Padayatras necessary even when in power: Mahesh Goud
Congress is on the course to correct the 10-year 'misrule' of BRS, but will seek people's support based on its welfare and developmental programmes, said Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president and MLC Mahesh Kumar Goud.
Mr. Goud's ongoing Janahita padayatra entered Andole in Sangareddy district on Friday, where he was welcomed by Health Minister Damodar Rajanarasimha and joined by Ministers Ponnam Prabhakar and G. Vivek apart from senior leader Jagga Reddy.
Mr. Goud said that padayatras were essential even when in power, as they provide a direct opportunity to engage with the public and understand their needs. He credited the people for electing Revanth Reddy as the Chief Minister and noted that conversations during the padayatra will help in conveying the voices of the people directly to the CM.
Taking a dig at BRS rule, Mr Goud said people lost everything in 10 years while the KCR family gained and benefited beyond imagination. Families of Telangana martyrs were denied even a single job, he said while the Congress government provided over 65,000 jobs in just 11 months. Another 35,000 vacancies would be filled soon.
Targeting BRS leader Harish Rao, he blamed him for the Banakacherla project and clarified that the project only progressed after KCR's lenience and support to the previous AP government. Telangana will reclaim its water rights under CM Revanth Reddy, he said.
Criticising BRS MLC K Kavitha, he said it's ironic that she doesn't even seem to know which party she belongs to but was attemtpting to take claim for BC reservations enhanced to 42% by the Congress government. 'When the Congress was fighting for 42% reservations for BCs, Kavitha was in jail.'
He said the Congress government has already fulfilled its commitment to implement the six guarantees and provided 42% reservations to BCs, keeping its word to people.
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And I've got that kind of response from both wild and domestic animals. That has been my experience. The fact that that female came to me just to touch me and go back was a bit of a defining moment. In the last few years, you've made special efforts to see animals you failed to observe in your youth. Which are the ones you want to see now? I'm curious about seeing all animals with my own eyes. And, if possible, photograph them. That has taken me all over the world. But that aside, seeing species other than the ones you've already seen is always interesting. So, I travel, go to local places, and just savour the ambience. For the last few years, I've maintained a list of 10 animals and I keep on seeing some of them, not so many now. Then, I also strike out some and others go into that list. But there are several animals I've never seen. For example, the Amur leopard. I've seen it in captivity though. They're gorgeous. Then, the Amur (Siberian) tiger — the largest cat in the world. 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People not only intrude upon animals' privacy, but also upon their movements. Just to get better pictures, they block the movement of animals. There's also, unfortunately, baiting to get animals, which is illegal, but is still practised. Then, there is this practice of muscling out the other man and going ahead of him in the jeep or whatever you can to get a better photograph of a particular animal. The interest of the animal is completely compromised. I abhor that. I hope I've not done that myself. Anyway, if you're going to photograph animals, they don't want you there, but you're there, so the least you can do is not bother them. Firstly, if you disturb them, then it'll not be in your interest. Secondly, it's just not right. I also feel that some animals have become so immune to disturbances that they don't really mind at all, but one must mind their manners. I read that you want 'the moronic belief in the medicinal efficacy of rhino horn' to end someday. 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I've smelt a pod of a musk deer, shot almost 70 years ago, which still smells aromatic. The problem is that apart from its base in perfumery, its efficacy, even in some aromatic things, is genuine. How do you stop this business as usual? The Chinese have musk deer farms. And you can siphon off musk from the navel gland of the male musk deer. The females don't have them. But as long as there is a supply from these farms, the demand for musk will remain and as long as there is a demand, the illegal supply from animals killed in the wild will continue. The Nepalese and others have huge nets and they drive animals — they don't bother to make out whether it's a male or a female. If it's a male, they'll get the musk. If it's female, they'll get its meat (it's delicious). So they will still be [hunted] to eat the meat. The musk deer will always be pursued, until and unless people stop using musk at all, for whatever it's worth. Saurabh Sharma is a Delhi-based writer and freelance journalist. They can be found on Instagram/X: @writerly_life.
NDTV
19 minutes ago
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"They Can't Decide Who Is True Indian": Priyanka Gandhi After Top Court Raps Rahul Gandhi
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