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The Wire
22-05-2025
- Politics
- The Wire
‘Army Bowing at Modi ji's Feet': Why a Deputy CM's Gaffe Doesn't Bode Well
Menu हिंदी తెలుగు اردو Home Politics Economy World Security Law Science Society Culture Editor's Pick Opinion Support independent journalism. Donate Now Politics 'Army Bowing at Modi ji's Feet': Why a Deputy CM's Gaffe Doesn't Bode Well Badri Raina 5 minutes ago As of now, India's armed forces swear allegiance to the constitution, not to any person or political authority. Representative image. Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets armed forces personnel during a visit at the Adampur air base, in Jalandhar, Punjab, Tuesday, May 13, 2025. Photo: PTI Real journalism holds power accountable Since 2015, The Wire has done just that. But we can continue only with your support. Contribute now When the then German president, Paul Von Hindenburg, died in August of 1934, Adolf Hitler combined the posts of president and chancellor. He thus became Fuhrer, head of both the state and of the armed forces. Until then, German soldiers were required to take the following oath: 'I swear loyalty to the Constitution and vow that I will protect the German nation and its lawful establishments as a brave soldier at any time and will be obedient to the President and my Superiors.' Hitler now created a new oath: 'I swear by god this sacred oath that I will render unconditional obedience to Adolf Hitler, the Fuhrer of the German Reich and people, Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, and will be ready as a brave soldier to risk my life at any time for this oath.' Never mind that one fall out of this change was that German soldiers often excused whatever atrocities they committed as acts deriving from their oath of loyalty to the Fuhrer. In our own time, Donald Trump was heard to say during his first term as president of the United States how he would like to have the same kind of loyalty from his Generals as Hitler had from his. His subsequent denial that he had said so flew rather in the face of the fact on record. Here at home, flush with the chastisement meted out to a terrorism-spawning Pakistan, the unending cacophony of braggadacio seems now to have culminated in a statement rather potentially ominous. The honourable deputy chief minister of the BJP-ruled state of Madhya Pradesh, Jagdish Devda, has informed the nation how the armed forces are 'bowing at Modi ji's feet'. Once again, subsequent sophistries on behalf of the minister have persuaded few. To Modi ji's credit there is nothing on record thus far to say that he requires the sort of personal allegiance from the armed forces as has been alluded to by the minister. Nor, on the other hand, has he taken any cognisance of the unconstitutional and degrading aspersion cast by the erring minister both on the armed forces and on him by default. One imagines that had Jawaharlal Nehru been in his place, the said sycophant minister would have had his ears pulled pronto in public rebuke and rejection. We recall that Nehru once wrote an anonymous article in The Modern Review, 1937, castigating himself for his dictatorial predilections. Modi ji has of course often been heard to refer to himself in the third person, as royals were wont to do. Savour his frequently declared 'Modi ki guarantee' as a gold standard of credibility – rather like Caesar's pronouncement in Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar, 'When Caesar says do this, it is done.' Nor has his tenure been above desiring executive sway (inevitably meaning his own) over institutional mechanisms, to the detriment of the Constitutional injunction about the separation of powers. As to the army, he has in the past used such epithets as ' mere jawan (my soldiers)' even if as an expansive paternalistic metaphor. The question that must worry the law-abiding citizen is whether the fawning deputy minister's hyperbole may go uncorrected. As of now, India's armed forces swear allegiance to the constitution, not to any person or political authority. It is to be hoped that Modi ji will ensure that such allegiance continues to be the authorising legitimation of the life of our soldiers. The deputy chief minister's gaffe is too serious a matter to be bypassed. Badri Raina taught at Delhi University. Make a contribution to Independent Journalism Related News 'Nation's Army Bowing at Modi's Feet': BJP Leader Sparks Row With Remarks on Operation Sindoor Row Over Operation Sindoor Message on Train Tickets: Opposition Says Govt 'Using War as Opportunity' Gujarat Samachar Owner Held by ED, Congress Says Critical Writing Against Modi Govt Led to Arrest National Unity Cannot Be Celebrated Merely As a Wartime Gimmick 'We May Not Accept Modiji Has Failed But People Are Comparing How Indiraji Stood Up to US Bullying in 1971' Kharge Alleges Modi Cancelled J&K Visit Due to Intel Report Before Pahalgam Attack Second Speech in 24 Hours, Modi Invokes Religious Figures But No Mention of Trump Mediation Claims Anchored in an Unsustainable Plan, Modi's Speech Presented Old Ideas as New, Bold Thinking Will the Modi Government Carry Out the Caste Census or Will it Remain an Eyewash? View in Desktop Mode About Us Contact Us Support Us © Copyright. All Rights Reserved.
The Hill
14-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Germany bans far-right ‘Kingdom of Germany' group
The German government banned the far-right 'Kingdom of Germany' group on Tuesday and arrested four of its leaders in raids throughout the country. German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt announced the ban, calling the group a threat to democratic order whose members refuse to recognize the legitimacy of the German government, follow its laws or pay taxes or fines. 'The members of this association have created a 'counter-state' in our country and built up economic criminal structures,' Dobrindt said. 'We will take decisive action against those who attack our free democratic basic order,' he added. The group is part of the 'Reich citizen' movement, which claims the historical German Reich still exists. Dobrindt noted that the group's claim to power is built on antisemitic conspiracies, which he said cannot be tolerated. 'This is not about harmless nostalgia, as the title of the association might suggest, but about criminal structures, criminal networks,' Dobrindt said later to reporters. 'That's why it's being banned today,' he said. Approximately 800 police officers participated in the raids Tuesday. German law enforcement arrested four high-ranking members of the group, including its leader, Peter Fitzek. The Associated press contributed.
Western Telegraph
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Western Telegraph
Germany bans the largest ‘Reich citizen' group and arrests four leaders
Since early Tuesday morning, 800 police officers in several states have been searching the association's properties and the homes of leading members. Interior minister Alexander Dobrindt said: 'The members of this association have created a 'counter-state' in our country and built up economic criminal structures.' More Stories He added that the members of the group underpinned their supposed claim to power with antisemitic conspiracy narratives — a behaviour that the country cannot tolerate. 'We will take decisive action against those who attack our free democratic basic order,' Mr Dobrindt said. The so-called 'Reich citizen', or Reichsburger' movement, does not recognise Germany as a state. Many of them claim that the historical German Reich still exists and ignore the country's democratic and constitutional structures such as parliament, laws or courts. They also refuse to pay taxes, social security contributions or fines. The so-called 'Kingdom of Germany' was proclaimed by its leader Peter Fitzek in the eastern town of Wittenberg in 2012 and says it has around 6,000 followers, the interior ministry said in a statement. It claims to be a 'counter-state' that seceded from the German federal government. 'This is not about harmless nostalgics, as the title of the association might suggest, but about criminal structures, criminal networks,' the minister told reporters later in Berlin. 'That's why it's being banned today.' The group's online platforms will be blocked and its assets will be confiscated to ensure that no further financial resources can be used for extremist purposes. It is not the first time that Germany has acted against the 'Reichsburger' movement. In 2023, German police officers searched the homes of about 20 people in connection with investigations into the far-right Reich Citizens scene, whose adherents had similarities to followers of the QAnon movement in the United States. Last year, the alleged leaders of a suspected far-right plot to topple Germany's government went on trial on Tuesday, opening proceedings in a case that shocked the country in late 2022.
South Wales Argus
13-05-2025
- Politics
- South Wales Argus
Germany bans the largest ‘Reich citizen' group and arrests four leaders
Since early Tuesday morning, 800 police officers in several states have been searching the association's properties and the homes of leading members. Interior minister Alexander Dobrindt said: 'The members of this association have created a 'counter-state' in our country and built up economic criminal structures.' He added that the members of the group underpinned their supposed claim to power with antisemitic conspiracy narratives — a behaviour that the country cannot tolerate. 'We will take decisive action against those who attack our free democratic basic order,' Mr Dobrindt said. The so-called 'Reich citizen', or Reichsburger' movement, does not recognise Germany as a state. Many of them claim that the historical German Reich still exists and ignore the country's democratic and constitutional structures such as parliament, laws or courts. They also refuse to pay taxes, social security contributions or fines. The so-called 'Kingdom of Germany' was proclaimed by its leader Peter Fitzek in the eastern town of Wittenberg in 2012 and says it has around 6,000 followers, the interior ministry said in a statement. It claims to be a 'counter-state' that seceded from the German federal government. 'This is not about harmless nostalgics, as the title of the association might suggest, but about criminal structures, criminal networks,' the minister told reporters later in Berlin. 'That's why it's being banned today.' The group's online platforms will be blocked and its assets will be confiscated to ensure that no further financial resources can be used for extremist purposes. It is not the first time that Germany has acted against the 'Reichsburger' movement. In 2023, German police officers searched the homes of about 20 people in connection with investigations into the far-right Reich Citizens scene, whose adherents had similarities to followers of the QAnon movement in the United States. Last year, the alleged leaders of a suspected far-right plot to topple Germany's government went on trial on Tuesday, opening proceedings in a case that shocked the country in late 2022.
Rhyl Journal
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Rhyl Journal
Germany bans the largest ‘Reich citizen' group and arrests four leaders
Since early Tuesday morning, 800 police officers in several states have been searching the association's properties and the homes of leading members. Interior minister Alexander Dobrindt said: 'The members of this association have created a 'counter-state' in our country and built up economic criminal structures.' He added that the members of the group underpinned their supposed claim to power with antisemitic conspiracy narratives — a behaviour that the country cannot tolerate. 'We will take decisive action against those who attack our free democratic basic order,' Mr Dobrindt said. The so-called 'Reich citizen', or Reichsburger' movement, does not recognise Germany as a state. Many of them claim that the historical German Reich still exists and ignore the country's democratic and constitutional structures such as parliament, laws or courts. They also refuse to pay taxes, social security contributions or fines. The so-called 'Kingdom of Germany' was proclaimed by its leader Peter Fitzek in the eastern town of Wittenberg in 2012 and says it has around 6,000 followers, the interior ministry said in a statement. It claims to be a 'counter-state' that seceded from the German federal government. 'This is not about harmless nostalgics, as the title of the association might suggest, but about criminal structures, criminal networks,' the minister told reporters later in Berlin. 'That's why it's being banned today.' The group's online platforms will be blocked and its assets will be confiscated to ensure that no further financial resources can be used for extremist purposes. It is not the first time that Germany has acted against the 'Reichsburger' movement. In 2023, German police officers searched the homes of about 20 people in connection with investigations into the far-right Reich Citizens scene, whose adherents had similarities to followers of the QAnon movement in the United States. Last year, the alleged leaders of a suspected far-right plot to topple Germany's government went on trial on Tuesday, opening proceedings in a case that shocked the country in late 2022.
