BJP workers pay tribute to ex-CM, help elders
Under ADIP Yojana and the Rashtriya Vayoshree Yojana, free assistive devices were distributed to hundreds of differently-abled individuals (Divyangjan) and senior citizens. Born in Mundka, Sahib Singh Verma rose as a stalwart leader of rural Delhi.
The event organised in remembrance of Sahib Singh Verma witnessed the presence of several dignitaries, including Delhi cabinet ministers, Members of Parliament, and Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva. Speaking at the event, his son and cabinet minister, Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma, said: "My father was not just my parent, he was my first teacher, my role model, and my moral compass. He showed us that even in politics, you can stay honest, humble, and deeply rooted in your culture.
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He didn't just represent Delhi in the assembly or Parliament; he represented its soul — especially that of rural Delhi. Today's initiative is a small step in carrying forward his lifelong mission." he said. tnn
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Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan — who has been one of the Sangh's favourites for BJP presidentship — was the first to endorse the idea. Chouhan said 'sarva dharma sambhava (all religions are equal)' and not secularism (the French concept of separation of church and state) was a part of Indian culture. His Cabinet colleague Jitendra Singh also spoke in the same vein as did Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Himanta Biswa Sarma. The RSS's suggestion can complicate an already difficult situation for the BJP brass. First, the party will have to decide what it will do about the allegiance to secularism that is mentioned in its party Constitution. In 2014, PM Modi said that secularism 'flows in our blood'. Second, the BJP's NDA allies, on whom the party is dependent in its third term, are not likely to bite the bullet easily. Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) leader Chirag Paswan has already made it clear he is not in favour of amending the Preamble. Third, it will give another handle to the Congress to target the BJP. Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi has already said the BJP prefers the Manusmriti to the Constitution. Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav has also accused the party of quietly going for a change in the Constitution because it is unable to openly oppose reservation for Dalits and OBCs. Both the BJP and the Opposition are manoeuvring to get the support of Dalits and OBCs. The ruling party knows how fraught with risks any talk of changing the Constitution can be, given that the Opposition's narrative dented it in the Lok Sabha elections last year and brought the party down to 240 seats. There is a growing perception today about the Constitution. The founding document (also, Constitutional secularism) is identified with Ambedkar, more than was the case in the 1970s and 80s. And Ambedkar is equated with Dalits and Dalits with reservation. 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