BJP govt asked 'X' to delete Amit Shah's RS speech, claims Cong
New Delhi (PTI): Citing an email, the Congress on Thursday claimed that the BJP government has asked social media platform 'X' to remove the speech of Home Minister Amit Shah made in the Rajya Sabha, which it said "insulted" Babasaheb Ambedkar.
There was no official confirmation from either the BJP or X on the Congress' claims.
The party reiterated that Shah had committed an "unforgivable crime" for which the Home minister should apologise to the nation and resign.
Addressing a press conference here, Congress spokesperson and chairperson of the Social Media and Digital Platforms Supriya Shrinate claimed that Congress leaders, its MPs and the party's official handle, including herself, had received an email from the 'X', saying the government of India had asked it to delete Shah's speech shared by them.
She, however, added that the 'X' platform had refused to delete it in the spirit of freedom of speech. She said if Shah thinks there is nothing wrong in his speech, why has his ministry asked the 'X' to delete it.
Shrinate made it clear that what they had shared was the original speech of Shah and it was not edited or distorted.
Besides, she also showed the 34-page unedited text of his speech available on the Rajya Sabha website where in he clearly says, that "it has become a fashion to mention the name of Dr Ambedkar and if they (the opposition leaders) take the name of God those many times, they will get to heaven for seven births".
Claiming this was "insulting and disrespectful" to the architect of the Constitution, the Congress spokesperson said Shah revealed the same mindset of his ideological ancestors who always opposed Ambedkar and condemned him as "anti-Hindu".
Shrinate also condemned the BJP and its 'X' handlers for distorting a picture of the Congress leaders carrying the photographs of Ambedkar while protesting against Shah's insult of him.
She pointed out how on the BJP 'X' handle Ambedkar's picture was replaced with that of George Soros, whom the BJP calls "anti-national".
"How dare the BJP replace Dr Ambedkar's picture? This is the same ease with which they think they can replace India's Constitution," she asserted.
Reiterating her party's demand that Shah must apologise to the nation and tender his resignation, Shrinate said, the Congress will not be intimidated or cowed down with such arm twisting tactics by the BJP.
She alleged that BJP leaders like Shah and their official social media account are displaying the same disregard and hatred towards Ambedkar that their forefathers and the RSS have always had.
The opposition party's attack came over a social media post by the BJP in which it posted a photograph from the INDIA bloc MPs' protest in Parliament on Wednesday against Shah's remarks.
However, the images of Ambedkar that the MPs were holding during the protest were edited out and replaced with a picture of US billionaire George Soros. Also, the backdrop was changed with 'We Love Soros' written on it.
"Hello, Congress and INDI alliance. We fixed the image for you. You're welcome," the BJP said in its post.
The BJP has been on the offensive as it has claimed that Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and former Congress president Sonia Gandhi had links with George Soros-backed outfits allegedly involved in anti-India activities.
Sharing the screenshot of the BJP's social media post and also the original photograph from the protest, Congress general secretary in-charge organisation K C Venugopal said, "The BJP is brazen in its insult and ridicule of Dr Ambedkar."
"Instead of ensuring the home minister is removed from his post for the immense hurt caused to the crores of Babasaheb's followers by Amit Shah's statements, they are doubling down on the ridicule."
Is standing up for Ambedkar against the insult to him a matter of joke for the BJP? he posed.
"They are bringing in their rotten falsehoods even on a sensitive matter like Dr Ambedkar's legacy because they do not respect him and want to diminish his stature for their narrow political goals," Venugopal said in his post on X.
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.
