Congress follows Gandhi who said 'Hey Ram' before dying, not anti-religion: Priyanka Gandhi
Rae Bareli, May 16: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday said her party follows the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi who uttered "Hey Ram" before dying and Prime Minister Narendra Modi was wrong in accusing it of being anti-religion.
"They accuse us of being against the Hindu religion. We follow Mahatma Gandhi's ideal who had chanted 'Hey Ram' before dying," she said, addressing a poll rally at 'Chaudah Mill roundabout,' about 20 km from the district headquarters.
She alleged that while the saffron party claims to be a "champion of Hindu religion," the condition of the state-run cowsheds in Uttar Pradesh remains pitiable.
"They accuse us of being against religion for turning down invitations for the consecration ceremony in Ayodhya. Just look at the condition of the cowsheds in UP where a video showed dogs eating flesh of a dead cow," she said.
She said that during the Congress rule in Chhattisgarh, the party improved the condition of cowsheds and used to purchase cow dung to aid self help groups running the cowsheds.
Priyanka has been canvassing every day in the Rae Bareli constituency, where Rahul Gandhi has thrown in his hat replacing his mother Sonia Gandhi, who had to vacate the seat after being nominated to the Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan.
Priyanka highlighted the strong bond the Gandhi family has with the constituency since the days of Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi.
"Bhaiya (Rahul Gandhi) will follow the tradition after winning the election," she said.
She accused the Modi government of trying to take credit for free ration scheme by putting his photograph on the papers related to the scheme, saying it was the Congress-led UPA government that brought the Right to Food Act.
The Congress leader also lambasted the BJP over frequent question papers leak in UP and promised stringent laws to stop such leaks.
She promised doing away with GST on education and scrap Agni-Veer scheme for recruitment in the armed forces if her party comes to power at the Centre.
She said her party will restore the earlier method of permanent appointment with pension provision for the army personnel.
The Congress general secretary also spoke about creating a Rs 5,000 crore fund to help small entrepreneurs.
Voting in Rae Bareli is scheduled in the fifth phase on May 20.
BJP has fielded Dinesh Pratap Singh to take on Rahul Gandhi. BSP of Mayawati has given ticket to Thakur Prasad Yadav.
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Passing out parade held at IMA Dehradun, 491 young officers join Indian Army
Dehradun(PTI): After undergoing rigorous training at the Indian Military Academy (IMA) in Dehradun, 491 cadets participated in a grand Passing Out Parade on Saturday and will now be commissioned as officers in the Indian Army.
The spectacular parade, held at the historic Drill Square in front of the academy's Chatwood Building, was reviewed by Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi, who served as the reviewing officer.
Along with 491 Indian cadets, 34 foreign cadets from 14 friendly countries also participated in the Autumn Term 2025 Passing Out Parade.
A total of 525 officer cadets from the 157th Regular Course, 46th Technical Entry Scheme, 140th Technical Graduate Course, 55th Special Commissioned Officers Course, and Territorial Army Online Entrance Exam 2023 Course participated in the Passing Out Parade.
The 'Sword of Honour' and gold medal for securing first place during training was awarded to ACA Nishkal Dwivedi, the silver medal to BUO Badal Yadav for second place, and the bronze medal to SUO Kamaljeet Singh for third place.
The silver medal for securing first place in the 'Technical Graduate Course' was awarded to Officer Cadet Jadhav Sujit Sampat, and the silver medal for first place in the 'Technical Entry Scheme-46' was awarded to WCC Abhinav Mehrotra.
The silver medal for the 'Special Commission Officer Course' was given to Officer Cadet Sunil Kumar Chhetri.
Among the foreign cadets, the first place in merit was secured by JUO Mohammad Safin Ashraf from Bangladesh. The Army Chief's Banner for overall best performance in the Autumn Term was awarded to Imphal Company.
As the parade concluded, helicopters showered flowers on the newly commissioned officers from the sky.
On this occasion, General Dwivedi congratulated the new officers in his address for successfully completing their training. He praised the young officers for their high level of discipline, leadership qualities, and endurance, and urged them to uphold the glorious traditions of the Indian Army and serve the nation with loyalty, commitment, and honour.
General Dwivedi said that joining the army marks the beginning of a lifelong duty and selfless service.
The parents and guardians of the newly commissioned officers were also present during the passing out parade.
