New Delhi, July 21 : A day after surprising the Prime Minister with a hug, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said he would tackle Narendra Modi's "hate and fear" with love and compassion.
"The point of yesterday's debate in Parliament...Prime Minister uses hate, fear and anger in the hearts of some of our people to build his narrative. We are going to prove that love and compassion in the hearts of all Indians is the only way to build a nation," Gandhi tweeted.
The no-confidence motion against the Modi government was defeated in the Lok Sabha after a 12-hour long heated debate which saw the treasury and opposition benches trade charges.
But what stole the show was the moment when Gandhi, after a blistering speech, walked over to hug a surprised Prime Minister.
He said love and tolerance, not hatred and lynchings, was the way forward for India.
"I have not an iota of hatred or hard feelings against you. You hate me. You may call me Pappu, you can use a stream of expletives for me. But I don't hate you or have even slightest of anger for you. I am the Congress," Gandhi said at the end of his nearly 40-minute fiery speech.
Modi hit out at him accusing the Congress chief of arrogance, negativity, childish conduct and a burning desire to become Prime Minister.
Modi said he was extending best wishes to the Congress and other opposition parties to bring another no-confidence motion in 2024.
The Prime Minister replying to the debate on no-confidence motion, moved by the TDP, against the government in the Lok Sabha, said the Congress lacked self-confidence and had no faith in the Chief Justice of India, Election Commission, Electronic Voting Machines, Reserve Bank of India and programmes like Swachh Bharat.
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Hamirpur: The residents of Sammoo village in Hamirpur district located in Himachal Pradesh are continuing a centuries-old tradition of not celebrating Diwali. No houses are lit during the festival, no special dishes are prepared, and no sounds of crackers are heard.
This is an ancient custom that people have been following for ages due to the fear of a curse from a woman who committed Sati on Diwali, according to a PTI report.
The legend goes that, many years ago, the woman who had left for her parent's home to celebrate Diwali received news that her husband, a soldier in the king's court, had died. The woman, who was pregnant, was devastated and burnt herself on her husband's pyre. It is believed she cursed the villagers, declaring that they would never again be able to celebrate Diwali.
As a result, the village has not celebrated the festival since, with elders reportedly warning younger generations that celebrations would invite misfortune, disaster, and deaths.
Bhoranj panchayat pradhan Pooja Devi stated that since she got married and moved to this village, she has never witnessed Diwali being celebrated. “Even if the villagers settle outside, the curse of the women won’t leave them. Some years ago, a family from the village settled far away were preparing some local dishes for Diwali when their house caught fire. The people of the village only worship Sati and light diyas in front of her,” Pooja Devi was quoted as saying by the news agency.
The report also cited another village elder, who has lived through more than 70 Diwalis without celebration, mentioning that whenever someone attempts to celebrate, tragedy strikes the village.
“For hundreds of years, people have refrained from celebrating Diwali. On the day of Diwali, if a family, even by mistake, bursts crackers and makes dishes at home, then disaster is sure to happen,” the report quoted another villager.
The people in the village have tried a lot of measures, such as havans and yagyas, to get rid of the curse. However, nothing has reportedly worked.