Latest news with #PawanKhera
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
I have some differences of opinion with the Congress party: Shashi Tharoor
Synopsis Congress MP Shashi Tharoor acknowledged internal disagreements within the party, stating he'll address them internally later. His remarks on Operation Sindoor, made during a US visit as part of an all-party delegation, sparked criticism from Congress leaders like Pawan Khera and Jairam Ramesh. Udit Raj sarcastically suggested Tharoor join the BJP.
The Wire
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Wire
Nehru's Words on Disasters and the Modi Govt's Lack of Accountability After the Ahmedabad Plane Crash
India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru's articulations on disasters resonate in the context of the one of the worst ever crash, in aviation history, of Air India's Boeing 787 Dreamliner flying from Ahmedabad to London on June 12, 2025 with 242 people on fatal crash occurred shortly after that flight took off from Ahmedabad airport and a huge ball of fire engulfed the air craft after it hit a building housing the hostel mess of a medical college near the airport. It killed all but one passenger and several students and others present intense grief caused by that catastrophic crash gripped the entire nation and indeed the whole world. Condolence messages poured from all corners. There was expression of unity and solidarity with India in face of that horrendous tragedy the magnitude and scale of which is unprecedented in independent is against this havoc of terrible proportions one recalls the utterances of Nehru who in his historic tryst with destiny speech delivered in the mid night of 14th August 1947, marking the independence of India from British rule, said, 'Peace is said to be indivisible, so is freedom, so is prosperity now, and also is disaster in this one world that can no longer be split into isolated fragments.'Those words uttered seventy eight years back sounds so contemporary in the context of the plane crash in Ahmedabad which has shaken the whole world with shock and disbelief. Callous remarks of Amit ShahAlready two days have passed and very distressingly there is no release of official figures by Modi regime showing the number of people killed and injured. Union Home Minister Amit Shah during his visit to the crash site remarked that 'nobody can stop accidents,'.This statement smacks of callousness and insensitivity and very appropriately Congress's media and publicity department head Pawan Khera described that remark of Shah as 'insensitive', and said the least he could offer is a promise of accountability, not a 'shrug and a lecture on fate.' 'Nobody can stop accidents' is an abdication. 'If nothing can be prevented, why do we have ministries at all,' Khera asked in a post on emphatically stated, 'Aviation accidents are not acts of God – they are preventable. That's why we have aviation regulators, safety protocols, and crisis response systems. By the Home Minister's logic, should we stop investing in safety infrastructure, regulation, or crisis preparedness altogether? Just leave it to fate and call it a day?'When a plane crashes and people die, the least a Home Minister can offer is a promise of accountability, not a shrug and a lecture on fate.'Nobody can stop accidents' is an abdication. If nothing can be prevented, why do we have ministries at all?Aviation accidents are not… Pawan Khera 🇮🇳 (@Pawankhera) June 13, 2025It is instructive to note that Nehru's aforementioned thoughtful words 'Peace is said to be indivisible, so is freedom, so is prosperity now, and also is disaster in this one world that can no longer be split into isolated fragments' was prefaced by him with a statement that 'And so we have to labour and to work, and to work hard, to give reality to our dreams'. Those expressions of Nehru get reflected in Khera's remarks that 'Aviation accidents are not acts of God – they are preventable. That's why we have aviation regulators, safety protocols, and crisis response systems.'Nehru's remarksUnlike Amit Shah and Prime Minister Modi who in face of recurrent disasters avoid remaining accountable, Nehru candidly confessed that quite often his regime had no understanding of the scale of the disasters causing trauma and misery to the over three years after he stated that disaster in this one world became indivisible, he wrote a letter to Chief Ministers on 1st September 1950 and reflected on the series of calamities faced by India in the formative stage of nation building. Acknowledging that '… India has set up some kind of a new record, not a record to be proud of' he wrote with anguish, 'It is a record of disaster and calamity, one following another in quick succession, bringing sorrow and misery to vast numbers of human beings ….'. Then he proceeded to add with anguish, '…we do not yet know the full extent of this disaster in which millions of people are involved.'He as the head of the Union Government was reaching out to Chief Ministers to understand and grapple with the catastrophe visiting the people, society and nation and causing adverse consequences on the mode by the Modi regimeSuch frank admissions on the part of Nehru, the Prime Minister, stand in sharp contrast to the present day ruling leadership of India, represented by Modi who often does not reach out to people caught in disasters including the recurrent cycle of violence in Manipur for more than two years. He along with Amit Shah remain in denial mode regarding was best represented by them when they never answered questions on failure of intelligence leading to occurrence of disasters like the massacre of tourists in Pahalgam by terrorists in cold blood. They fail to hold any higher authority including the Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw for repeated train accidents including one horrific one in Odisha in 2023 when more than 250 people were killed and over 1000 got catastrophic train accident caused deaths which might be more than the casualties caused by the fatal plane crash in Ahmedabad. None was held to account for scores of deaths in the Kumbh Mela stampede and now BBC has come out with a report that the number of fatalities was more than what was officially stated by Yogi regime in earlier in 2019 40 CRPF jawans were killed by a huge blast in Pulwama in Kashmir. Nobody has been held accountable till today and no information is in public domain how there was intelligence failure leading to that described disasters as challenge to nationhoodHow Nehru dealt with such crises offers valuable lessons for the present day leadership of India in 2025. He famously wrote to the Chief Ministers in the aforementioned letter, 'And now, after we have battled with man's folly and fear and greed, we have to meet nature, red in tooth and claw.' He described the prospect of meeting the challenge as 'overwhelming' and instructively noted that '… it does no good to feel overwhelmed.' 'And the only way to look upon it', he wrote, 'is to consider it as a challenge to our nationhood, and our courage and capacity to work.'Such a bold stand by Prime Minister Nehru in face of the challenge of disaster to our nationhood brought out his many disasters including the fiery plane crash in Ahmedabad and repeated rail accidents constitute, in the words of Nehru, 'a challenge, to our nationhood' and '… it does no good to feel overwhelmed.'Can Modi Shah meet the challenge to our nationhood? The empathy and effectiveness they would display in dealing with the tragedies facing India will constitute an answer.S.N. Sahu served as Officer on Special Duty to President of India K R Narayanan.
India Gazette
4 days ago
- Politics
- India Gazette
"Shows that BJP has always been opposed to socio-economic surveys of castes": Congress' Pawan Khera lashes at BJP over no mentions of caste in upcoming Census survey
New Delhi [India], June 17 (ANI): Taking a jibe at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the Census, Congress leader Pawan Khera on Tuesday questioned why there was no mention of caste in the survey further stating that the BJP had always been opposed to the socio-economic survey of different castes and that the intentions of BJP would always be suspected. 'So, the socio-economic survey is being done on every caste group. This is the real intent, which can be seen through this GO. In the Government of India notification of yesterday, where is the word 'caste'? Where have they written a socio-economic survey of caste groups? They haven't. This also shows that since the BJP has always been opposed to socio-economic surveys of different castes, we suspect their intentions always. These questions will be raised on the BJP because their intentions were always suspect,' Khera told ANI. Mocking BJP over no mentions of the word 'caste' in the Census, Khera said 'They don't even dare to mention the word 'caste' in their notification for the Census and they are pointing fingers at a party which has not just done it very successfully in Telangana, which is also following it up and is now ensuring that the Telangana model is followed even in Karnataka,' he said. Applauding the Telangana government's model of Census, Khera stated that the same model was expected to be followed by the Government of India. 'Every single resident of Telangana was involved, and therefore, the report is quite accurate. Based on that report, the Government of Telangana has already taken appropriate steps in the direction of social justice and economic justice. That is a successful model, and we expect the government of India to emulate it,' he added. Meanwhile, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla launched a scathing attack on Congress for accusing the party of spreading fake news and lies on the issue of the caste census and India's global diplomatic matters. The BJP leader accused Congress of deliberately misleading the public over the government's stand on the caste census. He said, 'Now Congress is on another lie. They are saying that the central government is taking a U-turn on the caste census... Various government press releases say that the caste census will be done.' The statement came as political tensions remained high over the caste census demand, with the Congress accusing the BJP of avoiding concrete commitments. At the same time, the BJP maintained that the government has been transparent about its position. (ANI)
Hans India
4 days ago
- Politics
- Hans India
Congress demands urgent evacuation of Indians from Iran
Congress on Tuesday demanded urgent measures from the Indian government to ensure the safe return of Indians from Iran, which is involved in a conflict with Israel. Pawan Khera, chairman of the media and publicity department of the All India Congress Committee, accused the government of not acting with alacrity on the issue of evacuating Indians from the war-torn nation. "We have been raising this issue for the past three days. Many of our students from Kashmir are there. We have been asking the government to wake up and realise that issuing advisories is not enough,' Khera told IANS. 'The government must make arrangements for the safe return of Indians from there,' he said. Earlier, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Tuesday that amid the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, Indian students in Tehran have been relocated from the city, and some Indian nationals have been assisted in leaving the country through the border with Armenia. As the Israel-Iran conflict entered its fifth day, the hostilities between the two nations continued to escalate. Several missiles from Iran were fired at Israel, triggering air raid sirens in Haifa and dozens of other cities across northern Israel and the occupied Golan Heights, confirmed the Israeli military. "Indian students in Tehran have been moved out of the city for reasons of safety, through arrangements made by the Embassy. Other residents who are self-sufficient in terms of transport have also been advised to move out of the city in view of the developing situation," the MEA said. "Separately, some Indians have been facilitated to leave Iran through the border with Armenia," it added. The Ministry also said that the Indian Embassy is continuously in touch with the community to provide all feasible assistance. It stated that further advisory will be issued for the security of Indian nationals. Earlier in the day, India urged its nationals in Iran and Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) to evacuate Tehran and shift to a safer location following escalating tensions in the region.
India Gazette
6 days ago
- Politics
- India Gazette
"Indian students in Iran are calling for help": Congress leader Pawan Khera
New Delhi [India], June 15 (ANI): Congress leader Pawan Khera on Sunday flagged the issue of over 1,500 Indian students being stranded in Iran's Tehran while slamming the Indian government for being 'largely unresponsive' amid the ongoing conflict between the Middle Eastern country and Israel. 'Indian students in Iran are calling for help. But the government remains largely unresponsive, even as missiles rain from the sky. With flights suspended, airspace over Tehran closed, and internet access disrupted, more than 1500 Indian students are left in a state of precarity and uncertainty - with no information about evacuation or safe zones,' Khera posted on X. Although the Indian embassy in Iran has issued an advisory for students, the Congress leader added that it remains 'unresponsive' for students who remain distressed. 'The Indian Embassy has issued a generic advisory urging the students to 'remain vigilant, avoid all unnecessary movements, follow the Embassy's Social Media accounts and observe safety protocols as advised by local authorities'. Meanwhile, students remain trapped in distress as the Indian Embassy in Iran remains unresponsive: We are traumatised after last night's attack. There has been no response from the Indian Embassy. Our families are panicking,' Khera highlighted. He accused the Narendra Modi government of 'turning evacuations into propaganda opportunities' while stating that the government steps in late and does too little. 'This is not the first time Indian citizens have been left pleading for help during foreign crises. Whether it was Sudan, Ukraine, or now Iran, Modi's government has turned evacuations into propaganda opportunities - stepping in late, speaking too much, and doing too little, too slowly,' Khera said. He urged that the Ministry of External Affairs establish a coordinated evacuation mechanism before the window for safe exit of students narrows. 'The MEA must move beyond passive advisories and immediately establish a coordinated evacuation mechanism - complete with emergency response teams, real-time communication channels and logistic support - before the window for safe exit narrows any further,' he added. (ANI)
