Latest news with #NathuramGodse
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Rahul Gandhi's lawyer fears ‘harm to Congress leader', later makes U-turn
THE LAWYER representing Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in the criminal defamation case filed by Satyaki Savarkar, the grandnephew of Hindutva ideologue V D Savarkar, on Wednesday submitted a pursis in the Pune court hearing the case, but later made a U-turn, saying he had filed the application without consulting Rahul. The pursis stated that there was 'substantial apprehension that Rahul Gandhi may face harm' in light of his current political stand and Satyeki's 'lineage from Nathuram Godse'. On Wednesday, lawyer Milind Pawar, who is representing Rahul, filed the pursis, which is a formal written submission placed before court. Pawar had earlier said the court had admitted the pursis after he filed it in the afternoon. 'Rahul Gandhi has condemned the present government by raising the slogan 'Vote Chor Sarkar'. He has produced documentary evidence alleging serious electoral irregularities, directly implicating the Election Commission in actions which, by their very nature, provoke hostility from those whose political power and ideological interests stand challenged. The apprehension of harm to Rahul Gandhi is neither abstract nor unfounded. In light of the documented history of violent and anti-constitutional tendencies linked to the complainant's lineage, and considering the prevailing political climate, there exists a clear, reasonable, and substantial apprehension that Rahul Gandhi may face harm, wrongful implication, or other forms of targeting by persons subscribing to the ideology of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar,' it stated. 'Prudence demands that this apprehension be placed on record at this stage. The complainant himself has asserted descent from the associates of Mahatma Gandhi's assassins. In view of the grave history associated with such lineage, the defence harbours a genuine and reasonable apprehension that history must not be permitted to repeat itself,' it stated. However, in the evening, Pawar issued a press statement, 'The pursis dated August 13 was filed by me in the court without instructions from the client. The contents of the pursis were drafted by me without consulting my client Rahul Gandhi. My client has taken strong exception to filing of this pursis and has expressed his disagreement with the contents. I shall file a formal application tomorrow for withdrawal of the said pursis before the court.' When contacted earlier after the pursis was filed, Satyaki Savarkar had said, 'The statements made by defence in the pursis are completely baseless and appalling. They have claimed apprehension of harm to Rahul Gandhi which is baseless because he has been exempted from physically attending the proceedings. The defence has been filing such frivolous applications and pursis every now and then and are trying to delay the entire case.' Meanwhile on Wednesday Satyaki Savarkar's lawyer Sangram Kolhatkar moved the court seeking action against Rahul alleging he had committed perjury. 'In the past, all relevant documents have been duly provided to the advocate representing the accused, who has acknowledged the receipt. Despite this, the accused is now falsely claiming that no such material was received. This is a clear attempt to mislead the court. We therefore urge the court, in the strongest terms, to initiate appropriate action against the accused for this deliberate misrepresentation and committing perjury,' Kolhatkar said.
India Today
09-07-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Reject Godse's path, follow Gandhi, Ambedkar and Periyar: MK Stalin to students
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Wednesday warned students against embracing divisive ideologies and urged them to reject the path of Nathuram Godse. 'We have several paths including those taken by Gandhi, Ambedkar and Periyar. But we should never take the path of Godse group,' he said, addressing the students at Jamal Mohamed College in Trichy. His remarks were widely viewed as a firm ideological appeal to reinforce secular and inclusive values among the Chief Minister also called on students to join the vision of 'Oraniyil Tamil Nadu' (Tamil Nadu as One), a 45-day statewide campaign launched by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam to 'expose the betrayal' of the Union Government towards the state. Addressing the gathering, Stalin emphasised the importance of unity, social justice, and scientific progress in building a stronger Tamil Nadu. 'If Tamil Nadu stands united, no one can defeat us. I'm not speaking politics but letting students know about politics,' he said, underlining the political significance of collective identity and went on to assert that his government's initiatives, including the 'Naan Mudhalvan' skill development scheme and the Rs 1000 monthly financial assistance to girl students, were instrumental in transforming the Tamil community into a science-based society. He credited these reforms to the Dravidian Model of governance.'We got education only because of our leader's social justice struggle allowing education for everyone. Everything is for everyone is our Dravidian Model. I request students to join as 'Oraniyil Tamilnadu',' said the Chief Minister, echoing the name and ethos of his party's recent poll campaign began on July 1, flagged off by Chief Minister and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) president MK Stalin, and was formally rolled out across the state on July 3. The campaign will trace the two ends of Tamil Nadu, Palaverkadu to Kanyakumari and Anaikattai to Nagapattinam, covering all 234 assembly issues to be highlighted during the campaign include the Union Government's non-recognition of the Keeladi archaeological findings and the alleged withholding of central funds for the state's education it a 'first-of-its-kind' exercise, the DMK said it would directly reach out to two crore households through door-to-door campaigns, public meetings, and rallies. A statewide membership drive, including both new enrolments and renewals, will also be conducted simultaneously.- Ends IN THIS STORY#Tamil Nadu
India Today
19-05-2025
- Politics
- India Today
News Menu, May 19: Parliament panel briefing on Op Sindoor, India-US trade deal
Good morning, on May 19, 1910, Nathuram Godse was born. A divisive figure, his Beretta fired three bullets that scarred India's soul. We will talk about a forgotten chapter of his life that deals with the Mahatma he murdered. But first the news menu of India Misri's Sindoor BriefingForeign Secretary Vikram Misri to brief Shashi Tharoor's parliamentary panel on Monday on India-Pakistan tensions, detailing India's strikes on Pak terror sites in Operation Sindoor. Tharoor's appointment as head of the panel has already caused a lot of With Congress' Jairam Ramesh urging delegation members to follow conscience, and Sanjay Raut calling it a 'baraat' to boycott, politics is turning acidic. Calm down guys, spit the venom and have cold Spread: Global Blitz, Cong splitSeven delegations, 33 nations, India's diplomatic outreach on 'Operation Sindoor' ready to launch like a swamp of drones. Teams to visit key partner nations, including UNSC member states, starting next asks leaders picked by the government to listen to their conscience. We will not boycott this delegation, will not politicise it, says Congress leader Jairam Ramesh. That's like being sandwiched between deshbhakti and Such people are speaking the language of the Director General of Pak Army's PR wing, says BJP's Shehzad PoonawallaBone of Contention: High Court Sambhal VerdictadvertisementIndia Today tracks Allahabad High Court's likely judgment in a civil revision petition in the ongoing dispute between Jama Masjid and Harihar Mandir in the mosque committee seeking a stay on trial court proceedings, this dish is simmering with tension, seasoned with communal Himanta-Gogoi SpatIndia Today covers Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma accusing Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi of visiting Pakistan on ISI's invite. Gogoi calls Himanta 'insane'; Congress alleges corruption cover-up. This one's layered with slander, served with regional Soup: Haryana Spy ScandalPolice reveal how Pak recruits influencers for spying. Haryana YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra was being developed as an 'asset' by Pakistani intelligence operatives, say cops. Probe underway into links with Odisha YouTuber. "Can't she call friends in Pak?" father defends a UP man arrested on charges of spying for Pak, crossed the border to allegedly share info, arrested by UP Anti-Terror Squad from Moradabad on Hot: Army's Sindoor FootageIndia Today highlights the Indian Army's second video release of Operation Sindoor's 'lava-like' planning, showing neutralised enemy terrorist Razaullah Nizamani Khalid was killed by unidentified gunmen in Sindh. Was behind three attacks in India. Who's cooking them across the border?advertisementBusiness Lunch: India-US Trade AgreementThe final phase of negotiations aims for conclusion by early July. The US President has proposed a trade agreement with India that would have no tariffs on a wide range of American South: Stalin rallies non-BJP statesTamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin urges counterparts in eight states, including West Bengal, to oppose the Presidential reference to the Supreme Court on deadlines for the President and Governor over Bills and batted for a coordinated legal Bites: Three killed four in family clashAn old dispute flares up between two families in a slum area in Mumbai's Borivali, taking a devastating turn on Sunday. Three men killed, injuries to four others.4 children die of suffocation after being trapped in locked a heart-wrenching tragedy, four children suffocate to death inside a locked car in Andhra Pradesh's Vijayanagaram on Prasad: Mansarovar Yatra from SikkimThe Kailash Mansarovar Yatra is set to resume via Nathula from June this year, marking the end of a five-year suspension caused by the Doklam standoff in 2017 and the COVID-19 Trump to speak to Putin- ZelenskyyTrump will speak with Putin and Zelenskyy on Monday to discuss a possible end to the Ukraine war. The Kremlin says Putin could meet Zelenskiy if agreement is reached. The thought of truce itself is Ashoka University faculty condemns Associate Professor's arrest, IMF imposes 11 new conditions on Pak, EAM Jaishankar embarks on 3-nation visit on Monday; Pak Foreign Minister Dar to visit China for talks with Chinese and Afghan counterparts; Supreme Court to hear Madhya Pradesh Minister's plea on his remarks on Colonel Qureshi; Bangladeshi actor who played Sheikh Hasina in Mujib biopic arrested in Cake: Godse's TragicomedyOn Nathuram Godse's birth anniversary, India Today revisits the tragicomic events of January 20, when the extremist and his gang failed to kill Mahatma Gandhi because of a bad Bite: The Carpenters sang, 'Rainy days and Mondays always get me down.' But Mahatma Gandhi argued, 'There is no good in living a life bereft of struggles, death is sweeter then.'Here's to another Monday—the beginning of another week of glorious InMust Watch
Indian Express
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
‘Cong should pick ‘lungi' as party symbol': Assam CM Himanta Sarma; Cong says BJP ought to make Godse's gun as its symbol
Ahead of the panchayat elections in Assam, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday took a dig at the Congress party over its distribution of 'dhotis' to people when it was in power and said the party can pick 'lungi', an attire worn mostly by Bengali-speaking Muslim men in the North East, as its party symbol instead of hand. However, in a tongue-in-cheek response, state Congress president Bhupen Bora said that the BJP could pick Nathuram Godse's revolver as its party symbol, indicating Godse's revolver was used to assassinate Mahatma Gandhi in 1948. Many groups of Bengali Muslims of Assam have been at the receiving end of allegations by the BJP of being 'illegal immigrants' from Bangladesh. While addressing a poll rally at Dhemaji district on Monday, CM Sarma said: 'Ask Congress if they had free admission in colleges at their time. No. Was a fee needed for 10th standard admission forms? Yes. Was free rice given? Had the Dhemaji Medical and Engineering Colleges been built then? The answer is 'no'. There were only lungi and dhoti (during the Congress regime). That's why I ask the Congress people, they ought to change the (party) symbol from hand to 'lungi'. Congress doesn't understand anything else,' he said. Soon after, Congress chief Bora said his party considers all dresses equal, whether it is a lungi, dhoti, pajama, or trousers. 'Our perspective at Congress is inclusive. If the BJP assumes they can dictate our choice of symbol, why don't they answer why their own symbol is a lotus? They ought to replace their symbol with Nathuram Godse's gun used to assassinate Mahatma Gandhi,' he said. The panchayat elections in Assam are scheduled to be held in two phases — on May 2 and May 7 — and the results will be declared on May 11. Assam has 21,920 seats in gram panchayats, 2,192 seats in Anchalik Parishads, and 397 in zilla parishads. The panchayat polls were scheduled to be held in 27 out of 34 districts of the state, as the other seven are governed by autonomous councils. As per the State Election Commission, 1.80 crore people will exercise their franchise in the panchayat polls this year. CM Himanta Biswa Sarma had said on Friday that 348 candidates were elected unopposed in the three-tier panchayat polls and 325 of them were from the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). As per reports, the NDA has already secured 37 zilla parishad (35 BJP and 2 AGP) and 288 Anchalik Panchayat (259 BJP and 29 AGP) seats unopposed, Sarma had said in an X post.
NDTV
22-04-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
'Lungi' vs 'Godse's Revolver': BJP, Congress' New Jabs Before Assam Polls
Guwahati: The BJP and Congress' Assam units traded juvenile barbs - each declaring the other change its electoral symbol - before next month's panchayat election. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma mocked the Congress' distribution of dhotis and suggested it pick a lungi as its symbol. The Congress responded by suggesting the BJP pick 'Godse's revolver' - a reference to Nathuram Godse assassinating Mahatma Gandhi. The spat erupted after the Chief Minister claimed no development had taken place in the northeastern state when the Congress was in power between 2001 and 2016. Addressing an election rally in Dhemaji on Monday, Mr Sarma said, "Ask the Congress... did you have free admission in colleges then? No. Was a fee required for Class X admission forms? Yes. Was there free rice... were the Dhemaji medical and engineering colleges built? No..." "There was only lungi and dhoti. That is why I tell the Congress people they should change the symbol from the hand to lungi. Congress doesn't understand anything else..." he said, referring repeatedly to the 'lungi', a piece of cloth men in the northeast use to wrap around their waists. In the region the 'lungi' is widely associated with Bengali-speaking Muslims, a community the BJP has claimed, in every election in the area, includes 'illegal immigrants' from Bangladesh. Responding for the Congress, Bhupen Kumar Borah, the party's state unit boss, told reporters the opposition outfit considers all dresses equal, whether lungi, dhoti, pyjama, or trousers. "The perspective of the Congress is inclusive. If the BJP thinks it can dictate our choice of symbol... let them answer, 'why is their own symbol a lotus?'. They should replace their symbol with the gun which Nathuram Godse used to assassinate Gandhi." The panchayat polls in Assam will be held in two phases - May 2 and May 7. Counting of votes will be held on May 11.
