Bengaluru (PTI): Vice President C P Radhakrishnan on Wednesday said that India wants to be the "most powerful" country in the world, not to dominate or dictate unjustified norms to other countries, but to ensure that nobody dares to dictate terms to Bharat.
He also said that India is today no longer only an adopter of technology, but it is now emerging as the creators of technology. The initiatives like Digital India, Startup India, Make in India have made the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the country vibrant and supportive.
The Vice President was speaking at the Silver Jubilee Celebrations of CMR Institute of Technology here.
"Bharath will be marching towards the Viksit Bharat goal by 2047...We want to be the most powerful, not to dominate other countries, not to dictate unjustified norms to other countries. But, nobody should dare to dictate terms to mother Bharat. That's why we want to become the most powerful nation in the world," Radhakrishnan said.
He said the global scenario today is full of challenges.
Climate change, cyber security threats, equitable access to technology and ethical use of AI are some of the things that need to be concentrated on. "These challenges also offer incredible opportunities for innovation, entrepreneurship, and leadership," he said.
Speaking about the rapid change in technology and new innovation, the Vice President said, "We have to equip ourselves. The institutions and students should get ready to adapt to the dramatical changes that are coming in the field of technology."
"What is the impact we are creating in the industrial field, what is the impact we are creating in society is the greatest success of any institute," he said.
According to Radhakrishnan, in a world shaped by Artificial Intelligence, sustainability challenges and global uncertainty, the students are expected to be creative, ethical, courageous, stay strong, and confident.
"Luck may not favour us every time, but hard work will make luck favour us at least once, and it will be great," he said, as he asked students to never give up.
"You should fix the target and move towards the target all the time at your own convenient speed, never compare yourself with anyone. Everyone has their own plus and minuses. Hard work, sincerity and involvement in any work, may not bring you success on the same day, but it will bring bigger success some other day. Even God cannot deny you that success," he added.
Calling students, the wealth of this nation, the Vice President requested them to say "no to drugs", with a loud voice. He said drugs should not spoil the youngsters of this nation.
Also, advising students to be careful about using social media, he said, "Every invention has positive and negative impact. Based on how we use it, we grow. I'm not asking you not to use it, you can do anything, but you should have full control."
Speaking about remaining relevant in the global arena without losing our values, Radhakrishnan said, "Modern development and keeping our great traditions is not contradictory, it can complement each other. We should grow, and at the same time we should not lose our roots."
Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot, among others, were present at the event.
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New Delhi: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said that four to five lakh “Miya voters” would be removed from the electoral rolls in the state once the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists is carried out. He also made a series of controversial remarks openly targeting the Miya community, a term commonly used in Assam in a derogatory sense to refer to Bengali-speaking Muslims.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an official programme in Digboi in Tinsukia district, Sarma said it was his responsibility to create difficulties for the Miya community and claimed that both he and the BJP were “directly against Miyas”.
“Four to five lakh Miya votes will have to be deleted in Assam when the SIR happens,” Sarma said, adding that such voters “should ideally not be allowed to vote in Assam, but in Bangladesh”. He asserted that the government was ensuring that they would not be able to vote in the state.
The chief minister was responding to questions about notices issued to thousands of Bengali-speaking Muslims during the claims and objections phase of the ongoing Special Revision (SR) of electoral rolls in Assam. While the Election Commission is conducting SIR exercises in 12 states and Union Territories, Assam is currently undergoing an SR, which is usually meant for routine updates.
Calling the current SR “preliminary”, Sarma said that a full-fledged SIR in Assam would lead to large-scale deletion of Miya voters. He said he was unconcerned about criticism from opposition parties over the issue.
“Let the Congress abuse me as much as they want. My job is to make the Miya people suffer,” Sarma said. He claimed that complaints filed against members of the community were done on his instructions and that he had encouraged BJP workers to keep filing complaints.
“I have told people wherever possible they should fill Form 7 so that they have to run around a little and are troubled,” he said, adding that such actions were meant to send a message that “the Assamese people are still living”.
In remarks that drew further outrage, Sarma urged people to trouble members of the Miya community in everyday life, claiming that “only if they face troubles will they leave Assam”. He also accused the media of sympathising with the community and warned journalists against such coverage.
“So you all should also trouble, and you should not do news that sympathise with them. There will be love jihad in your own house.” He said.
The comments triggered reactions from opposition leaders. Raijor Dal president and MLA Akhil Gogoi said the people of Assam had not elected Sarma to keep one community under constant pressure. Congress leader Aman Wadud accused the chief minister of rendering the Constitution meaningless in the state, saying his remarks showed a complete disregard for constitutional values.
According to the draft electoral rolls published on December 27, Assam currently has 2.51 crore voters. Election officials said 4.78 lakh names were marked as deceased, 5.23 lakh as having shifted, and 53,619 duplicate entries were removed during the revision process. Authorities also claimed that verification had been completed for over 61 lakh households.
On January 25, six opposition parties the Congress, Raijor Dal, Assam Jatiya Parishad, CPI, CPI(M) and CPI(M-L) submitted a memorandum to the state’s chief electoral officer. They alleged widespread legal violations, political interference and selective targeting of genuine voters during the SR exercise, describing it as arbitrary, unlawful and unconstitutional.
