from villages in four districts of the border was selected to be called to Delhi. Sarpanches were called under the Centre's Vibrant Village Scheme. The Vibrant Village Scheme aims to develop the villages across the border areas. Through skill development, scope for new employment opportunities is aimed to be created so that the people of the village do not need to go to urban areas in search of employment. Sanjana, 22 KYD Sarpanch, Bikaner district, said: 'We were called to honour on the occasion of Independence Day. It was a great idea to meet PM Modi. Travelled in his life for the first time in an airplane." Bhartharam, Sarpanch of Navatla Bakhasar village in Barmer district, told IANS that it was a great experience. "During Operation Sindoor, we encouraged the BSF, so we were called to Delhi on Independence Day. It is a matter of great pride for all of us. We never thought we would get a chance to travel." Sarpanch Geeta Kanwar said: "I feel proud that on August 15, PM Modi extended an invitation. The BSF made quite good arrangements to take us to Delhi. It was good to listen to the Prime Minister's speech at the Red Fort. I thank PM Modi for inviting us."
The Wire
3 hours ago
- The Wire
Modi's I-Day Speech Shows It Is No Longer Ideas or Hope but Hate That Excites His Supporters
But the PM's words do not merely evoke disquiet – they are actually dangerous, and their consequences are borne by Muslims and Christians. Listening to Narendra Modi's speeches is nothing less than a trial. And an ordeal. How can anyone endure nearly two hours of such tedium, a speech full of falsehood, empty boasts, puffed-up bravado that – most pernicious of all – is saturated with the poison of hatred? But why are these speeches delivered with such audacity, repeated for 11 years? If they continue, and the speaker thinks that there are people ready to receive them, the responsibility lies not only with the speaker but even more so with those who keep listening to such demagoguery. For, in truth, it is we who have allowed this. We have sustained – and re-elected, not once but twice, this man as our prime minister for over a decade. We have done so fully aware that his only mastery lies in one trade: the trade of hate. Perhaps we tolerate Modi's bluster, his swagger, his lies, because behind all of it lies a single undiluted truth that we love and want: this hatred. In the official press release that followed his speech, the Prime Minister's Office spoke of fortifying our defences with an expanded security envelope, of fostering strategic sectors, of repeating the mantra of an 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' in technology and industry. Youth and entrepreneurs were urged to embrace swadeshi. All this is stale stuff. Those fortunate enough to secure employment in the private sector were promised Rs 15,000 – a sum intended to absolve the government of its fundamental responsibility to provide work. It is now for you to secure work, and if you are lucky enough, then the government rewards you with a paltry sum of Rs 15,000. But the central point of the speech was Operation Sindoor and a demographic task force. Operation Sindoor was presented as a watershed moment in the history of independent India, a new normal in the war against terrorism. Or against Pakistan. And yet, we know that respected security experts have called it a costly and pointless folly. India failed to mobilise support for this foolhardiness even after spreading scores of MPs across the world. It left India looking pitiable. Defence experts warned that calling this 'new normal' a doctrine was not bold – it was dangerous. What he is promising to his constituents is a continuous war. Only that will keep them enthralled. A social activist and blood campaigner makes a portrait of Prime Minister Narendra Modi using blood at a demonstration organised to celebrate 'Operation Sindoor', in Bhopal, Saturday, May 10, 2025. Photo: PTI. An official press release talked about the mundane: 'Prime Minister's address focussed on self-reliance, innovation and citizen empowerment … Every Indian must contribute to nation-building, whether by buying India-made products or participating in scientific, technological and entrepreneurial ventures to ensure a prosperous, powerful and Viksit Bharat by the nation's centenary of independence.' These phrases – self-reliance, 'Vocal for Local', indigenous and so on – have been repeated ad nauseam over the last 11 years and they have worn thin. Modi's record is stuck, static – the needle refuses to move forward. These words no longer excite his supporters – they know that they are recited as ritual. What can move them, then? Not ideas. Not hope. The only thing cutting through this tedium is hatred – each shot a higher dose than the last. But these words have to be spoken, for his civilised apologists to find something positive in his speech, the mainstay of which is actually division and hatred. That hatred becomes a stimulant, injecting enthusiasm into his disheartened audience. Their blood pulses faster; life recedes until it finds purpose again in rage. Long ago, Sonia Gandhi called Modi the 'merchant of death'. She was criticised – but the sobriquet fits, because the result of this hatred is indeed death. After his coronation as the promoter of hate in 2014, Pune witnessed the murder of Mohsin Sheikh. His killers gloated, 'the first wicket has fallen'. That was but the beginning. Death and destruction have followed in a daily, unrelenting stream. Muslims and Christians are the targets of that hatred – and they alone bear its consequences. Most Hindus don't even notice. When Muslims or Christians object, they are told: 'You are over-sensitive, too touchy, too fragile, too reactive. You are making a mountain out of a molehill.' But the BJP leaders – including Modi – and dozens more associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) promote hate and violence day in and day out. Their foot soldiers execute violence across India. And now, the state – its police, its bureaucracy – has joined in, emboldened by the prime minister and the chief ministers, confident that this is now the state policy. Worse, many in the police and the administrative ranks themselves believe in the ideology of hate. After Modi's coronation as the promoter of hate in 2014, death and destruction have followed in a daily, unrelenting stream. Illustration: Pariplab Chakraborty. The courts, too, remain indifferent, as if violence against Muslims or Christians is no big deal. The media marches ahead – in both promoting and legitimising this hatred and violence. Yet hate wounds even the hater – it just reveals itself much later. Initially, the hater feels powerful. History is witness to this – and yet, how rare it is for us to learn from distant countries. We believe that by understanding the price the German people paid for choosing Hitler, we will save ourselves – a naivety. When, after 1945, Germany emerged from Hitler's terror and declared 'never again', it was not just a declaration for themselves – the world needed to hear it. India, in arrogance, believed that we too were immune to the charms of demagogues like Hitler. But there was an organisation – the RSS – that claimed inspiration from Hitler and Mussolini. And among its members is one Modi. In 2025, the RSS completes a century of existence. It has been complicit in inciting violence against Muslims – before and after independence. The organisation keeps no records of its members, so it can always distance itself from their actions – yet everyone knows its role. Former members have testified how the RSS has plotted violence. The RSS isn't just one organisation: the Vishva Hindu Parishad, the Bajrang Dal and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad are its branches. Evidence of their involvement in violence across India stretches decades back. On Independence Day, the prime minister sang the RSS's praises. For him, a volunteer, it was natural – maybe even right. But he is the prime minister of India. That the chief of the state should engage in such praise of an organisation which has a Hindu rashtra as its ideal is shameful. Modi spoke about 'infiltrators' in fierce terms in his speech, saying: 'Under a deliberate conspiracy, the country's demography is being changed … infiltrators are stealing the livelihoods of our youth … targeting our daughters and sisters … deceiving innocent Adivasis and seizing their land … this will not be tolerated … when demographic shifts occur near our borders, they become a threat to national security, sow social discord … no country can hand itself over to infiltrators … that is why I announce from the Red Fort: we have decided to launch a high‑power demography mission … this mission will address the grave crisis.' This is not the first time. Since 2013, the fear of infiltrators has been planted in the Hindu psyche. In the Jharkhand elections, he talked again of outsiders eyeing Adivasi land and women. In Bihar, voter roll purges in the name of a special intensive revision (SIR) justified as removing infiltrators was deemed necessary. Today, every Bengali-speaking Muslim is branded an infiltrator. The prime minister's words could fuel this violence – they do not merely evoke disquiet, as an editorial suggested – they are actually dangerous. Photo: A child wears a headband that reads, 'I am Bengali, not Bangladeshi' during a protest rally in Kolkata on July 23, 2025. Credit: PTI/Swapan Mahapatra. Very recently at Sitamarhi, home minister Amit Shah attacked the opposition for speaking against the SIR. Infiltrators must be removed from the electoral rolls and have no right to vote, but are the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Congress opposing the SIR because these infiltrators' names are being deleted, he asked. The Election Commission removed 6.5 million names from the state's draft voter rolls. But it does not cite even one person that was removed for being an infiltrator. Infiltrators need not be real. Even without them, the fear of infiltrators can be made real. Today, every Bengali-speaking Muslim is branded an infiltrator. They are pushed across borders, detained and their homes demolished. The prime minister's words could fuel this violence – they do not merely evoke disquiet, as an editorial suggested – they are actually dangerous. The consequences are real, and they fall upon Muslims and Christians. In his speech, the PM pledged to save the nation's 'daughters' from infiltrators – a spectacle of 'love jihad' dressed in a new uniform. But it is also jaded. Many noted that fatigue had set into Modi – there was repetition, hollow rhetoric. But has anyone ever tired of hatred? One person might turn away, but for many, hatred remains fresh, alluring. That is why even though people leave the RSS, its ideology of hate and division continues to draw new followers. Hate existed within Hindu society before, but in 2014, we liberated ourselves of our inhibitions when Modi was accepted as prime minister. India began walking – no, sinking – into the mire of hate and violence. Better to say: it stepped into that morass. But perhaps even that is incorrect. Muslims, Christians, Sikhs – they refused to go to that morass. Yet, the power of the Hindu majority dragged them in. They are bearing the consequences of the decision of the majority of Hindus. They are paying the cost of majoritarian decisions. On Independence Day, the chief propagandist of this hate played his tried-and-tested record. When we hear it, do we feel disgust? Or do we wonder if there is still some authentic hate we are craving for – something more visceral, more real? Apoorvanand teaches Hindi at Delhi University. The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments. Advertisement
The Wire
5 hours ago
- The Wire
Modi's Three Sudarshan Chakras: From Mythic Precision to Military Confusion
New Delhi: The BJP-led government penchant – and the Indian military brass's support – for christening platforms, projects, formations and doctrines with Hindu mythological names intended to evoke grandeur and a continuing sense of epic valour, at times also tend to breed confusion. The latest such example is the repeated use of 'Sudarshan Chakra,' Lord Vishnu's celestial discus – meant to symbolise speed, precision, and the destruction of evil – which has blurred the line between an imported air-defence system and a planned indigenous blanket shield against aerial threats, slated for 2035. The first Sudarshan Chakra As we know, the 'Sudarshan Chakra' already refers to the five Russian S-400 'Triumf' air-defence systems India acquired in October 2018 for an estimated $5.43 billion. Three were commissioned from 2021 onwards, with the remaining two slated for delivery next year. This Sudarshan Chakra was actively deployed during Operation Sindoor across northern and western India as part of the air-defence grid, successfully intercepting incoming threats and reportedly downing five Pakistan Air Force fighters. along with a large military surveillance platform at ranges of around 300 km inside neighbouring enemy territory. Announcing this development on August 9, more than three months US President Donald Trump announced the ceasefire which 'paused' Operation Sindoor, Air Chief Marshal A. P. Singh described it as the longest recorded surface-to-air kill. Other officials praised the S-400 for living up to its 'Sudarshan Chakra' name, citing its unerring precision, formidable speed, and ability to strike multiple targets, much like Vishnu's divine discus, which, the legend goes, never missed and always returned unerringly to its master. After Operation Sindoor, the S-400 has, for many in government and the military, transcended mere technology to acquire the near-mythical aura of an ancient weapon reborn in the 21st century, enhanced with technical wizardry. It is celebrated not simply as a missile system but as an 'implacable shield,' evoking the divine armour that repelled evil and protected 'Bharat'. Now, take two Meanwhile, the latest 'Sudarshan Chakra' was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Independence Day address as an indigenously developed, multi-layered security shield, slated for completion by 2035, to protect strategic, civilian, and religious sites nationwide. Drawing liberally from mythology, he added that this conceptual Sudarshan Chakra would not only counter terrorist attacks but also strike back at the perpetrators. Official sources later elaborated that the PM's Mission Sudarshan Chakra will integrate land-, sea-, and space-based defences, encompassing the S-400 Sudarshan Chakra, the ongoing Ballistic Missile Defence network, and the secretive Project Kusha, also known as the Extended Range Air Defence System (ERADS). The Defence Research and Development Organisation's (DRDO's) top secret Project Kusha, named after one of Lord Rama's twin sons, Kusha, echoes his mythological role as a guardian. The top-secret Kusha is being designed as a protective shield to intercept and destroy enemy aircraft, incoming cruise and potentially even ballistic missiles. The ambitious Sudarshan Chakra project, akin to Israel's and the US's multi-tiered 'Iron' and 'Golden Dome' space-to-ground defence grids, is also expected to integrate numerous other local air-defence assets, including the upgraded Akash Prime system, all of which performed efficiently during Op Sindoor. A cross-section of veterans and analysts said that this dual use of the 'Sudarshan Chakra' moniker not only creates a 'semantic muddle' but also blurs operational understanding, making it unclear whether one means the existing S-400 missile system or the proposed indigenous, broader air-defence network. 'The overlap confuses soldiers and the public alike,' said a senior Indian Air Force (IAF) veteran. It dilutes clarity between a deployed capability and an aspirational project expected to mature over the next decade, he said, declining to be named. Other military veterans, speaking anonymously, urged the defence establishment to adopt a 'disciplined nomenclature' regimen. One suggested officially distinguishing the two Sudarshan Chakra systems as the S-400 Sudarshan Chakra and the Operation Sudarshan Shield to avoid confusion. Actually, there are three The confusion, however, deepens: 'Sudarshan Chakra' is not only the name of a Russian missile system and a proposed indigenous air-defence network, but also the designation of the Indian Army's XXI Corps, headquartered at Bhopal. The youngest of the Army's three Strike Corps, that constitute its offensive punch into enemy territory, particularly along the western front against Pakistan, XXI corps embodies mobility and concentrated firepower – of armoured divisions, mechanised infantry and artillery. Yet, despite its formidable structure and mythic name, it has largely remained a deterrent formation, rehearsing operational plans rather than unleashing its full might—an ever-ready sword still sheathed in Sudarshan Chakra symbolism. Taking all this into account, the irony in naming a weapon system, the proposed anti-missile shield, and an Army corps 'Sudarshan Chakra' is unmistakable: a weapon once synonymous with divine precision now exists in triplicate across India's military lexicon. One Sudarshan Chakra is a tried and tested Russian air-defence system, another largely exists as PowerPoint slides on missile defence, and the third is an Army corps that has yet to see battle. In many ways, the saga of the three Sudarshan Chakras not only highlights India's reverence for Hindu mythology, but also the defence establishment's willingness to embrace politically-driven, muddled nomenclature. What mythologically symbolised clarity and precision has, in India's military, become an example of branding gone astray – spawning confusion through triplication, much like a typical government directive or a railway reservation slip in times gone by. Ultimately, it's also obvious that without disciplined nomenclature, even the most exalted symbols of India's mythic or actual past can lose their clarity, creating confusion where accuracy is most needed
