Secularism, democracy not in Congress blood: Union Minister Prahlad Joshi
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Congress lacks the moral integrity to speak about protecting the Constitution, Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Pralhad Joshi said. He was speaking after inaugurating the 50th anniversary observance of the Emergency, organised by the BJP's Thiruvananthapuram district committee on Sunday.
'Secularism and democracy are not in the blood of the Congress. The party amended the Constitution 50 times during the 21-month-long Emergency. Fundamental rights were violated. An amendment was introduced to overcome the courts as well,' he said.
Joshi said the Congress government committed several heinous crimes during the Emergency. Around 2.29 lakh people were put in prisons, which had the carrying capacity of 1.83 lakh. Around 1.71 crore people were forcefully sterilised and 1,771 died due to post-surgical infection. Several persons were shot dead. Over 25,000 officers who disobeyed illegal orders from the government were dismissed from service.
BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar and senior leader V Muraleedharan spoke. Muraleedharan condemned the Kerala government's attempts to silence the governor on the occasion.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
32 minutes ago
- Time of India
BJP gets new state presidents; ideological association with RSS & caste factor at play
New Delhi: The BJP is close to finalising the presidents of 12 states/Union territories and a common thread emanating from the selection process, besides the caste factor, is that most of the candidates shortlisted seem to have a long-standing association with the RSS. With the state party presidents in place, the stage is set for the much-awaited election of the party's national president. The BJP elected K Beichhua and VP Ramalingam as the party presidents for Mizoram and Puducherry. Barring these two candidates, all the rest of the shortlisted state presidents are ideologically associated with RSS and BJP right from the Jan Sangh days. In the next two-three days, BJP will elect its state unit chiefs for Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, West Bengal and other state/UT units. In Andhra Pradesh, OBC candidate PVN Madhav, an old party hand and whose family has been associated with RSS, will be made the state party chief. Similarly, in Telangana, Ramchander Rao, a brahmin, is set to be BJP state unit head. He is strongly associated with the RSS. With two Union ministers -- Bandi Sanjay (OBC) and G Kishen Reddy -- from the influential Reddy caste, the party has opted for Brahmin as its state unit head here. In Uttarakhand, Mahendra Bhatt is likely to continue as state unit president. In this hilly state where the politics is dominated by Thakurs and Brahmin and with a Thakur, Pushkar Singh Dhami as state chief minister, the party has opted for Brahmin as state president. Similarly, in neighbouring Himachal Pradesh, the incumbent Rajiv Bandal may continue as BJP state unit president. Here also, the politics is dominated by Thakurs and Brahmins. With Jairam Thakur as leader of opposition in the state assembly and JP Nadda, a Brahmin as Union Minister, the party has opted for a Baniya who has strong associations with the Sangh. Live Events In the organisationally crucial state of Madhya Pradesh, Hemant Khandelwal is seen as a frontrunner for the state unit president post.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
33 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Pak army chief describes terrorism in J&K as 'legitimate struggle'
Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir has described terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir as a "legitimate struggle", saying his country would always stand by the people of Kashmir in their struggle. Field Marshal Munir also warned India of a befitting response in case of any future attack, weeks after the two nations briefly locked horns in a dangerous conflict. "What India labels as terrorism is, in fact, a legitimate and lawful struggle for freedom, recognised by international law," Munir said while addressing a passing out ceremony at Pakistan Naval Academy, Karachi, on Saturday. "Those who have tried to suppress the Kashmiri people's will and pursue conflict elimination instead of resolution have only made the movement more relevant through their own actions," he claimed. He said that Pakistan would always stand by the people of Kashmir in their struggle for the right to self-determination. "Pakistan is a strong advocate for a just resolution of the Kashmir issue in accordance with United Nations resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people, he added. In the past, Munir had described Kashmir as Pakistan's "jugular vein". India has repeatedly told Pakistan that the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh "was, is and shall forever remain an integral part of the country. The ties between the two countries nosedived after India abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution, revoking the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, and bifurcating the State into two Union Territories on August 5, 2019. In his address, Munir also claimed that Pakistan proved itself as a "net region stabiliser after having repelled the Indian military attack twice. He was apparently referring to the 2019 Balakot strike after the Pulwama terror attack and the recent Operation Sindoor following the Pahalgam terror attack. "Pakistan, despite grave provocations, acted with restraint and maturity and demonstrated its commitment to regional peace and stability, which has led to Pakistan's role as a net regional stabiliser," he claimed. "As we steadily, but surely, build our comprehensive national power, any enemy acting on the perceived vulnerability of Pakistan under the illusion of strategic impunity or miscalculation, would get a swift and a very befitting response," he said. The army chief also said that undeterred by the efforts by adversaries, Pakistan would continue on the path of progress, development and prosperity. He also reaffirmed the armed forces' commitment to eradicating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, vowing to take the fight to its logical conclusion.
New Indian Express
39 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
Tribal protests, Union minister Shivraj Chouhan's push force MP government to halt proposed Sardar Patel Wildlife Sanctuary
BHOPAL: Massive protests by tribals accompanied by pressure by union agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has compelled the Dr Mohan Yadav-led Madhya Pradesh government to put on hold the process of creating Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Wildlife Sanctuary in Sehore district of the central Indian state. 'In pursuance with the directions from the government, the proposal to create the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Wildlife Sanctuary in parts of the Sehore Forest Division is put on hold. Entire process on the issue is put on hold till further orders,' principal chief conservator of forests (PCCF-Wildlife) Subhranjan Sen wrote to the DFO-Sehore on Monday. Importantly, the proposal to create the sanctuary in the Sehore Forest Division (which comes under the home district and parliamentary constituency of the current union agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan) was first mooted during the Congress government in the state, when the current Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar was the state's forest minister. Around six years later, in May 2025, the present BJP regime headed by Dr Mohan Yadav had set the ball rolling again on the issue, seeking a revised proposal from DFO-Sehore to create the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Wildlife Sanctuary. Just a month later, 50 houses of the tribal community were reportedly demolished by the forest department for removing encroachments from the Khivni Wildlife Sanctuary in the adjoining Dewas district on June 23. Four days later, massive protest by tribals was reported in Sehore district, where the local MP and union agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan was attending a development meeting at the district collectorate. The tribal protestors, including men and women from Sehore and Dewas districts were protesting the June 23 demolition of houses and the proposed Sardar Vallabhbhai Wildlife Sanctuary, which they alleged would affect 2 lakh people in Sehore and Dewas districts.
