Real anti-nationalism is when you start blindly believing govt in the name of patriotism: Kanhaiya
He was addressing in Mangaluru at B.V Kakkilaya birth anniversary event
Mangaluru: JNU Scholar Dr. Kanhaiya Kumar on Saturday stressed on the need of youth reading and understanding the history and about freedom movement and fighters.
Speaking in Mangaluru at an event organised to mark centenary birth anniversary of veteran freedom fighter B.V Kakkilaya, Kanhaiya said "today's youth doesn't know much about freedom fighters and the history of their own respective villages, District or States. Whereas the need is to know, read and understand the history of not just our own District, village and state but also of others too".
Commenting on the development of the country in the last 70 years, since the independence, Kanhaiya blamed the parents for not letting their kids enter politics and added that it hindered the pace of the development of the country after independence.
"The biggest hindrance has been that the youth are not allowed to question things. Our system does not allow us to know what are our rights. The children in the country are not allowed to choose subjects of their interest but instead they are turned into machines by training them only to be able to survive future market. So, although the youth of the country go out to vote they don't realise the value of their votes and have not achieved political maturity" Kanhaiya added.
He further noted that one doesn't need to be pessimistic. "Although the youth today is experiencing lack of political knowledge and maturity this is largely due to the history of our nation," he added while urging the youth to work towards a better future of the country.
"BJP is the reason why we need to stand for secularism, BJP is the reason why the importance of democracy needs to be taught in the country. The BJP has caused several political questions that the youth needs to question them about," Kanhaiya said.
"B.V Kakkilaya was called anti-national by the British because he protested for the rights of people and for the freedom of this country. Even today, people fighting for the rights of people are arrested and labelled as anti-national, the only difference is that it is not the british who does it now but our own police and government. We need to stand united and start questioning everything that is wrong, we need to start people's movement in this country".
"Our Prime Minister uses religion as shield whenever he is questioned about the economic failure during his tenure. We don't need to worry about the current scenario of our country we just need to create awareness among the people about the history and facts" Kanhaiya added.
"The real anti-national are those who blindly believe and follow the government in the name of patriotism. The real patriotism is when you question the powerful people about the wrongs they are doing to the country. This should start at our homes, educational institutions should follow this, workplaces, public and platforms should follow this".
Talking about his decision to enter politics Kanhaiya said that joining JNU inspired him to join politics.
Answering a question by a student about why he doesn't say 'Jai Shri Ram' and his idea about a unified nation, Kanhaiya replied, "One can say anything, the constitution gives us the right, I will say 'Jai Samvidhan' (hail the constitution). I am proud of my country and I love my country. At the same time I am also proud of our beautiful and diverse culture where people of several beliefs and religion co-exist," Kanhaiya said while replying to the second question.
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Karnataka rolls out climate action plan to tackle global warming: Minister Khandre
Bengaluru (PTI): Minister Eshwar Khandre on Tuesday said that a Karnataka state action plan on climate change has been formulated to mitigate the impact of global warming and climate change, and directions have been issued to ensure its proper implementation.
Speaking after presiding over a seminar on extreme heat and its impact on Bengaluru, organised by the Karnataka Media Academy, he said the Environmental Management and Policy Research Institute (EMPRI), which comes under the environment department, has taken steps to implement the action plan in coordination with various state government departments.
He said training programmes are being organised in cooperation with zilla panchayat offices for district officials and other related institutions regarding the implementation and progress of the Karnataka state action plan on climate change.
The Forest, Ecology and Environment minister said such programmes will be conducted in all 31 districts of Karnataka.
According to a statement issued by the minister’s office, in terms of climate resilience, Khandre said a dedicated radio programme, “Havamaana Mitra” (weather friend), was launched in April 2025 to share information on best practices, and 24 programmes have so far been broadcast on Akashvani.
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He said these efforts aim to create public awareness.
Khandre emphasised that due to global warming and climate change, even seasons are changing today.
“Keeping this in mind, after becoming Forest Minister, I have been making every effort to increase green cover, especially in Bengaluru city,” he said.
He noted that during the last three years, about 11 crore saplings have been planted in the state, and information on their survival rate has been made available on the Forest Department website.
According to him, encroachments on about 250 acres of forest land worth around Rs 10,000 crore in several parts of Bengaluru, including Kothanur, Kadugodi, B M Kaval, and Turahalli, have been cleared.
Thousands of saplings have been planted and groves created on the cleared land, thereby preserving lung spaces essential for Bengaluru city.
The minister also recalled that more than 400 acres of forest land in Peenya plantation had earlier been allotted to the central government-owned HMT for industrial purposes.
He said HMT had sold 160 acres of this land, while 280 acres remain, and a decision has been taken to reclaim it for the department to preserve an essential lung space for Bengaluru. A legal battle is underway, and the case is currently in the Supreme Court.
In addition, he said 444 acres in the Jarakabande area had been allotted to the Indian Air Force. Under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, forest land cannot be diverted without due process. Hence, in 2017, the then Deputy Commissioner cancelled the land allotment.
“Steps are now being taken to reclaim this forest land and preserve the green space,” he said.
Khandre also highlighted that the Yelahanka Air Force Station in Gantiganahalli, where the international air show is held once every two years in Bengaluru, is on forest land.
He said 159 acres in Gantiganahalli village is classified as a reserved forest area.
“If the Air Force submits a proposal for diversion and provides alternative land, this area may be considered for transfer; otherwise, steps will be taken to reclaim it for the forest department,” he said.
“The Indian Air Force is presently using this area as a runway. However, the RTC and mutation records are in the name of the Forest Department, and the land has not been legally converted. Hence, this forest land will be reclaimed,” he said.
He added that the government has resolved to construct a major biological park on 153 acres at Madappanahalli in Bengaluru North taluk, and cabinet approval has been obtained.
“The CM will lay the foundation stone next month. This will be the largest park after Lalbagh and Cubbon Park. It would not be incorrect to call this an achievement of the century,” he said.
