Gorakhpur made BJP realise even this can happen: Rajnath
New Delhi: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday said the loss in Uttar Pradesh by-polls made the the BJP realise that "even this can happen" but "it will not happen again".
The minister's statement came days after the Bharatiya Janata Party suffered a double jolt as it was trounced in the Uttar Pradesh Lok Sabha by-polls for the Gorakhpur and Phulpur and in Bihar's Araria.
"Ho gaya, aage nahin hoga. Humein pata chala ki aisa bhi ho sakta hain (It happened, will not happen again. We realised even this can also happen)," the minister said, addressing the CNN News18 Rising India Summit.
Gorakhpur was held by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for five consecutive terms, while Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya was Phulpur's elected Lok Sabha representative.
Commenting on Congress President Rahul Gandhi's statement that the country was rising against the BJP, Rajnath Singh said: "He is our opposition leader and will keep saying things but only time will tell against whom the country is rising."
On being asked if he harboured the dream of being Prime Minister one day, he said he was not "over ambitious".
"I'm not over ambitious. But yes, if one is given the opportunity, they must fulfil it. Our Prime Minister is doing a very good job."
Asked whether the interference by Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in the Ram Janmabhoomi issue was right, Rajnath Singh said: "We cannot stop him from mediating in the issue. As far as the government is concerned, the matter is sub-judice."
Replying to a question if the Jawaharlal Nehru University was creating problem in the internal security, the Minister said he didn't think so.
"If anyone is misusing the JNU for political gains, it should be checked. If any party is doing politics by politicising any university, it should not be done."
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Ramdev criticises US, Israel over Iran war; video viral
New Delhi: Yoga guru Baba Ramdev has sharply criticised the United States and Israel over their conflict with Iran, in a video from a television interview that has gone viral on social media.
Speaking on a show aired by ABP News, Ramdev was asked whether India should support Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was reported to have been killed on the first day of the war on February 28.
Responding to the question, Ramdev said, “You can kill a person, but you cannot kill his ideas, his philosophy, his mindset, his spirit, or his valour and heroism.”
He went on to express support for Iran, saying he may not know much about the country but believes its people cannot be subdued. Referring to the Shia Muslim community, he said no one could make them “bow down” or defeat them, adding that a significant section of Iran’s population strongly identifies with Khamenei’s ideology.
When asked about Netanyahu, Ramdev criticised both him and US President Donald Trump, saying they are “both cut from the same cloth.” He added, “I am not calling anyone a thief; I am simply citing a proverb it implies that they are both of the same ilk, and I consider them both to be war criminals. I consider them criminals against humanity; I consider them criminals against nature and the environment.”
He further said that the United States and Israel have “erected a Himalaya-sized mountain of political mistrust” and claimed that both countries would have to face the consequences for decades. “In this conflict, neither can America and Israel emerge victorious, nor can Iran be defeated,” he said.
Ramdev’s remarks come at a time when India’s position on the conflict has drawn attention. The government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has maintained what it describes as “strategic autonomy” in foreign policy.
