Those involved in lynching incidents are not nationalists : Venkaiah Naidu
New Delhi : Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu has said people involved in lynching incidents and hate crimes cannot call themselves nationalists, adding that a change in societal behaviour was required to prevent such cases, PTI reported on Sunday.
“It is the societal behaviour that has to change...when you kill the other man, how can you call yourself nationalist?” the vice president told the news agency in an interview on Tuesday. “On the basis of religion, on the basis of caste or on the basis of colour, or on the basis of gender, you discriminate. Nationalism, ‘Bharat Mata ki jai’ has a wider meaning.”
Such incidents should not be politicised and linked with a party, he said. “This [lynching] is not because of this party or that party,” the vice president added. “The moment you attribute it to these parties, the cause is lost. That is what is happening, let me be very frank.”
The vice president claimed that such incidents used to occur in the past too.
On Friday, the Supreme Court gave all states a week to implement its earlier order laying down guidelines for the central and state governments to prevent incidents of mob lynching. The court had asked Parliament in July to consider creating a new penal provision on the matter, saying that mobocracy cannot be allowed in society.
But legislation alone cannot prevent such incidents, Naidu claimed. “When the Nirbhaya issue came, there was a clamour for Nirbhaya act,” he said, referring to the anti-rape law that was enacted in the aftermath of the gangrape of a young woman in Delhi in December 2012. “Nirbhaya act has come, did they stop? I am not getting into politics, the political parties they have their own way of highlighting it. I [had] said, what is required is not a mere bill, political will, administrative skill, and then go for the kill of the social evil.”
courtesy : scroll.in
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Kerala polls: ‘People rejected 10 years of misrule’, says AICC gen secy
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal on Monday said the Congress-led UDF’s sweeping victory in the Kerala Assembly polls was a clear verdict against the “arrogance”, corruption, and nepotism of the CPI(M)-led LDF government headed by CM Pinarayi Vijayan.
Addressing a press conference as counting of votes for all 140 Assembly constituencies neared completion, Venugopal said the outcome reflected public anger against what he termed “10 years of misrule” by the Left government.
He claimed that Vijayan’s victory in his home constituency, Dharmadam, was “only technical”, alleging that the CM trailed the UDF candidate in the initial rounds of counting and failed to secure a majority in his own village.
“He just escaped. He suffered a setback even in his home turf. He was the only person who did not realise the people’s mood in this election,” Venugopal said.
Alleging that the CPI(M) and the LDF had resorted to “communal and opportunistic politics”, he further claimed that the ruling front had entered into a “secret understanding” with the BJP in a bid to retain power for a third consecutive term.
He said that when a government driven by power and arrogance attempts to align with anyone to stay in office, even its own cadre turns against it.
Referring to the results, Venugopal said that while the UDF expected rebel CPI(M) leaders, including K Kunhikrishnan in Payyannur, to impact the vote share, their victories came as a surprise.
Describing the UDF’s performance as a “historic victory”, he attributed it to coordinated teamwork, grassroots mobilisation, and the dedication of party workers, adding that the alliance accepted the mandate “with humility”.
Venugopal also credited Rahul Gandhi’s campaign guarantees, calling them a “trump card” that helped voters focus on real issues and reject what he described as the LDF’s “false narratives”.
He claimed that the Congress witnessed one of its lowest levels of rebellion in this election, which contributed to the alliance’s strong performance.
The senior Congress leader further alleged that the BJP managed to win two seats with the help of the CPI(M), and asserted that forces attempting to divide society on communal lines should “learn a lesson” from Kerala’s verdict.
“This is the real Kerala story,” he said.
On the question of the next Chief Minister, Venugopal said the party leadership would decide at the earliest after due consultations.
The counting of votes began on Monday morning for all 140 Assembly constituencies in Kerala, where the Congress-led UDF secured a decisive majority, defeating the CPI(M)-led LDF, which was seeking an unprecedented third consecutive term in office.
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) posts, "Thank you to my brothers and sisters in Keralam for a truly decisive mandate. Congratulations to every UDF leader and worker for a hard-fought, well-run campaign. As I said before, Keralam has the talent, Keralam has the potential… pic.twitter.com/6T4IZbEmp4
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) May 4, 2026
