"Country followed mantra of 'sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas'"
PM Modi on govt's 7th anniversary
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday that providing medical grade oxygen to different states during the second wave of COVID-19 was a challenge but the Indian Air Force, the railways and scores of tanker drivers worked overtime to ensure that it was delivered to those in need on time.
In his monthly 'Mann ki Baat' radio address, he also touched upon his government's seventh anniversary on Sunday and said the nation has followed the mantra of "sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas" in this period.
There have been many moments of national pride, he said.
Apart from many successes, there were some stern tests as well, he said, referring to the pandemic. The nation fought its first wave with courage, and this too will be defeated, he asserted.
Speaking of various natural disasters, the prime minister said more lives were saved compared to the past.
He underlined that the Centre and the states are working together to mitigate the sufferings of the people.
Modi spoke with a liquid oxygen tanker driver, a woman railway driver and an air force officer involved in transportation of oxygen and related equipment to drive home the point on how these people are working overtime to ensure oxygen reaches those in need.
In normal times daily production of liquid medical oxygen was 900 MT, which has now risen over 10 times to nearly 9,500 MT, the prime minister noted.
He said despite the pandemic, the farmers ensured record production of crop and the government also made record procurement.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
