BJP has nothing to do with Godse: Gujarat minister
Gandhinagar, Mar 8: The BJP or the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has nothing to do with Mahatma Gandhi's assassin Nathuram Godse, Gujarat minister Purnesh Modi asserted in the legislative Assembly on Tuesday, seeking to rebutt Congress accusations that they had a soft corner for Godse.
The minister's assertion came in the backdrop of constant accusations from the opposition Congress that the ruling BJP was soft on Godse.
Earlier in the House, senior Congress MLAs Punja Vansh and Shailesh Parmar criticised the BJP over several issues and cited some recent incidents, which they claimed, showed that Mahatma Gandhi's killer is being given importance in Gujarat under the saffron party's rule.
Accusing the central Congress leadership of creating a false narrative of "saffron terrorism" (Bhagwa Aatankwad), Modi said the RSS creates patriots and instills a sense of patriotism among citizens.
"I want to make it clear that the BJP has nothing to do with Godse. The RSS was banned thrice in the past. First, when Godse assassinated Mahatma Gandhi (in 1948), then during the Emergency (1975-77) and lastly in 1992 after the demolition of Babri Masjid. But, the ban was lifted on all the three occasions because the government of the day realised that the RSS works for the society," said the minister, who handles the Road and Building portfolio.
He said the BJP does not believe in politics of appeasement.
"The RSS creates patriots and instills a sense of patriotism among citizens. It was Congress which had conspired to create a false narrative of saffron terrorism. Unlike the Congress, which failed to nab accused in terror cases in the past, the Narendra Modi government did not hesitate to conduct a surgical strike (across the LoC) because the BJP does not believe in appeasement politics," said the minister in the House.
Taking part in the discussion, Vansh and Parmar (Congress) slammed the BJP and its government over certain incidents related to Godse.
They referred to a recent incident wherein an elocution competition with "My Role Model - Nathuram Godse" as one of the topics was organised for school students in Valsad by the district office of the state youth services and cultural activities department of the Gujarat government.
Later, the state government suspended the officer who had finalized the subjects for the elocution competition.
In November last year, members of the Hindu Sena, a right-wing outfit, had installed a bust of Godse in Jamnagar. Later, Jamnagar city Congress leaders demolished it.
"The BJP has double standards. While it talks about Mahatma Gandhi, it fails to act against those who put up Godse's bust. Instead, action was taken against those who destroyed it. I demand that the government take stern action against those who indulge in such acts of eulogizing Godse," said Vansh, speaking on the motion of thanks to Governor Acharya Devvrat for his address to the Assembly.
Parmar also slammed the BJP government over the issue of past terror attacks, seeking to know why the State Intelligence Bureau failed to collect prior inputs about these strikes.
"Where was the state IB when innocent citizens were killed in the 2008 serial bomb blasts in Ahmedabad, the Akshardham terror attack and the Godhra train carnage? All these raised questions about how the IB had failed to give inputs to the government," said Parmar.
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India will ensure zero casualty during heat waves: Shah
Ghaziabad (PTI): Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said his ministry has prepared a plan to ensure zero human casualty during heat waves in the country in the next few years with the underlying principle of being "proactive" rather than "reactive" towards disasters.
The minister spoke after he presented the President's Colour to the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) at the campus of its 8th battalion here.
The President's Colour flag is awarded to a military or police unit for rendering exceptional service.
The honour came to the force in the 20th year of its establishment after it was raised in 2006 as a federal contingency force to undertake relief and rescue operations during natural and man-made disasters.
The President's Colour is not just a "recognition" for the excellent services of the NDRF but also of all the state disaster response forces, the state machinery, the NCC (National Cadet Corps), NSS (National Service Scheme), 'Apda Seva Mitras' (volunteers) among others, Shah said.
He added that the NDRF has earned the "admiration and trust" of the people of the country and even abroad through its operations.
The minister said the aim of the Modi government was to ensure "zero casualty and minimum property damage" during tragedies and calamities, including cyclones, earthquakes and floods.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has prepared a plan to better combat the "serious challenge" of heat waves in the country and we will be able to ensure "zero casualty" in this context over the next few years, Shah said.
Our approach and policy has been "proactive" against disasters rather than being just "reactive", he said.
Shah said India has made its name as a "global leader" in disaster management and being the "first responder" during calamities as he asked the NDRF to prepare itself in the face of global warming and climate change.
The NDRF has 16 operational battalions deployed across the country with an overall strength of about 18,000 personnel.
Speaking during the event, NDRF Director General (DG) Piyush Anand said the force has undertaken more than 12,000 operations since its creation.
