Congress sharpens attack on Kejriwal with old video of his 'remarks on reservation'
New Delhi(PTI): Stepping up its attack on former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, the Congress on Tuesday referred to an old video in which the AAP convenor is purportedly talking about reservation and said it has now understood why he remains mum on caste census and removing the 50 per cent cap on quota.
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh shared an old undated video of Kejriwal in which he is purportedly heard telling the audience that if someone benefits from reservation then that family should not get reservation again and another family be benefited from it.
"We also believe that if a family, from these sections of the society...if someone is economically well-off then that person should not get reservation someone else should get reservation," Kejriwal purportedly says in the video.
There was no immediate reaction from AAP and the veracity of the video could not be independently ascertained.
"Kejriwal's views must be heard on the issue reservation. Now it is understood --Why he remains silent on the removal of 50% cap on reservation for SCs, STs and OBCs in government employment and government educational institutions, and on caste census," Ramesh said in a post in Hindi on X.
Ramesh's remarks come a day after former Congress president Rahul Gandhi launched a blistering attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Kejriwal, saying there is no difference between the two leaders and they do not want backwards, Dalits, tribals and minorities to get their due share.
Specifically targeting Kejriwal at his first public meeting for Delhi assembly polls, Gandhi said the AAP convenor was following "Modi's strategy of propaganda and false promises" despite rising pollution, corruption and inflation in the national capital.
He also promised a caste survey in Delhi if the Congress formed the government in the national capital.
Gandhi hailed the work done under three successive Sheila Dikshit-led governments and asserted that neither Kejriwal nor the BJP can match the Congress' track record.
The former Congress chief had urged Kejriwal to make his stand clear on the issue of caste census and the demand for the removal of the 50 per cent cap on reservation.
Taking to X, Kejriwal had said Rahul Gandhi "abused" him a lot but he will not comment on the Congress leader's statements. "His fight is to save Congress, my fight is to save the country," the AAP chief said.
The Congress and AAP are part of the INDIA bloc. The two parties had fought the Lok Sabha election together in Delhi, but are contesting the assembly polls separately.
ख़ुद केजरीवाल जी को आरक्षण पर ज़रूर सुना जाये 👇
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) January 14, 2025
अब समझ आया यह
सरकारी रोज़गार और सरकारी शिक्षा संस्थानों में अनुसूचित जाति, अनुसूचित जनजाति, और अन्य पिछड़े वर्गों के आरक्षण पर 50% सीमा हटाने और जातिगत जनगणना पर क्यों चुप रहते हैं pic.twitter.com/rw9i26zKU1
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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.
