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New Indian Express
11 hours ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
BJP trying to bury Tamil culture: CM Stalin
CHENNAI: DMK president and Chief Minister MK Stalin accused the BJP-led union government of attempting to suppress and bury the pride of Tamil culture that emerged through the Keezhadi excavations. Praising the DMK student wing for organising an agitation - Keezhadi Engal Thaimadi - in Madurai on June 18, Stalin wrote a detailed letter in Murasoli, the DMK's mouthpiece, emphasising the importance of the excavation findings. The protest was held to condemn the union government for not approving the archaeological report on the Keezhadi findings. 'In 2013, during the UPA government, the ASI identified, through its inspections along the Vaigai river bank, that Keezhadi was an important settlement. The BJP government continued the excavations, but after three phases in 2015, the work was halted. The remaining seven phases were carried out by the state archaeology department,' Stalin said in the letter. He also recalled how officer Amarnath Ramakrishna was transferred from the project and later returned after a legal battle to continue his work. 'The artefacts found at the excavation sites were sent to renowned laboratories across the world for testing. Based on the results, Ramakrishna submitted a scientifically grounded 982-page report in 2023. However, even after two years, the BJP government has not approved the report and has instead sent it back, seeking additional proof,' he added. Referring to the scientific findings that iron was used in the Tamil region over 5,300 years ago, Stalin said, 'BJP leaders, including PM Narendra Modi, did not even acknowledge it on social media, even though Tamil Nadu is part of India and Tamils are Indian citizens. BJP leaders in Tamil Nadu are betraying Tamils for positions.'
The Hindu
a day ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Cong. leaders harassing govt. officers, alleges Shivamogga MP Raghavendra
MP for Shivamogga B.Y. Raghavendra on Thursday alleged that the people in power in the State were harassing government officials. Speaking to reporters at a programme organised to mark the completion of 11 years of BJP-rule at the Centre, Mr. Raghavendra said that through the media he learnt about the extension of the period of general transfer of officials in the State. 'The people in power and a few leaders of the Congress party have converted transfers into a business. As part of their strategy, the government has extended the duration of transfers,' he said. He alleged that some leaders contacted a few officials and warned that their tenure had come to an end and they had to vacate seats. 'Some officials have personally met me to convey their disappointment over the development. The Congress leaders and MLAs should stop behaving like this. I appeal to the Chief Minister to take measures to stop harassing officers,' he said. Speaking on Narendra Modi's rule at the Centre, Mr. Raghavendra said the country had been marching towards development on all fronts. The PM had taken the country on the path of progress. 'The Congress which ruled the State for over 65 years harvested political mileage by dividing people along the lines of caste. The people of the country are well aware of corruption during the UPA rule. Now the country is in safe hands, and the Central government is committed to building a new India,' he added. District BJP president N.K. Jagadish, legislators S.N. Channabasappa, D.S. Arun, Dhananjay Sarji and others were present.
India Today
a day ago
- Politics
- India Today
No Shashi Tharoor on Kerala bypoll campaign trail? His 'no missed call' response
Senior Congress leader and MP Shashi Tharoor said on Thursday he did not campaign for the Nilambur bypoll in Kerala because the party leadership never invited him to do the same time, he downplayed speculation of a rift with the Congress brass while acknowledging "some differences", coming off the back of a five-nation diplomatic outreach during which his remarks left some party leaders wasn't invited by the party. But that's alright,' Tharoor told reporters, responding to a question about his absence from the campaign trail in Nilambur. Voting for the crucial byelection is underway there today. 'First of all, I was gone for much of the time on this official diplomatic mission. When I came back there was no insistence, no missed call from the leadership saying I should come,' he said with an enigmatic smile. So he used the time to honour prior commitments, including chairing a committee meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs in Delhi.'Now I've come to Kerala. Today is voting day and I've been urging everyone to vote for my party's candidate. He is a good candidate,' he rejected suggestions that his absence signalled a rift with the party leadership or cadre. He stated that Congress workers, including those from his Thiruvananthapuram constituency, had been toiling hard on the close relations with party workers have seen me through four elections in my own constituencies,' he added. 'Congress party workers have been by my side everywhere.'Tharoor, who has been with the Congress for 16 years and won four consecutive elections from Thiruvananthapuram, said there are occasional differences with the party brass, but these issues should be resolved internally. He asserted that he remained committed to the party's values. 'Values of the institution of the Congress party are the institutional values that have kept me in the party,' he said. 'Yes, there may have been differences with the party leadership on some issues. Those can be sorted out in closed-door conversations and I don't see any reason to discuss them now.'Tharoor recently returned from a diplomatic mission, where he led an all-party delegation to the US and four other countries to communicate India's stance following Operation Sindoor, which was in response to the Pahalgam attack carried out by Pakistan-backed appointment by the government to the delegation and some of his remarks during the tour, including praise of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, drew criticism from sections of the Congress. Tharoor also came under fire from party colleagues for not highlighting the surgical strikes carried out during the UPA era, while praising the Modi government's handling of the situation.
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Revamped Green India Mission: A matter of vulnerable ecosystems and livelihoods
The government's decision to revise the Green India Mission (GIM) and focus on restoring vulnerable landscapes, such as those in the Aravalli range, the Western Ghats and the Himalaya, is welcome. Framed in 2014 during the last days of the UPA government, the mission is not only crucial to meeting India's climate commitments, it is also important for biodiversity conservation and food and water security. The initiative has resulted in an appreciable increase in the country's tree cover. However, it has been criticised for taking a plantation-centred approach and not doing justice to the mission's broader goal of ecological revival. The GIM's revised document attempts to course correct. Especially salient is its emphasis on zeroing in on micro-climatic zones through 'regionally conducive best practices'. This initiative should be combined with addressing another concern of the original GIM, which has largely remained on paper — creating income-generating opportunities for people who rely on these ecosystems. The Western Ghats, the Aravalli range and the Himalayan region face various challenges including deforestation, human-wildlife conflicts and changing rainfall patterns. Infrastructure development and unregulated tourism have added to their vulnerabilities. Last year, the catastrophic landslide in Wayanad underlined that the depletion of green cover and erratic rainfall had made the area susceptible to disasters. The new GIM document also notes that the Western Ghats ecosystem has degraded due to the felling of trees and illegal mining. Similarly, several studies have shown that the destruction of large chunks of the Aravalli ecosystem — especially its hills — has brought the Thar Desert close to the National Capital Region and this desertification has aggravated the area's pollution problem. The restoration of most ecological hotspots in the country has been trapped in the environment-development binary. In 2011, a panel chaired by ecologist Madhav Gadgil underlined the need to regulate developmental activities in the entire 1,60,000 sq km stretch of the Western Ghats. Its recommendations were met with resistance across the political spectrum. The suggestions of the K Kasturirangan panel have also remained on paper. Similarly, illegal quarrying has persisted in the Aravalli range despite several SC orders, including as late as May 29. The problem is also that green initiatives have rarely taken people along. The challenge for the revamped GIM will, therefore, be to find ways to sustain and improve people's livelihoods while enhancing ecological security.
The Hindu
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
PM Modi ended country's political instability that persisted since 1984: Javadekar
Senior BJP leader and former Union Minister Prakash Javadekar on Tuesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi ended the political instability that had persisted since 1984 by providing the country with a stable government. Mr. Javadekar was addressing reporters in Pune on the completion of 11 years of the Modi government at the Centre. "Modi government recently completed 11 years at the Centre. We all need to understand the significance of these 11 years. The first thing is that Modi ji gave a stable government to the country. Since 1984, political instability had persisted, but Modi ji ended that by giving the country a stable government in 2014," he said. "This third term will continue till 2029, and we are confident that the BJP will win the upcoming terms as well," he said. The government works round the clock with the motto of 'sabka saath, sabka vikas', he said. "The greatest achievement of this government is that in all these 11 years, not a single Union minister has faced any serious allegations of corruption. This is no small feat. One can recall the days under the Congress-led UPA government when, every other day, allegations of corruption were levelled against ministers, many of whom had to resign," he said. Mr. Javadekar asserted that India's stature on the global stage has risen under the Modi government. "Internal security has improved in the past 11 years. Schemes like Make in India, Atmanirbhar Bharat in the defence sector, abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, and the rise of the Indian economy from 10th to 4th position globally are among the key achievements of this government," he said. In 11 years, poor people were empowered as ₹43 lakh crore were transferred to them through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), resulting in more than 30 crore people being lifted out of poverty, he added. The former Minister said India sent a strong message to Pakistan's terror networks through surgical strikes, the Balakot air strikes and Operation Sindoor. The Modi government's other achievements include the revamp of Indian Railways, introduction of Vande Bharat trains, expansion of the metro rail services, reduction in bank NPAs, income tax relief for individuals earning up to ₹12 lakh, provision of tap water connections, construction of toilets, opening of Jan Dhan accounts, and the launch of the UPI platform, according to him.
