DMK attempting to conceal its fear of defeat: L. Murugan
Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting L. Murugan on Saturday (June 21, 2025) said the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), gripped by fear of defeat, has launched several unsuccessful campaigns — including opposition to delimitation and NEET — in a bid to conceal its growing anxiety.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the International Yoga Day celebrations at the National Institute of Siddha in Tambaram, Mr. Murugan said, 'The DMK lacks public support, as people have clearly made up their minds after witnessing the country's development over the past 10 years.'
International Yoga Day LIVE updates: Andhra Pradesh bags Guinness record for IDY 2025
Responding to a question on Union Home Minister Amit Shah's recent remark that those who speak English in India would 'soon feel ashamed,' Mr. Murugan said, 'Amit Shah ji made that statement in the context of shedding the colonial mindset. Since the BJP came to power at the Centre in 2014, our government has taken various steps to promote Indian tradition, culture, and languages. The National Education Policy also emphasises learning Indian languages in addition to one's mother tongue.'
Further, the Minister said that lakhs of Lord Muruga devotees from around the world are expected to participate in the Muruga Bhaktargalin Aanmeega Maanadu, to be held in Madurai on June 22.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
24 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Pahalgam probe: In hunt for gunmen, 2 possibilities on radar
New Delhi: The manhunt for the Pahalgam attackers continues with no arrests since the April 22 assault at Baisaran meadow. (PTI) Indian security forces are pursuing two theories about the whereabouts of three terrorists who killed 26 tourists in Kashmir two months ago, with officials divided over whether the attackers remain in hiding or have fled to Pakistan. The manhunt for the Pahalgam attackers continues with no arrests since the April 22 assault at Baisaran meadow, according to three security officials who spoke on condition of anonymity. Authorities have identified the suspected attackers as Hashim Musa, also known as Suleiman, and Ali Bhai, also called Talha Bhai — both Pakistani nationals — and local operative Adil Hussain Thokker. The government has offered rewards of ₹ 20 lakh for each suspect. Initial eyewitness accounts suggested four to five terrorists could have been involved, though security forces have so far identified these three. Security agencies are split between two assessments of the terrorists' location, the officials said, citing these as based on 'tell-tale signs' and 'intelligence assessments'. The first theory suggests the same group was involved in a May 22 gun battle with security forces in Kishtwar's dense forests, where one army soldier was killed and two others wounded. Officials believe the attackers then fled deeper into the jungle towards the Doda-Kishtwar-Ramban border region and may have crossed into Pakistan. The second assessment holds that the terrorists remain hidden in the Tral ridge area, avoiding electronic communication with Pakistani handlers or local contacts. 'Both theories are based on intelligence assessments and have been discussed in detail by the Army, paramilitary forces and Jammu and Kashmir police,' said one official. 'But there is no definite answer.' Most security officials favour the second theory, citing heavy troop deployment near the border following the attack and continuous satellite surveillance. The National Investigation Agency, which is formally investigating the case, has questioned hundreds of people over two months, including suspected collaborators, pony operators, vendors and tourism workers. Investigators have also examined videos and photographs taken by families at Baisaran that day. Since the April attack, security forces have killed six terrorists in separate encounters across Kashmir, but the Pahalgam attackers remain at large. The Resistance Front, a proxy group for the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba organisation, claimed responsibility for the attack. Indian agencies say the group is a front used by Pakistan to avoid international sanctions. As first reported by HT on April 24, intelligence agencies traced the attack's digital communications to safe houses in Muzaffarabad and Karachi, establishing Pakistani involvement in what officials described as similar to the control room-operated 2008 Mumbai attacks. India responded with Operation Sindoor on May 7, bombing nine terrorist camps across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in pre-dawn strikes that killed at least 100 militants. The operation sparked four days of cross-border fighting involving fighter jets, missiles and artillery. On the night of May 9-10, the Indian Air Force struck targets at 13 Pakistani airbases and military installations before hostilities ended on May 10. Last week, the Financial Action Task Force condemned the Pahalgam attack, saying such operations require significant funding and money transfer capabilities between terrorist supporters. India also raised the attack at a United Nations meeting in Vienna last month, accusing Pakistan-based groups including Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad of orchestrating attacks on Indian soil.
Hindustan Times
29 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
2016, 2019 strikes paved the way for Op Sindoor: Rajnath
NEW DELHI: Operation Sindoor is the natural progression of the 2016 surgical strikes and the 2019 Balakot airstrikes in Pakistan, and it was conducted in a manner that forced Islamabad to ask for a ceasefire, defence minister Rajnath Singh said on Saturday, articulating India's firm resolve to fight terrorism. Defence minister Rajnath Singh performs yoga on the 11th International Day of Yoga, at Northern Command Headquarters in Udhampur on Saturday. (ANI Photo) 'It was executed in such a way that Pakistan requested for a ceasefire, and only then have we put a pause to the operation. As I have said earlier, Operation Sindoor is not over yet. India is fully prepared to take all kinds of action against terrorism,' Singh said at an International Yoga Day function organised by the army in Udhampur. The army's Northern Command based in Udhampur is the nerve centre of counterterrorism operations in Jammu and Kashmir. India launched the operation in the early hours of May 7 and struck terror and military installations in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) following the Pahalgam terror strike in which 26 people were shot dead. It triggered a four-day military confrontation with Pakistan involving fighter jets, missiles, drones, long-range weapons and heavy artillery before the two sides reached an understanding on stopping all military action on May 10. Singh led the armed forces' yoga day celebrations, with around 2,500 soldiers taking part in the Northern Command event. Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi and Northern Army commander Lieutenant General Pratik Sharma were present. 'Yoga gives clarity to the people in chaos. It is an art, a science, a philosophy, and spirituality. Those who practice yoga in their daily lives have control over their body and mind. It makes us proactive, not reactive,' he said in his address, describing Operation Sindoor as a shining example of that 'control.' The Indian armed forces showed restraint, balance and precision during the operation, which is a reflection of their inner strength attained by practicing yoga, he said. The operation was a clear message to Pakistan that it will face the consequences for supporting terror activities against India, he said. Pakistan wants to weaken India from within, but it should never forget that just like Major Somnath Sharma, Brigadier Mohammad Usman too sacrificed his life for the unity and integrity of the country, Singh said referring to the bravehearts who fought valiantly during the 1947-48 India-Pakistan war. Sharma and Usman were posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra and the Maha Vir Chakra, respectively --- the country's highest and second highest wartime honours.
New Indian Express
30 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
Mainland autonomy requires oceanic depth
The Chinese reaction to the American immigration fracas has strategic undercurrents with a view to not only create alternate models but also emerge as a global education hub. I have previously written on the Chinese build-up towards building world class universities through state facilitated policies with a long-term plan. The size and speed at which they are advancing is shaking certain fundamentals of the game. The 'haigui' (sea-turtles) as the foreign educated returning Chinese are called, have been instrumental in building the science and engineering education in many universities like Tsinghua and Peking comparable to America. Some Chinese are looking at Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, etc. as alternate geographies besides the increasing others who want to develop Chinese University using this turbulence as an opportunity. The Chinese government cannot change what America is doing but certainly is changing what it can do. The Indian side of the foreign landscape is a mixed bag. Surpassing China in terms of growth rate last year, China still retaining the top status of sending the largest number of Chinese to top five destinations—the US, UK, Canada, Australia and France, India is second to China in absolute numbers. India also seems to find an alternate growing interest in Australia, EU, Japan, etc. but needs more efforts to build the native Indian university ecosystem with a foreign touch. Though India and China have invested roughly the same in education (averaging 4.1 per cent to 4.6 per cent of GDP), the Chinese per capita investment is five times more that of India. The lucrative research grants and the magnetic incentives luring back overseas Chinese to China are the double engines of university reforms in China besides revitalising its university autonomy. The UGC Regulations for establishing foreign university campuses in India is a route for foreign universities taking the Pacific or Atlantic or Arabian Sea route to enter India with an oceanic depth in autonomy. The global academic freedom index is a pointer for more university autonomy in India. The regulatory framework for Indian universities in India requires more autonomy which may be given to the top 100 NIRF universities to begin with. There will be marginal collateral damage but it is worth the effort as mainland institutional autonomy requires the oceanic depth that others enjoy. Is anybody listening?
