Amit Shah's remark insulted Ambedkar, should take back his words: Mayawati
Lucknow, Dec 19: BSP chief Mayawati on Thursday said Union Home Minister Amit Shah should take back his recent remark on B R Ambedkar, and alleged that it has harmed the Dalit icon's dignity and offended his followers.
The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister's reaction came even as the BJP and the opposition parties at the Centre locked horns over Shah's remark made earlier this week in the Rajya Sabha.
The BSP is aligned with neither the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) nor the INDIA bloc, which comprises the Congress, Samajwadi Party and other opposition factions.
"The words used by the BJP's Amit Shah in Parliament about the original architect of the Indian Constitution and the revered God and Messiah of Dalits and other neglected classes, Param Pujya Babasaheb Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar, have greatly harmed Babasaheb's dignity," Mayawati said at a select press conference here.
"Our party believes that this has insulted him in a way, due to which there is tremendous anger and resentment among his followers in the whole country and I would say that he should take back these words soon and also repent for this. Otherwise, his followers will never be able to forget this incident nor will they ever be able to forgive him," the BSP chief added.
Mayawati also slammed the Congress, accusing it of not giving due respect to Ambedkar in the past.
"Ambedkar's followers have not yet been able to forget the innumerable misdeeds of the Congress party against Babasaheb. They are never going to forgive the Congress party, no matter how much it changes its style and conduct etc.," she added.
Mayawati alleged that after Ambedkar's death, the Congress worked to remove his name and his contributions to the making of the Constitution from the pages of history.
Attacking the Congress, the BSP supremo said, "Babasaheb had urged people from these communities never to associate with the Congress because it repeatedly insulted him. The Congress forced him to resign from his position as law minister and even prevented him from entering Parliament despite being elected."
She further alleged, "The laws and provisions Babasaheb introduced in the Constitution to benefit marginalised communities were never implemented effectively by the Congress. Their mindset remains unchanged to this day. Now, they are working towards eliminating the constitutional reservation provided to these communities when the time suits them."
Mayawati also criticized the BJP, saying, "The BJP is no less guilty in this regard. This party too engages in various political tactics to attract votes from these communities, often resorting to different forms of manipulative politics. In this process, the BJP has trapped itself in its own web."
"Whether it is the BJP, Congress, or their allies, none of these parties truly respect Babasaheb. Their respect is only superficial and deceitful, as has always been evident. These parties are merely using Babasaheb's name to attract votes from his followers...," she alleged.
Ambedkar's followers must remain vigilant and steadfastly associate themselves with their sole well-wisher, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Mayawati added.
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.
