Cows safe, but India most unsafe for women: Uddhav Thackeray
Mumbai, July 23 : In the name of protecting the cow, India has now become the most unsafe country in the world for women and everyone should be ashamed of this, Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray said on Monday.
"Yes, of course, we must protect our Cow Mother, but what about 'my mother'? This is no Hindutva," he said, in a marathon interview ahead of his 58th birthday on July 27, given to party mouthpieces 'Saamana' and 'Dopahar Ka Saamana', the first instalment of which was published on Monday.
Thackeray said that for over 25 years, the Shiv Sena and Bharatiya Janata Party were allies because of the shared ideology of Hindutva, status of Hindus, national interest and the country's security among others.
"But what is Hindutva, my father, the late Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray was often asked. His reply: Nationalism is our Hindutva. We don't want Hindus who just go to ring bells in temples sporting a 'choti' and a 'janoi thread'. Balasaheb's idea of Hindutva has to be propagated and implemented vigorously now," Thackeray urged.
On last week's no-confidence vote in the Lok Sabha against the BJP government in which the Sena kept out, he said the trust motion was the outcome of the "betrayal of the people" by the ruling party.
"Normally, the opposition brings up a no-confidence motion, but here it was the Telugu Desam - the first instance in India that a former ruling ally lost confidence in the government," Thackeray said.
Justifying the Sena stance, he made it clear that "nobody can shoot the gun from our shoulders" and the "Sena will not fire from someone else's shoulders either".
"Where were all these parties when we raked up issues concerning 'peoples confidence' in the government? And anyway, if we wanted to vote for the government, why should we oppose it since past over four years? I have a gun in my hand, and when the target is in sight, will fire it," he said, serving a political warning to the BJP.
He reiterated that "the Sena always spoke up for the peoples' interest, the poor, the farmers, the needy" and hence it remained severely and openly critical of the National Democratic Alliance at the centre and in Maharashtra where it is a partner.
The Sena leader said that his Ministers "kept a check on the government," raised issues which were in public interest and virtually played the role of the opposition.
"We were the first to protest against demonetization which hit the poor people badly, GST, land acquisition bill, fuel prices and other matters. And, most importantly, we spoke at a time when it was even considered 'treason' to oppose the government," Thackeray said.
Hitting out indirectly at BJP President Amit Shah's 'Chanakya-niti', Thackeray asked whether its modern day practitioners were "doing it in the national interest or the party's interest".
In the nearly 8,000-word first part of the interview, Thackeray also criticized the BJP on delays in building the Thackeray memorial, reduction in the height of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Memorial coming up in the Arabian Sea and long-pending writing off of farm debts.
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Karnataka govt directs municipal corps to regulate, prohibit pigeon feeding
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka government has issued directions to municipal corporations across the state to regulate and prohibit feeding pigeons in public places, citing serious public health concerns.
Deputy Secretary to Government V Lakshmikanth has written to the Urban Development Department requesting it to issue directions to the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) and all municipal corporations to take immediate steps to implement the measures.
In an official note dated December 16 issued by the Health and Family Welfare Department and released to the media on Wednesday, the department said uncontrolled feeding of pigeons in public places has resulted in large congregations of birds, excessive droppings and serious health concerns, particularly respiratory illnesses linked to prolonged exposure to pigeon droppings and feathers such as hypersensitivity pneumonitis and other lung diseases.
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"The commissioner, the Greater Bengaluru Authority and the Commissioners and chief officers of other municipal corporations shall take necessary action to mitigate the causes of dangerous disease spread by pigeon and enforce specified guidelines in their respective jurisdiction," the note said.
According to the department, these include a prohibition on feeding pigeons or causing pigeons to be fed in areas where it may cause nuisance or pose a health hazard to the public. Pigeon feeding shall be permitted only in designated areas in a controlled manner, subject to certain conditions.
"The designated areas may be selected in consultation with stakeholders. The responsibility for upkeep of the designated areas and compliance to the directions shall be taken up by some charitable organisation or an NGO. The feeding in designated areas shall be permitted only for some limited hours in the day," it said.
The note further stated that authorised officers of local authorities shall issue on-the-spot warnings and may impose fines for violation of the order, or lodge complaints to prosecute offenders under Sections 271 (Negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) and 272 (Malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
It also directed local authorities to conduct public awareness campaigns, including the display of signboards, banners and digital messages, explaining the health hazards associated with pigeon droppings and feathers, the content of the regulatory directions and penalties for violations, and alternative humane methods of bird conservation that do not endanger public health.
