Won't let BJP turn Karnataka into lab of hatred, misgovernance: Rahul Gandhi
Bengaluru, Oct 23: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said his party will not allow Karnataka to be turned into a laboratory for the BJP's experiments with hatred and misgovernance.
The leader was optimistic that his party will unleash Karnataka's true potential through the path of love, peace and harmony.
"The Congress party will not allow this garden of peace to be turned into a laboratory for the BJP's experiments with hatred and misgovernance," he said in a statement, after winding up his Karnataka leg of Bharat Jodo Yatra and entered Telangana on Sunday.
"Through the untiring efforts of our state leaders, drawing on the rich cultures of Karnataka and the support of crores of Kannadigas, that day will soon come when we will unleash Karnataka's true potential through the path of love, peace and harmony," he added.
While thanking the people for their outpouring of support throughout his journey in Karnataka, Gandhi said he saw the potential of its people being crippled.
Farmers growing crops from every region are struggling to support their families due to rising costs, uncertain yields and fluctuating prices, the Wayanad MP said.
The youth are unable to find opportunities that meet their aspirations despite repeated attempts, Gandhi said, adding, small entrepreneurs are closing down with inadequate or no support and a market that is tilted heavily in favour of a few big players.
"MGNREGA workers, women, weavers and many others are staring at shrinking incomes. Disadvantaged sections of the society and minorities face a rising tide of hatred and violence. The languages, the diverse cultures and the history of the state are being distorted and decimated," the former Congress president alleged.
He accused the BJP in Karnataka of going against the teachings of 12th century social reformer Basaveshwara, the founder of Lingayat sect.
He said Guru Basavanna had taught "Do not steal, do not kill, do not lie, do not be angry, do not be intolerant of others" but the BJP has done exactly the opposite of his teachings in Karnataka.
"The state that once spearheaded India's growth story is now known for the '40 per cent Commission' government that exemplifies the BJP's model of suit, boot, loot Sarkar," Gandhi charged.
Corruption, according to him, is at an unprecedented scale where people have to pay for jobs, contracts and public services.
"There is nothing that is not up for sale for the BJP in Karnataka. The erosion of social harmony and the public sector is paralysing economic progress and hitting the poor and vulnerable the hardest," the Congress leader said.
Gandhi, who started the Bharat Jodo Yatra from Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu on September 7, entered Karnataka on September 30. After travelling across the state for 24 days, he entered Telangana via Mahabubnagar on Sunday.
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.
Rajnath to top commanders: Outmaneuver adversaries with strategic surprise
Jaipur/New Delhi (PTI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday directed the top military commanders of the three services to integrate an "element of surprise" into modern warfare to outmaneuver India's adversaries and bolster strategic posture.
In his address at the joint commanders conference in Jaipur, Singh also described the Operation Sindoor as a testament to the "swift, precise, and joint response" of the Indian armed forces to safeguard national interests and called upon the military to remain ready to deal with any security challenges.
In their two-day deliberations, the commanders carried out a comprehensive review of the combat preparedness of the military in the wake of the evolving regional security situation.
Operation Sindoor was a demonstration of India's growing capabilities and a symbol of the nation's collective resolve and new military ethos, Singh said, a day after the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor.
He also unveiled a 'Joint Doctrine for Integrated Communication Architecture' that is aimed at strengthening doctrinal clarity, interoperability and integrated communications across the armed forces in future multidomain operations.
The joint commanders' conference, themed 'Military Capability in New Domains', brought together the top leadership of the defence ministry and the three services to deliberate on emerging security challenges and future readiness.
Comprehensive deliberations were held on future warfare, multidomain operations, technological transformation and joint capability development.
The conference witnessed extensive discussions on cognitive warfare, cyber resilience against evolving quantum and AI-enabled threats, military capability development in emerging domains, indigenous innovation and AI-enabled warfighting concepts.
It was attended by Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi, Chief of the Army Staff Gen Upendra Dwivedi, Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal AP Singh and Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh among others.
In his remarks, Singh asked the commanders to remain "future-ready" by learning from the operation as well as the current global security landscape.
He underscored the need to strengthen capabilities in artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, data analytics and secure communication networks to stay prepared in the rapidly evolving geopolitical security scenario. He emphasised that future conflicts will increasingly be shaped by hybrid threats, information dominance and operations conducted simultaneously across cyber, space, electromagnetic and cognitive domains, according to an official readout.
Highlighting the transformative impact of emerging technologies, Singh stressed on the importance of ensuring integrated national preparedness across all spectrums of conflict, it said.
Singh's remarks at the conference came a day after the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor.
The defence minister appreciated the progress achieved in enhancing jointness, integration and technological adoption across the three services, the readout noted.
Singh said that jointness constitutes a pivotal dimension within the transformative changes sweeping across the global defence sector.
"Future wars will not be won solely through weaponry, but through innovative thinking and enhanced synergy," he said.
The defence minister exhorted the commanders to cultivate the "element of surprise" to remain unpredictable to the nation's adversaries and secure a strategic edge in any given situation.
He, however, urged them to remain vigilant of the element of surprise of the enemy and always stay two steps ahead.
Singh also reiterated the Narendra Modi government's commitment to enhancing the capabilities of the defence forces through state-of-the-art weapons and platforms. He added that special focus is being laid on research in niche domains.
During the conference, he released a documentary film on Operation Sindoor.
The film reaffirms the nation's and defence forces' commitment to operational preparedness and decisive national response capabilities.
Demonstrations of advanced systems and platforms developed for intelligence fusion, operational planning and information management were also showcased during the conference reflecting growing integration of cutting-edge technologies into joint operational structures, according to the defence ministry.
The discussions will contribute significantly towards shaping India's future military transformation and integrated operational preparedness, it said.
