Rahul Gandhi congratulates Team India on World Cup victory, Virat Kohli on outstanding T20 career
New Delhi: Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi congratulates Team India for their triumphant T20 World Cup final win against South Africa in Barbados. Taking to X soon after India's nail-biting victory on Saturday night, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi praised the team's phenomenal performance throughout the tournament.
"Surya, what a brilliant catch! Rohit, this win is a testament to your leadership. Rahul, I know Team India will miss your guidance. The spectacular Men in Blue have made our country proud," Gandhi stated on X, referring to coach Rahul Dravid, captain Rohit Sharma, and cricketer Surya Kumar Yadav.
Congratulations to Team India on a spectacular World Cup Victory and a phenomenal performance throughout the tournament!
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) June 29, 2024
Surya, what a brilliant catch! Rohit, this win is a testament to your leadership. Rahul, I know team India will miss your guidance.
The spectacular Men in… pic.twitter.com/lkYlu33egb
Gandhi also congratulated Virat Kohli on his outstanding T20 career. "You truly are signing off in grand style!" he said. Virat Kohli announced his retirement from T20 internationals following the World Cup final.
Congratulations Virat on an outstanding T20 career. You truly are signing off in grand style! pic.twitter.com/2fmud438C7
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) June 29, 2024
Other Congress leaders joined in the celebration. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge congratulated the Men in Blue for their impressive talent and dedication, singling out Virat Kohli, Axar Patel, and Arshdeep Singh for their standout performances. He expressed pride in every Indian for this remarkable victory, promising continued support and cheers for future matches.
In a nail-biting final, Team India won the #T20WorldCup after 17 years!
— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) June 29, 2024
Many Congratulations to the Men in Blue for their impressive display of talent and dedication. Virat Kohli, Axar Patel and Arshdeep Singh shone through the match. Every Indian is proud of this incredible… pic.twitter.com/lXI8eZFL2n
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Narayana Guru's philosophy counters majoritarianism amid social divisions, says Siddaramaiah
Varkala (Kerala) (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said saint and social reformer Sree Narayana Guru's philosophy remains a powerful answer to rising majoritarianism and social divisions in an India that boasts of economic progress even as unity weakens.
Speaking at the 93rd Sivagiri Pilgrim Conclave at Sivagiri Math, founded by Guru here, Siddaramaiah, the chief guest at the function, lamented that today's India faces a paradox where "we boast of economic growth, digital expansion and global influence, and yet social solidarity is weakening, and hatred is being normalised".
He said caste has not disappeared, but it has just changed its grammar.
Noting that communalism no longer speaks openly of hierarchy, it speaks the language of identity, fear, and majoritarian pride, Siddaramaiah said Guru foresaw this danger.
"He understood that when religion is separated from compassion and ethics, it becomes a tool of domination," Siddaramaiah said.
"Guru's philosophy directly counters religious majoritarianism, cultural nationalism without equality and identity politics without justice. His message reminds us that nation-building without social justice is merely state-building, not democracy," he said.
The Karnataka chief minister said it was no coincidence that after meeting Guru, Mahatma Gandhi sharpened his stance against untouchability, took a stand in favour of a simple life, and refused to attend weddings if they were not inter-caste.
He said that Rabindranath Tagore's idea of the "universal man" was inspired by the works of Guru.
He also shaped the ethical universe of Tagore, who acknowledged that dividing human beings in the name of religion is the greatest injustice, the CM said.
"Thus, Guru stands at the ideological crossroads of modern India by bridging spirituality, rationalism, humanism and social justice," Siddaramaiah said. The conclave was inaugurated by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
According to Siddramaiah, Guru's influence was not confined to Kerala.
"His historic dialogue with Mahatma Gandhi in 1925 altered the intellectual course of the freedom movement. It made Gandhiji confront a fundamental truth that “Caste is not cultural diversity, it is institutionalised injustice," he said.
Using the mango tree analogy, Guru revealed that though leaves differ, their essence is the same, making Mahatma Gandhi realise that caste and religion, not diversity, are the world's deepest social problems, the Karnataka CM said. Siddaramaiah also spoke about Guru's impact on Karnataka.
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"Though geographically rooted in Kerala, Guru's influence crossed linguistic and state boundaries, shaping reform movements along the Karnataka coast, especially in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Uttara Kannada, and parts of Malnad," he said.
He said the Billava, Elava, Ediga, Mogaveera, and other backward communities of coastal Karnataka drew inspiration from Guru's call for dignity, education, and organisation.
"His message strengthened anti-caste assertion and self-respect movements in the region. This is one of the main reasons for strong resistance to attempts by communal forces to divide the people in the region," he said.
The chief minister said Basavanna's Kayaka (dignified labour) finds a direct echo in Narayana Guru's insistence on economic self-reliance alongside spiritual growth.
"Basavanna democratised devotion through Vachanas, Narayana Guru democratized divinity itself, asserting that human beings' exclusions are not graded by birth, but equal by existence. Both transformed religion from a tool of exclusion into a language of social justice," he said.
Siddaramaiah opined that the Sivagiri Pilgrimage cannot remain a yearly ritual.
"It must become a continuous social movement," the chief minister said and called upon religious leaders to speak against hatred, scholars to take Guru's philosophy into classrooms, youth to challenge injustice, not inherit silence and political institutions to align governance with ethical values," he said.
Concluding his address, Siddaramaiah called for an India rooted in dignity, dialogue and equal humanity, saying this was the democratic vision shared by Narayana Guru, Mahatma Gandhi and the Sivagiri movement.
